211. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted any value-for-money analysis comparing the cost of increasing solar PV approvals under TAMS 3, with the potential cost of EU non-compliance fines for missed climate targets; and if not, whether such an analysis will now be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4660/26]
212. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that current Government policy is coherent in circumstances where SEAI struggles to allocate its renewable-energy budget while his Department rejects the majority of farmers seeking to install solar PV; and whether he will direct the relevant Ministers to develop a unified national strategy for on-farm renewable energy…
217. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for limiting approvals for TAMS 3 solar PV applications to approximately 25% of eligible applicants in tranche 9; the specific budgetary, administrative, or policy constraints that determined this cap; the evidence base used to justify rejecting the majority of farmers who sought to invest in renewable energy despite Govern…
218. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of solar PV applications received, deemed eligible, and approved under each TAMS 3 tranche to date; the total funding allocated for solar PV under TAMS 3; the total funding actually drawn down; and whether his Department has assessed the cost-effectiveness of increasing the approval rate given the high level of unmet far…
219. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has conducted any assessment of the climate-mitigation impact of rejecting approximately 75% of farmers applying for solar PV support; if not, to explain how the current approval policy aligns with Ireland’s legally binding 2030 emissions-reduction targets and the risk of EU non-compliance penalties; and if he will make…
220. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the justification for using nitrates derogation status as a negative scoring criterion for solar PV applications under TAMS 3; whether the Department has assessed the impact of this criterion on dairy farmers who have significantly higher electricity demand and therefore greater renewable-energy potential; whether the Department will rev…
221. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of solar PV approvals, by farm enterprise type, dairy, beef, tillage, mixed and so on; whether the Department has evaluated whether the current scoring system disproportionately disadvantages full-time dairy farmers relative to lower-energy-use enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46…
222. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average processing time for solar PV applications under TAMS 3; the number of applications currently pending; and the steps being taken to reduce delays given the time-sensitive nature of renewable-energy investments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4655/26]
232. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the basis on which funding ceilings for TAMS 3 solar PV were set; whether he will consider revising the allocation given the strong climate-mitigation case for expanding solar PV uptake on farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5476/26]
162. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for a detailed report on the current progress and projected completion dates for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) deployment in the Mayo Intervention Area; the reasons for any recent delays in the roll-out in key rural zones; and the strategy to ensure that remote communities, including the offshore islands of Mayo, have access to full…
560. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide substitute cover for primary teachers availing of statutory breastfeeding breaks under Circular 0053/2023; the status of discussions with unions on introducing such cover to prevent loss of teaching time for pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4045/26]
15. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he is taking to address the growing gap between social welfare payment rates and the actual cost-of-living, particularly in relation to food, energy, housing, childcare and transport; if he accepts that once-off lump sum payments have failed to provide ongoing protection for low-income households; the plans to introduce permanent increases …
57. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the current average processing times for disability allowance and invalidity pension applications and appeals; the number of applicants currently waiting longer than six months for an initial decision; whether he accepts that prolonged delays are pushing people with disabilities into poverty and dependency on family members; if he will review the existi…
146. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the status and projected timelines for national and regional road projects in County Mayo that have experienced delays; whether he accepts that continued delays are adversely affecting road safety and economic development in the county; the reasons for these delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2353/26]
175. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the steps he is taking to address the persistent lack of reliable public transport services in County Mayo; whether he accepts that existing Local Link and regional bus services do not meet the needs of workers, students, older persons and people with disabilities; the funding allocated specifically to public transport services in County Mayo in 2024 and 2025;…
240. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport in line with the objectives of "Our Rural Future", the specific, measurable interventions his Department will implement in County Mayo over the next 12-months to support funding local transport solutions that connect outlying villages and townlands to essential public services. [68411/25]
338. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason Inland Fisheries Ireland has commenced selling 2026 salmon licences online and through distributors without providing anglers with the regulations booklet required under Section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010; and if he will confirm whether this constitutes administrative non compliance with statutory obligations; and …
339. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason Inland Fisheries Ireland has described the 2026 salmon licence as permitting harvest only between 1 June and 31 August on open rivers, despite this restriction still being under consultation until 20 December and not yet signed off by him; and if he will direct IFI to cease including unapproved restrictions in licences unti…
340. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he accepts that selling licences without the regulations booklet, places anglers at risk of breaching rules they have not been provided with, while IFI itself fails to comply with its own statutory obligations; and the steps he will take to ensure anglers are not penalised for administrative failures by IFI; and if he will make a s…
341. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the oversight mechanisms his Department has in place to prevent Inland Fisheries Ireland from implementing regulatory changes before consultation has closed and before ministerial approval has been granted; and if he will commit to ensuring that licence sales continue only on the basis of existing approved regulations, with no new res…
342. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will acknowledge that Inland Fisheries Ireland's premature licence sales undermine the credibility of the ongoing consultation process on salmon regulations; and if he will extend the consultation period and require IFI to reissue licences only once the regulations have been lawfully approved and published; and if he will make a…
530. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the coroner’s recommendation that the Windsor junction on the N5 outside Castlebar be designated an accident blackspot following the death of a 91-year-old man in December 2024; the immediate steps his Department will take to ensure that Mayo County Council and the NRDO implement safety measures at this location without further delay; and if …
531. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason, despite repeated representations from elected representatives since 2021, and despite multiple serious accidents at the Windsor junction on the N5, no safety upgrades have been carried out; the reason this location has not been prioritised under HD15 network safety ranking despite clear evidence of risk to road users; and if he will make a statemen…
532. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport his views that the Windsor junction on the N5 has now been formally identified by a coroner as a dangerous turning point; if he will commit to funding and directing Mayo County Council and the NRDO to install a slip lane, turning box, or other safety measures as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74350/25]
533. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has received the coroner’s report into a fatal accident at the Windsor junction on the N5; if so, the reason no public statement or commitment has yet been made to address the safety concerns raised by the coroner and local residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74351/25]