Paul Lawless

1022. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the reason prescriptions from private doctors are excluded under the medical card scheme; if she will consider extending coverage given the difficulty many face accessing their own GPs, leading them to seek private care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69792/25]

36. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht 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 the retention of young families and combat depopulation, specifically in the areas of facilitating the development of affordable community-owned housing. [68159/25]

68. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he is satisfied that the €2 million increase for Foras na Gaeilge in Budget 2026 is sufficient to resolve the persistent North/South funding crisis which restricts the organisation’s operations; and the urgent steps that will be taken to ensure language organisations are not forced to impose further staff or service cuts due to funding instability. [64502/25]

93. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of incidents reported in International Protection Accommodation Service centres for each of the past five years; and if he will provide a breakdown of these incidents by the nature of the incident and the centre in which they occurred, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68149/25]

320. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the eligibility criteria under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) 2024–2026 to allow communities with fewer than 25 houses, such as Glensaul, Tourmakeady, County Mayo, to access funding for community water connections; and if he will consider the urgent health and safety concerns for residents who currently rely on makeshift river connections for water supply despite being located less than 0.5 miles from the Lough Mask Uisce Éireann network. [68626/25]

321. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the full eligibility criteria for each measure under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) 2024–2026, with particular reference to the minimum number of houses required for new community water connections; and whether any exceptions apply in cases of public health risk. [68627/25]

322. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the current stage of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2024–2026; the number of projects approved; the total funding allocated to date; and the measures still under consideration. [68628/25]

323. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if new applications for funding under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme are currently being accepted; if not, when the next application window will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68629/25]

324. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the framework for the next Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme beyond 2026 will be published; and if he will ensure that the new programme addresses the needs of smaller rural communities that do not meet the current eligibility threshold. [68630/25]

325. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce an exceptional case mechanism within the MARWP to allow funding for communities with fewer than 25 houses where there is a significant health and safety risk and proximity to an existing Uisce Éireann network. [68631/25]

326. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish a breakdown of funding allocations under the MARWP 2024–2026, by county and measure; and to confirm whether any unallocated funds remain available for urgent cases. [68632/25]

327. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the alternative supports or emergency measures that are available for rural households that cannot access MARWP funding due to the 25-house minimum requirement. [68633/25]

190. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will conduct an urgent review of a company's model (details supplied) to determine if the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisees/subcontractors constitutes de facto employment; and the steps which will be taken to ensure workers in similar models are afforded full employee rights and protections for example, redundancy and minimum notice in the event of future corporate insolvencies. [67662/25]

191. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in view of recent high-profile receiverships affecting franchise networks, if his Department plans to introduce dedicated franchise legislation in Ireland, similar to that in other jurisdictions (e.g., Australia or certain US States), which would mandate a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and establish a code of conduct to ensure fair contractual terms and transparency. [67664/25]

257. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures being taken to ensure that every child with additional needs is guaranteed a suitable school placement, given the severe shortage of places in special schools in County Mayo.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67655/25]

258. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans to expand special school capacity in County Mayo; and the timeline and resources that have been allocated for additional classrooms and staff. [67656/25]

259. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department will take to address the growing demand for special school places in County Mayo. [67657/25]

260. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the analysis that has been carried out to project the demand for special school places over the next five years, and if the Minister will publish that projected analysis. [67658/25]

298. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps the Government will take to address the shortage of special educational places in Mayo given the unprecedented demand for the 2026-2027 school year; and if she will commit to urgently sanctioning the necessary capital investment and staffing required for special education places. [68169/25]

299. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she or her officials will engage directly with a school (details supplied) in Castlebar County Mayo to discuss the lack of available special educational places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68170/25]

312. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans to increase the income threshold of €30,000 for the mortgage to rent scheme in Mayo, to reflect current economic conditions and inflation. [67418/25]

313. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of individuals that have applied for the mortgage to rent scheme across the State; the number which have been successful; and to provide a breakdown for each for the past five years, in tabular form. [67419/25]

314. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the alternative solutions that are in place for families facing repossession; and who are at risk of eviction when they cannot qualify for the mortgage to rent scheme. [67420/25]

315. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to conduct an immediate review of eligibility criteria for the mortgage to rent scheme to prevent homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67421/25]

316. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider raising the income threshold for the mortgage to rent scheme to €35,000 without delay. [67422/25]