1324. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason refusal letters for SEN applications are taking several months to issue; the current average timeframe for issuing such letters; the impact these delays have on families' ability to lodge appeals in a timely manner; if she will ensure that the refusal letter for a person (details supplied) is issued without further delay; and if she will …
1408. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she agrees with the NCSE's view that special needs assistants (SNAs) should be primarily or only provided to children with physical care needs; if she will work to ensure that children with educational needs, children who need help with emotional regulation or sensory overload are not excluded from automatically receiving an SNA; and if she will …
1409. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can provide an estimate on the number of children who were previously entitled to an SNA but from whom an SNA will be removed this year. [25486/26]
1410. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who lost their SNA allocation in each of the past ten years in tabular form. [25487/26]
1411. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who qualified for an SNA in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [25488/26]
1475. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of non-governmental organisations that have received State funding from her Department in each of the past five years; the number of such organisations currently registered in the State which have been funded by her Department; the number located outside the State that have received Irish public funds from her Department for each of the p…
1557. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the amount of Government funding provided to environmental NGOs (details supplied) in each of the past ten years.
[24500/26]
1559. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide a list of the NGOs that have received Government funding from his Department in the past five years. [24633/26]
1591. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of non-Governmental organisations that have received State funding from his Department in each of the past five years; the number of such organisations currently registered in the State which have been funded by his Department; the number located outside the State that have received Irish public funds from his Department for…
1618. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the policy or infrastructural improvements that have occurred since the introduction of the 2023 waiver that justify its expiration; and the details of any review undertaken to assess its impact on rural housing development. [26159/26]
1683. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of Government funding provided to environmental NGOs (details supplied) in each of the past ten years. [24508/26]
1687. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of the NGOs that have received Government funding from his Department in the past five years. [24634/26]
1748. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the forthcoming planning framework for short term letting will apply in County Mayo, particularly in towns with populations below 10,000; and the discretion Mayo County Council will have in setting local policy. [25727/26]
1749. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment his Department has made of the impact of short term rentals on long term housing availability in County Mayo, including in coastal and high tourism areas. [25728/26]
1750. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which local authorities such as Mayo County Council will be supported to enforce planning requirements relating to short term letting, including staffing, resources, and access to data from the national register. [25729/26]
1751. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the interaction between the new national short term letting register and existing planning enforcement powers will operate in practice in counties with dispersed rural populations such as Mayo. [25730/26]
1752. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he intends to issue specific guidance to local authorities on balancing tourism activity and housing supply in rural counties, including County Mayo, under the new short term letting regime. [25731/26]
1771. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason firefighters who continue to pass annual medical and fitness assessments are required to retire at 62 years-of-age rather than being allowed to continue working to 66 years in line with the State pension age; whether his Department has examined the feasibility of linking retirement to fitness and medical capability rath…
1772. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given current recruitment and retention challenges within fire services, whether any analysis has been undertaken by his Department of the cost, pension, and staffing implications of retaining experienced firefighters beyond the age of 62; and whether flexibility may be considered for firefighters who continue to meet required occ…
1773. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has been consulted regarding the replacement of firefighters due to retire in County Mayo in 2026; and the supports, approvals or funding mechanisms that are available to local authorities to ensure continuity of service where multiple experienced personnel retire within a short timeframe. [26024/26]
1774. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that full-time and retained firefighters are required to undergo and pass annual occupational health and fitness assessments, the reason for the policy rationale for mandatory retirement at 62 years-of-age; the reason firefighters who continue to meet the required medical and fitness standards are not permitted to remain in …
1775. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has considered or has proposals under way to increase the mandatory retirement age for full-time and retained firefighters from 62 to 66 years-of-age, in line with the State pension age; the engagement, if any, he has had with local authorities and representative bodies on this issue; and if he will make a statement on …
1776. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of full-time firefighters and retained (reserve) firefighters in County Mayo who are due to retire in 2026 and 2027, by station where possible; the projected impact this will have on fire service capacity and emergency response in the county; and the contingency or workforce-planning measures currently in place to addre…
1777. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment that has been carried out by his Department or by Mayo County Council on the operational impact of the retirement of three experienced firefighters in Claremorris in 2026, with a combined service record in excess of 100 years; and the way in which institutional knowledge, mentoring capacity and operational readiness…
1787. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of non-Governmental organisations that have received State funding from his Department in each of the past five years; the number of such organisations currently registered in the State which have been funded by his Department; the number located outside the State that have received Irish public funds from his Departmen…