John Lahart

62. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if approval is required to extend recent pension adjustments for medical scientists to those who retired prior to 1 January 2024; whether such a proposal has been considered; and if he will indicate the current status of this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44307/26]

158. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in advance of Budget 2027, he will review the means assessment for the increased rate of pension to ensure that savings held on deposit are not treated as income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44527/26]

198. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position Ireland will take on forthcoming EU proposals on food labelling, particularly in light of concerns about the potential impact on traditional Irish products and producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44573/26]

218. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if she will clarify the position regarding the application of pension increases arising from Department of Health Circular 02/2024 and Labour Court Recommendation LCR22780 to medical scientists who retired prior to 1 January 2024; whether consideration is being given to extending these increases in line with the policy of maintaining parity between the pay of serving staff and the pensions of pre-existing public service pension schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44304/26]

219. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if her Department has examined representations from retired medical scientists that pension arrangements may not reflect previous scheme provisions or assurances regarding alignment with salary changes for their grade; if she will outline any review or engagement undertaken; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44306/26]

548. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will explain the rationale for the current taxation treatment of carer’s allowance as taxable income, in contrast to other social welfare payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and disability allowance which are not subject to income tax; if he will consider introducing an exemption or revised tax treatment for full-time family carers in recognition of the essential care they provide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42409/26]

549. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the extent to which carer’s allowance impacts tax credits, rate bands and overall PAYE liability in jointly assessed households; whether the Department has undertaken any assessment of the effective net benefit of carer’s allowance for working families; and if he will outline any proposals under consideration to reform the taxation of the payment, particularly for full-time carers who have left employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42410/26]

1123. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43440/26]

1263. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider measures to reduce the cost for those in need of hearing aids through increased PRSI allowance for the hearing aids, or subsidies or some way to assist older people reduce the unaffordable cost of hearing aids which can be in the region of €4,000 to €5,000. [43441/26]

1355. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current average processing times for Irish residence permit (IRP) renewals; the steps being taken to address ongoing delays and backlogs within immigration service delivery; whether he is considering the introduction of a further temporary extension to the validity of IRP cards in light of reported processing delays exceeding 12 weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42372/26]

1653. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the further steps being considered to support families with the cost of childcare and to improve availability of places; if she will outline any planned measures in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43300/26]

226. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the delays in the processing of applications to exchange foreign driving licences, which can take from one to three months; the reasons for the delays; the number of applications currently awaiting processing; the measures being taken to reduce waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40962/26]

386. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport the amount the NTA has spent on EV subsidies for the taxi industry in each of the years 2023-2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39357/26]

434. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to clarify the way the proposed legislation on vaping, from a proposed tax purpose, addresses the environmental impact of disposable vapes; and the steps being taken to ensure that responsible adult users of refillable devices are not unfairly impacted. [38748/26]

448. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to outline the amount of tax relief the State has provided for electric vehicles in the years 2022-2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39355/26]

449. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the amount of tax relief for the bike-to-work scheme that has been provided for the years 2022-2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39356/26]

487. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total State contribution to the purchase of electric vehicles in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40259/26]

488. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the cost to the State of the bike-to-work scheme for each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40260/26]

530. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an finished building project at a school (details supplied); and when it is like to be sanctioned for completion. [38760/26]

715. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether planning permission can be extended where the construction company needs a short period of extension to complete projects, where the project is underway but planning permission may be due to expire before completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39903/26]

1108. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the present position with regard to vaping legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38742/26]

1109. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health to clarify the way the proposed legislation on vaping, from a proposed tax purpose, addresses the environmental impact of disposable vapes; and the steps being taken to ensure that responsible adult users of refillable devices are not unfairly impacted. [38751/26]

42. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps her Department has taken in response to the reported detention of Irish citizens involved in the recent Gaza-bound flotilla; and whether she has expressed any concerns to Israeli authorities regarding the treatment of those Irish citizens. [38229/26]

68. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the specific initiatives Ireland is supporting at EU and UN level to prevent further escalation of the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. [38230/26]

241. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the reason for the decision to require a money message for the Industrial Relations (Provision in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38498/26]