Paul Lawless

680. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether local authority Housing Delivery Action Plans are required to include specific affordable housing targets; the way in which compliance with those plans is monitored; whether any local authority has been formally challenged by his Department for failure to progress affordable housing schemes; if he will strengthen these plans by making affordable housing targets mandatory, time-bound and enforceable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8400/26]

681. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the specific affordable housing delivery objectives his Department has for large regional towns in County Mayo; whether the designation of a town as “eligible” for an affordable housing scheme carries any obligation to deliver homes within a defined timeframe; the number of affordable homes he expects to see delivered over the next four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8401/26]

682. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way national affordable housing targets are translated into binding local authority delivery expectations; whether he accepts that national figures without local allocations make accountability impossible; if he will commit to publishing county-by-county affordable housing targets on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8402/26]

683. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which current housing output compares to the Government’s election commitment to deliver up to 60,000 homes per year; the projected delivery figure for 2026; the specific measures being taken to close the gap; and whether the absence of binding local authority targets is undermining delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8403/26]

684. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will publish quarterly affordable housing delivery data on a county-by-county basis, including commencements, completions and pipeline schemes; whether such data is currently compiled internally; if he will commit to making this information publicly available to ensure transparency and accountability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8404/26]

844. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are plans to amend S.I. No. 307/2006 to extend mandatory country-of-origin labelling to poultry, pork and lamb in the hospitality and catering sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7351/26]

845. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the steps his Department is taking to ensure that processed meat products, such as chicken Kievs or pre-prepared meals, cannot use ‘Product of Ireland’ branding if the primary meat ingredient was hatched, reared or slaughtered in a non-EU country; and if he will address the impact of ‘substantial transformation’ rules on consumer clarity. [7352/26]

846. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine If he will review the governance structure of Bord Bia to include a statutory ‘conflict of interest’ clause that prohibits any board member from having a commercial interest in the importation of meat products from third countries that do not meet Irish production standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7353/26]

938. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulances, EMTs, paramedics, and advanced paramedics that were rostered, operational, and available in County Mayo on a date (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7365/26]

939. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the precise deployment locations of all National Ambulance Service units assigned to County Mayo between 10pm on 10 January 2026 and 1am on 11 January 2026, including which units were on call; which were responding to other incidents; which were unavailable; the reasons for any unavailability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7366/26]

940. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the decision-making process undertaken by the National Ambulance Service control centre when an emergency call concerning a person (details supplied) was received including the units which were considered; the units which were rejected; the reasons for any delay in dispatch; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7367/26]

941. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health to provide the real-time tracking data, including timestamps, for all ambulances assigned to County Mayo between 10pm on 10 January 2026 and 1am on 11 January 2026, indicating their movements, dispatch times, and any periods spent awaiting assignment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7368/26]

942. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of EMTs, paramedics, and advanced paramedics rostered for duty in County Mayo on 10 January 2026; the number which were actively available for emergency response at a time (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7369/26]

943. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether cross-county ambulance support from Sligo, Galway, or Roscommon was available, requested, or dispatched during an emergency (details supplied); if not, the reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7370/26]

944. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether communication difficulties arising from mobile coverage blackspots in north Mayo contributed to the delay in ambulance response in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7371/26]

945. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether the National Ambulance Service met its category-one response-time obligations in County Mayo on 10 January 2026 in relation to an emergency (details supplied); if not, to provide the reasons for non-compliance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7372/26]

946. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health to identify any systemic, staffing, operational, or logistical issues within the National Ambulance Service that contributed to the unavailability of an ambulance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7373/26]

947. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether any ambulances or ambulance staff assigned to County Mayo were prevented from responding to emergencies on the night of 10 January 2026 due to being delayed outside Mayo University Hospital with patients who could not be admitted immediately; if so, the number of such patients waiting in ambulances; the length of time each ambulance was delayed; the impact this had on emergency cover for areas such as Erris (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7374/26]

43. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the emergency supports his Department will provide to the Irish fishing and seafood sector in view of the drastic reductions to the 2026 total allowable catches, including the proposed seventy percent cut to the mackerel quota and reductions in other key species, which industry leaders have described as catastrophic for coastal communities; if he will confirm whether Ireland will renew its request for the application of Hague preferences given the disproportionate burden placed on Irish operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6649/26]

65. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions his Department is taking at European Union level to challenge the overfishing of shared migratory stocks such as mackerel by certain non-European Union coastal states, which scientific advice identifies as a major factor in current stock pressures; if he will report on any progress in securing a more equitable quota-sharing arrangement following the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council, where Ireland experienced severe reductions and the invocation of Hague preferences was blocked by other Member States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6650/26]

98. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Ireland’s current position in international research funding competitiveness; the steps he is taking to ensure that Irish universities and research centres attract and retain top researchers, particularly in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and biomedical science; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6648/26]

103. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has carried out any recent assessment of the way rising living costs, including food, transport and accommodation, are impacting student access, retention and completion rates across the higher education sector; if he will publish the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6646/26]

123. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures he is taking to address staffing shortages, escalating workloads, and declining staff-to-student ratios across higher education institutions; whether additional core funding will be allocated in 2026 to support recruitment and reduce reliance on precarious contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6647/26]

124. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the actions he is taking to address the escalating shortage of affordable student accommodation, particularly in regional university towns, where students are reporting that rents for purpose-built student accommodation have risen significantly above inflation; the new measures which will be introduced in 2026 to expand supply, regulate costs, and ensure that students from low-income households can access secure accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6644/26]

129. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current regional distribution of capital investment in higher education infrastructure, in view of growing concerns that universities and technological universities in the west and north-west are falling behind due to underfunding; the steps he is taking to ensure balanced regional development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6645/26]