Paul Lawless

830. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers leaving the sector on an annual basis over the past ten years [14902/26]

833. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he intends to progress the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021 to the next legislative stage; if he will confirm whether his Department has concluded its internal review of the independent scientific assessment commissioned in 2023 and delivered to his Department in December 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15044/26]

834. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the independent scientific assessment on hybridisation and biosecurity threats to the native Irish honey bee, completed by a team of international experts and delivered to the Department in December 2024, has not yet been published; when this essential report will be released to the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15045/26]

835. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he accepts the scientific evidence showing that hybridisation in Irish honey bee populations has increased at an alarming rate, including a 300% rise in introgression over a six year period; the immediate actions his Department is taking to protect the genetic integrity of the native Apis mellifera mellifera ecotype; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15046/26]

836. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to prevent the importation of pests such as the Tropilaelaps mite (described by experts as potentially more destructive than Varroa) and other invasive species including the Small Hive Beetle and the Asian Hornet; if his Department will commit to mandatory physical inspection of all honey bee consignments entering the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15047/26]

837. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports his Department currently provides to Irish beekeeping organisations, namely NIHBS, FIBKA, IBA, UBKA, INIB, and the Irish Bee Foundation; whether his Department intends to strengthen these supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15048/26]

1010. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current system for accessing CPAP machines for patients with sleep apnoea, in light of cases where families are paying €118 per month in rental fees in addition to monthly medication costs, with limited support available under the drugs payment scheme; if she will consider introducing a model similar to Northern Ireland where CPAP machines are provided free of charge through primary care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14610/26]

1011. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will examine the financial burden placed on working families who do not qualify for a medical card but who face essential, lifelong medical costs such as CPAP rental and associated medication, particularly where the cost of supporting children in third-level education further reduces disposable income (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14611/26]

24. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the employment rate in County Mayo; and if he will outline how this compares with other counties. [12161/26]

90. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps his Department is taking to increase the tourism potential of County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12162/26]

151. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of foster parents or foster placements in County Mayo. [12185/26]

154. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers that have closed in County Mayo in each of the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12184/26]

194. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on the Marine Protected Areas Bill; when the Bill will be published; whether Clew Bay, or areas within or adjacent to it, are being considered for designation as a marine protected area (MPA); to provide an update on any scientific assessments, surveys, or consultations that have been carried out to inform this designation; to outline the expected timeline for any proposed MPA designation and the process for public consultation; to clarify how local communities, including fishers and aquaculture operators, are being engaged in the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13728/26]

201. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which Ireland’s circular economy policy and legislation apply to the harvesting of seaweed as a finite biological resource, rather than a manufactured input; whether the circular economy framework recognises the importance of natural regeneration capacity, harvesting cycles, and ecological carrying capacity for seaweed species commonly harvested in Ireland; whether any national guidance, limits, or sustainability thresholds exist in respect of regeneration rates, harvesting intensity, or recovery periods for seaweed beds; and if not, whether he considers such limits necessary to distinguish genuinely circular use from extractive activity; whether circular economy policy requires that proposals for large-scale seaweed harvesting take account of regeneration cycles traditionally measured over multiple years, cumulative impacts, and the long-term ability of the resource to replenish itself; the way in which these principles are being applied, in practice, to the assessment of large-volume harvesting proposals, including foreshore licence application FS006108, which proposes harvesting at a scale of up to 40,000 tonnes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13721/26]

202. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in view of the Climate Advisory Council’s estimate that Ireland could face up to €26 billion in costs if 2030 climate targets are missed, whether his Department has carried out a cost–benefit analysis comparing the actual fines, penalties, and compliance costs the State has incurred to date under EU or international climate obligations; the projected fines, penalties, and compliance costs the State may face if targets are not met; the costs and benefits of using the same or equivalent funding for domestic climate mitigation and adaptation projects; to provide the findings of any such analysis; to provide a breakdown of annual actual and projected expenditure, including best-case and worst-case scenarios, for EU or international climate-related fines or penalties; carbon credit purchases or carbon market compliance costs; payments to international carbon offset schemes; any other payments directly tied to meeting Ireland’s climate obligations; annual Exchequer allocations to domestic climate adaptation projects over the same period; an explanation for any gap between projected fines and domestic climate spending, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13724/26]

278. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the list of all flood relief and flood risk management projects in County Mayo since 2020, by each project: the name and location of the project; the total approved budget and amount spent to date, including maintenance and ongoing operational costs; whether the project is in planning, under construction, or completed; the number of properties and key infrastructure protected or expected to be protected; whether any nature-based solutions have been included in the design, implementation, or evaluation including but not limited to natural water retention measures, wetland restoration, riparian planting, or sustainable urban drainage systems; the details of those measures the scale of investment in any nature-based solutions; how the effectiveness of any nature-based solutions in reducing flood risk is being evaluated, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13726/26]

279. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on Ireland’s national assessment of areas at risk from sea-level rise over the next 20–50 years, including coastal counties and vulnerable communities; to specify what coastal adaptation or resilience measures (hard engineering, nature-based solutions, or managed retreat strategies) are planned or underway in these areas; to outline how the timeline for implementing these measures is being determined and monitored; to indicate whether funding for maintenance and monitoring of existing coastal defences has been allocated, and how these measures are being evaluated for effectiveness; to confirm how local authorities, communities, and stakeholders are being engaged in planning and implementing adaptation strategies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13729/26]

290. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide an update on current and planned tourism investment along the Wild Atlantic Way, including Fáilte Ireland and Shared Island Fund support; to specify what funding has been allocated for protection, restoration, and enhancement of landscapes and natural heritage along the route; to outline the process for prioritising projects and how local communities and stakeholders are involved in decision-making; the measures being taken to ensure that tourism development along the Wild Atlantic Way is sustainable and benefits local communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13730/26]

403. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether reviews were undertaken at the end of phase one and phase two of the National Landscape Strategy 2015–2025; if so, to provide an update on Ireland’s ongoing obligations under the European Landscape Convention (ELC) and how these are being fulfilled following the conclusion of the National Landscape Strategy 2015–2025; his plans to prepare an updated National Landscape Strategy and implementation programme, including consultation with communities, stakeholders, local authorities, and committees who contributed to the 2015 document; to provide an update on the completion of the National Landscape Character Assessment and how it is being integrated into broader policies and frameworks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13722/26]

404. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the release of the Coastal Change Management Strategy Report in 2023, to provide an update on the development of Ireland’s National Coastal Change Management Strategy; the current status of the Strategy, which is overdue; the expected timeline for its publication; the current position of the National Coastal Change Management Strategy Steering Group, including its membership, the number of times it has met since establishment, the issues it has considered, and the timeline for completing its work; to provide an update on each of the fifteen recommendations of the Interdepartmental Group on the National Coastal Change Management Strategy, indicating in each case whether a decision has been made regarding implementation, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13723/26]

691. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the programmes or funding that have been provided to support rural communities and Gaeltacht areas along the Wild Atlantic Way for sustainable tourism, cultural activities, and landscape/heritage protection; the details of the funding, projects supported, and expected outcomes for community development and conservation of local landscapes and heritage; how local communities and stakeholders are engaged in planning and delivering these projects; the measures being taken to ensure tourism growth benefits rural and Gaeltacht communities while protecting landscapes and heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13731/26]

254. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way she intends to guarantee the independence of guardians ad litem under the new guardian ad litem national service, given that both Tusla and the new service will report to the same Minister; if she will outline the safeguards that will be put in place to ensure that advocacy for children in court proceedings is not restricted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13109/26]

255. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if children may be placed on waiting lists for guardian ad litem appointments under the new service; the way this aligns with the State’s obligation to protect vulnerable children involved in court proceedings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13110/26]

263. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will address the fact that Mayo University Hospital is operating with only one CT scanner, leading to significant delays for patients, including those requiring urgent cancer-related imaging; and if she will outline the immediate steps that will be taken to increase scanning capacity and reduce waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12971/26]

13. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [10090/26]