Official portrait of Paul Lawless

Paul Lawless

Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file

Aontú · Mayo · serving since 2024-11-29

Official Oireachtas profile

Record timeline

Voting record Contributions PQs asked
oral 2026-02-17 · to Taoiseach
15. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [12128/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Climate
317. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware of a proposed large-scale seaweed harvesting plan along the Galway and Mayo coastline by a Canadian company (details supplied) which owns an Irish company which is seeking permission to harvest 40,000 tonnes of seaweed wrack; if his Department has concerns in relation to the environmental impact of this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12149/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Transport
390. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the rationale for the current system under which penalty points are applied from the date on which they are formally processed and imposed by the national vehicle and driver file, rather than the date on which the motorist receives the fixed-charge notice; if he is aware that this results in penalty points remaining active for a period longer than the three years widely understood by motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12181/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Transport
437. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason an American driving licence cannot be exchanged for an Irish driving licence; if he will consider reviewing this policy for returning Irish citizens; and if he will clarify the legal position on driving in Ireland on a U.S. licence during transition. [12785/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Finance
502. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to clarify tax obligations for a non-EU national working remotely in Ireland for a U.S. employer, including residency and income thresholds. [12787/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Education
674. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the working definition of the term ‘social justice’ as used by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan (details supplied); to detail how this definition is operationalised in curriculum design, including reference to any underlying theoretical frameworks, authors or academic traditions on which the NCCA relies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12492/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Education
675. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the NCCA has undertaken any analysis of the potential implications of multiple, divergent stakeholder interpretations of the term ‘social justice’ as used in its Strategic Plan and curriculum specifications, particularly in terms of how such divergence may affect the intelligibility of stated curriculum aims and principles for participants in public consultations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12493/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Education
681. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will outline the measures being taken to increase the number of autism class and special school places at post-primary level, in light of pupils completing primary autism classes who are unable to secure appropriate placements due to capacity shortages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12555/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Education
682. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will ensure that transition planning for autistic pupils is carried out in line with NCSE guidance, and that children are provided with placements appropriate to their assessed needs, sensory profiles and support requirements, rather than being offered any available place where no suitable provision exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12556/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Culture
752. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide dates (details supplied), in relation to the authorisation process for pension increases agreed by An Post and the trade unions over the period January 2021 – February 2026; the control he exercises over the discretion claimed by An Post around its pension scheme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12884/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Housing
821. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the proposed planning exemptions for modular units will be introduced; and if he will allow flexibility for side placement and generous square footage in constrained sites. [12788/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
929. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will clarify the guidance, advice, or direction his Department has issued to Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSP) regarding media access to their meetings; if he will confirm whether the decision to exclude members of the press from the majority of meetings is a national policy, a matter for local discretion, or a recommendation conveyed to LCSP chairs at the recent briefing in Dublin; and if he will outline the rationale for any such guidance given the importance of transparency in community safety and policing oversight. [12667/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
930. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will outline the reasons for the change in practice from the former Joint Policing Committees, which operated with full media access as standard, to the new Local Community Safety Partnerships where media attendance has been significantly restricted; if he will clarify whether this shift reflects a policy change by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12668/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
931. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he recognises that public confidence in policing and community safety structures requires transparency; if he accepts that many of the issues raised at Local Community Safety Partnership meetings, such as crime trends, antisocial behaviour, and resource deployment, are clearly in the public interest; and if he will outline the way in which restricting media access aligns with the objective of strengthening accountability. [12669/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
932. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he acknowledges the vital role played by independent local media in scrutinising policing and community safety matters; if he has evaluated the impact of excluding journalists from Local Community Safety Partnership meetings on public information and oversight; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12670/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
933. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will direct Local Community Safety Partnership Chairs to hold meetings in public session as the default, in keeping with long established practice under the former Joint Policing Committees; if he will confirm that private sessions should be limited strictly to sensitive matters involving personal data or operational Garda information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12671/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
934. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to clarify the precise guidance conveyed by his Department at the recent briefing for newly elected Chairs of Local Community Safety Partnerships in Dublin; if any recommendation was made to limit or prohibit media attendance; and if he will publish the formal terms of reference and national protocols issued to the Chairs. [12672/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
935. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he agrees that while there may be occasions where sensitive Garda or personal information requires a private session, imposing a blanket ban on media attendance at Local Community Safety Partnerships is neither necessary nor proportionate; if he will intervene to prevent such a blanket prohibition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12673/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
936. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will outline the measures his Department is taking to safeguard democratic oversight within Local Community Safety Partnerships; if he has assessed the risk that removing media access will erode transparency and weaken public accountability; and if he will commit to reviewing national guidance to restore public confidence in these forums. [12674/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Justice
946. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline residency and citizenship pathways for a non-Irish spouse of a returning Irish citizen, and processing timelines. [12786/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Children
993. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will direct the HSE to review the referral pathway decision for a child (details supplied) whose case has been refused by the Children's Disability Network Team on three occasions despite a completed assessment of need and general practitioner concerns; if she will ensure that the child's case is reconsidered in light of ongoing unmet needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12838/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Children
994. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of cases in which families, including that of a child (details supplied), are repeatedly directed to apply to the CDNT despite previous referral forum decisions ruling them ineligible; the measures which are being taken to ensure families receive accurate and consistent guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12840/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Children
995. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the HSE ensures that children (details supplied) who receive an assessment of need diagnosis subsequently receive timely and appropriate interventions; if she is satisfied that current practice is meeting statutory obligations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12842/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Health
1234. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied that a five session primary care occupational therapy 'Episode of Care' is an adequate intervention for a child (details supplied) with a confirmed autism diagnosis and ongoing sensory, behavioural, and attention related needs; if she will review the appropriateness of limiting autistic children to short block interventions within primary care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12837/26]
written 2026-02-17 · to Health
1235. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the basis on which CAMHS excludes a child (details supplied) whose behavioural and emotional needs fall outside the capacity of Primary Care; the mental health supports that are available for autistic children who do not meet CAMHS criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12839/26]
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