534. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason local residents continue to avoid using the Windsor junction on the N5 due to fear for their safety, the reason elected representatives have had to repeatedly raise this matter without any meaningful response from the NRDO or Mayo County Council; the timeline for action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74352/25]
535. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if he will acknowledge that the Windsor junction on the N5 has now been the subject of multiple fatalities and serious accidents, repeated media coverage, and a coroner’s recommendation; whether he considers it acceptable that no safety measures have yet been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74353/25]
553. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason Irish citizens returning from abroad who previously held full Irish driving licences are required to wait months for licence reinstatement, leaving them unable to drive to work; whether he will introduce a fast-track process or interim driving entitlement to prevent undue hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74537/25]
554. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport his views that the current NDLS process treats returning emigrants as first-time applicants, despite their proven driving history; the reforms he will implement to ensure their competence and entitlement are recognised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74538/25]
555. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the assessment which has been made of the impact of licence exchange delays on employment, mobility and rural community; whether he will commit to immediate reform of the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74539/25]
830. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will direct the Central Bank to issue guidance requiring insurers to recognise documented foreign no-claims bonuses, given that some insurers already accept them; and whether he will ensure consistency across the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74535/25]
831. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views on whether the refusal of insurers to honour foreign driving histories unfairly penalises returning emigrants and undermines Government policy to attract skilled workers home; the steps he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74536/25]
838. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has calculated the impact of Budget 2026 on the disposable income of disabled households; if so, to provide those calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75010/25]
897. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the current status of Bunadobber Mill, County Mayo (details supplied); and the details of any plans or intended actions for its development and public access going forward. [74287/25]
907. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total fiscal savings to the Exchequer from not repeating the once-off supports provided in Budget 2025, including electricity credits, lump-sum payments and double-week bonuses; and how these savings were factored into Budget 2026 allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …
908. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if Budget 2026 was equality-proofed and disability-proofed, and to publish the assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75008/25]
910. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the safeguards which are in place to ensure the operational independence of the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner, the Commissioner for Environmental Information and the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, given that these statutory roles are held by the same officeholder and supported by…
911. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the assessment his Department has made of potential conflicts of interest arising in cases where a member of the public may first engage with the Ombudsman regarding a complaint against a public body, and subsequently require an FOI appeal to the Information Commissioner relating to the same ma…
912. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether separate staff, decision-making structures or internal firewalls exist within the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure functional separation between the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner roles; the way in whic…
913. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has conducted any review comparing Ireland’s consolidation of the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner roles with international best practice; and whether consideration has been given to separat…
914. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the steps which are being taken to ensure that the public can have full confidence in the independence and impartiality of statutory oversight bodies housed within the Office of the Ombudsman, particularly in circumstances where the same office holder adjudicates multiple aspects of a dispute; …
915. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the governance or risk assessments which have been undertaken regarding the concentration of multiple statutory oversight functions within a single office; whether his Department has evaluated if this structure remains appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75095/25]
916. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the way the independence of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner is safeguarded when the role is held by the same individual who also serves as Ombudsman and Information Commissioner; if any review has been undertaken to assess whether this structure may deter potential whistleblowers; and if…
917. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation his Department's plans to review the statutory model under which the Ombudsman simultaneously holds the roles of Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner, with a view to determining whether structural separation would strengthen tra…
1085. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth in reference to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to specify the framework or criteria will replace professional diagnostic reports in determining eligibility for special classes and special schools; how this framework will safeguard children’s well-being and evidence-based educational planning; and if she will ma…
1086. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to clarify who will be tasked with conducting the proposed “educational assessments” for special education placement; to confirm whether classroom teachers, who are not diagnostically trained, will be expected to assume this responsibility; and if she will make a statem…
1087. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the supports, training, and resources that will be provided to ensure that any new assessment responsibilities do not exacerbate already unsustainable workload levels in schools, as highlighted in recent research on teacher burnout; and if she will make a statement on t…
1088. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the reason removal of diagnostic requirements was announced without consultation with teachers, unions, or parents; how her Department intends to restore trust and ensure transparency in future policymaking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74490/25]
1089. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, if the designation of special classes and special schools is being altered or dismantled as part of this policy change; if not, the reason this was not made clear at the time of announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74491/25]
1090. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to provide a timeline for the publication of the full framework governing access to special classes and schools, to commit to halting implementation until robust consultation with educators and stakeholders has taken place; and if she will make a statement on the matter…