263. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department will prioritise work permit applications for the diary sector given the time sensitive nature of the sector's labour needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68562/25]
712. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the commitments his Department can give to increasing investment in research, supporting early-career researchers, and ensuring Ireland remains competitive in EU and global innovation programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67821/25]
711. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the uptake of apprenticeships across the country in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67820/25]
710. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports to be provided to graduate medicine students who receive no SUSI grant, no Government support, and no access to student loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67819/25]
446. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Department or the PSA will publish periodic reports on the implementation of the Strategic Plan; the key performance indicators will be used to assess success; and how members of the public will be kept informed of progress in licensing, compliance, and regulatory improvements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68158/25]
445. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the Private Security Authority plans to engage with private security industry stakeholders to strengthen professional standards; the mechanisms that will be in place to ensure industry cooperation in compliance initiatives; the way in which this collaboration will contribute to improved public safety outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68157/25]
444. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific strategies being developed to raise public awareness of the risks posed by unlicensed private security providers; how the Private Security Authority will measure the effectiveness of its communications strategy; the enforcement actions planned to ensure compliance with licensing requirements over the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68156/25]
443. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Private Security Authority has sufficient staffing, financial, and technological resources to meet the objectives of its Private Security Authority Strategic Plan 2026-2028; if additional resources will be allocated; and the way in which his Department plans to support the PSA in modernising and streamlining regulatory functions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68155/25]
442. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he is taking to implement the Private Security Authority Strategic Plan 2026-2028, including ensuring sufficient resources, expanding licensing, enforcing compliance against unlicensed providers, and raising public awareness; and if his Department will commit to publishing regular updates so the public can track progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68154/25]
441. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he is taking to reduce the processing time for Join Family Visa applications, which are currently reported to take in excess of 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68151/25]
256. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out the measures from Budget 2026 that will support generational renewal in farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66334/25]
255. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out his Department's current assessment of national food security, including risks to the agricultural supply chain; to outline any forthcoming initiatives to strengthen resilience across farming sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66333/25]
254. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current average timeframe from reactor identification to payment to farmers whose cattle have tested positive for bovine TB; the steps being taken to ensure the prompt processing and payment of compensation to affected farmers to support their financial stability; whether his Department intends to introduce further measures to reduce delays and improve certainty for affected farmers, and ongoing farm operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66332/25]
253. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline for the payment of supports to farmers in the tillage sector; the measures that will be put in place to ensure that these payments are distributed fairly and equitably across all eligible tillage farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66331/25]
252. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will guarantee that the Irish whiskey technical file will be amended to ensure that only Irish grain is used in the production of Irish whiskey, in line with the stance of US and English whiskey producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66330/25]
251. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the Irish whiskey technical file does not currently require the use of Irish grain in the production of Irish whiskey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66329/25]
250. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason public consultation for the Irish whiskey technical file has not yet opened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66328/25]
203. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to deliver the extra funding identified by local authorities, his Department and Uisce Éireann, necessary to deliver the measure A8 rural water programme; when that funding will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66327/25]
202. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of applications received from County Laois under the Historic Structures Fund 2026; the total grant-aid awarded; whether any barriers to access in the county have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66326/25]
201. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any funding under the Historic Structures Fund 2026 has been allocated to Emo Court in Laois; the criteria applied to prioritise such nationally significant historic sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66325/25]
200. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports in place to help owners of historic structures in rural parts of County Laois apply for the Historic Structures Fund 2026; the number of such projects in the county that have been approved to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66324/25]
199. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications from County Laois under the Historic Structures Fund 2026; the total value of grant-aid awarded; the supports available to ensure rural historic properties in County Laois can access the fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66323/25]
198. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties in each county that have been completed under the vacant and derelict homes grants; the number of properties in each county that have been supported by these grants that are now registered with the RTB, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66322/25]
197. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline details of new affordable housing schemes being supported by his Department; to provide details of submissions received from Laois County Council for the development of such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66321/25]
196. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social homes which have been delivered in Laois since 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66320/25]
155. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the contingency measures her Department has put in place to protect Irish exporters and jobs in the event of new tariffs being imposed by the United States on EU goods, including pharmaceuticals, agrifood, and technology sectors; the assessment that has been made of the potential economic impact on these sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66317/25]
91. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures in place to support Irish emigrants wishing to return to Ireland; whether an economic and social assessment of barriers to return has been completed and acted upon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66319/25]
90. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the plans to expand or restructure Ireland's diplomatic and trade missions abroad, particularly in emerging markets, including the budget allocated, the timeline for implementation, and expected benefits for trade and diplomatic engagement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66318/25]
149. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health her plans to establish a local nurse-led respite facility in Laois where children with complex medical needs, can access safe, medically appropriate overnight care, in line with the National Policy on Palliative Care for Children (2009), the National Needs Assessment (2013), and the Children’s Palliative Care: From Policy to Practice framework (2010–2015); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63078/25]
41. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when his Department plans to invest in a new regional sports complex in County Laois to support community participation, competitive events, and elite athlete development; the timeframes, funding, and stakeholder engagement processes which are planned to deliver such a facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63401/25]
13. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the funding that has been allocated to a centre (details supplied) in Portlaoise, County Laois, over the past five years; the funding that is planned for the centre in the coming years; whether there are opportunities to access additional departmental or national funding streams to support its ongoing operation, programming, and development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63402/25]
1082. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will reconsider recognising long covid as an occupational illness for health care workers currently availing of the special scheme of paid leave; the number of staff currently availing of this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63400/25]
1039. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will run an international recruitment campaign to recruit suitably qualified senior dental surgeons, with an interest in special needs, for the CHO8 area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63125/25]
1038. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health to report on the changes to the organ donation framework; the number of those opting out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63124/25]
1037. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE community orthoptist posts filled within CHO8, in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63123/25]
1036. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the number of medical card holders currently waiting for dental appointments in County Laois, by age and waiting time, for end of October 2024 and end of October 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63122/25]
1035. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health her plans to develop a national pathway and specialist multidisciplinary functional neurological disorder clinic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63121/25]
1034. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to address the shortage of dentists that will accept medical card holders in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63120/25]
1033. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the number of WTEs in the National Ambulance Service (NAS), per grade codes, in the CH08 region, from 2020 to 2025; the annual level of activity delivered by the NAS for the same period, by HSE region, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63119/25]
1032. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the number of National Ambulance Service paramedics per 100,000 nationally, by health region; the number of critical care ambulances and rapid response vehicles, per health region, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63118/25]
1031. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to improve mental health services for young people in County Laois; the details of additional resources to be made available for mental health service delivery in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63117/25]
1030. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the estimated expenditure required over a two-year period to provide liaison psychiatry staffing within the emergency department at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise in County Laois, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63116/25]
532. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the way in which his Department will ensure that capital investment, including funding through the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund, is distributed equitably across rural and urban counties; the timeframe for the next tranche of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63441/25]
531. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures his Department is putting in place to ensure that grant schemes for the arts and culture sector, including performance, visual arts, and international promotion, remain sufficient and accessible in the face of rising operational costs and inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63440/25]
530. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an updated timeframe for the full implementation of the Coimisiún na Meán’s regulatory regime for online media and broadcast content; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63439/25]
529. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the specific steps his Department is taking to reform and modernise the public-service broadcasting funding model, in view of the recent decline in licence-fee revenue and related controversies surrounding RTÉ; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63438/25]
528. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the percentage of Exchequer funding which was provided to each State agency under the remit of his Department in 2024/2025, for its capital and current funding, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63437/25]
527. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the details of the capital funding programmes and grants from his Department, and any other body for which he has responsibility for, which sporting organisations in County Laois are eligible to apply; the details of funding programmes and/or grants currently open or the date when a subsequent funding programme and/or grant is scheduled to be opened for which a sporting organisation is eligible to apply, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63436/25]
406. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of foreign direct investment (FDI) jobs in County Laois in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; the number of FDI jobs created and lost respectively in County Laois in the same years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62934/25]