Paul Lawless
Written
8 Sep 2025 · to Further and Higher Education
2707. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the action he will take to support middle-income families who are being unfairly squeezed in the current financial crisis, with student grant assessments based on gross income and limited supports, making it increasingly difficult for students to fund their college education; and if he will make a statement…
Paul Lawless
Written
8 Sep 2025 · to Further and Higher Education
2708. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the case of a student (details supplied); if he will clarify the reason students are penalised for working modest hours during term-time, despite being allowed to earn up to €8,000 annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45289/25]
629. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Finance if he will address the growing hardship faced by families in County Mayo and across Ireland whose mortgages have been sold to vulture funds; if he is aware that there are mortgage holders paying between 6.8% up to 8.5% interest on these loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41070/25]
630. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Finance the measures being considered to support families affected by high-interest loans sold to vulture funds; if the long-term financial impact of such loans is being investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41071/25]
631. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Finance if vulture funds will be required to disclose the purchase price of these mortgages and justify the interest rates being charged; if access to mortgage switching schemes will be expanded for borrowers who are meeting their repayment obligations; if targeted relief or refinancing options will be introduced for individuals and families caught in this situation; an…
1443. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual affordable housing delivery targets for each county and local authority in Ireland for each of the years 2025 to 2028, in tabular form; the rationale behind the allocation of these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41341/25]
1444. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the number of affordable homes delivered in each county and local authority since the introduction of the affordable housing scheme; the details of the types of schemes used (details supplied). [41342/25]
1445. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide details of the actual delivery of affordable homes in each county and local authority against the targets set for the years since the scheme’s inception; and the reason for the significant shortfalls. [41343/25]
1446. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual funding allocated to each local authority for affordable housing delivery since the scheme began; and the projected funding for each of the years 2025 to 2028. [41344/25]
1447. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mechanisms that are in place to monitor the progress of affordable housing delivery at local authority level; and the way performance is evaluated and reported. [41345/25]
1448. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if demand assessments have been conducted to determine the need for affordable housing in each county and local authority; and if these assessments have influenced target setting. [41346/25]
1449. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the main challenges or barriers faced by local authorities in delivering affordable housing; and the steps being taken to address these issues. [41347/25]
1453. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the income eligibility thresholds for social housing have been increased nationally in the past 20 years; the years those increases occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41438/25]
1454. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the years in which the social housing income bands were changed; and to outline each change. [41439/25]
1455. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the social housing income bands in County Mayo have been increased since 2010; the dates those changes took effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41440/25]
1456. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current income bands or caps that determine eligibility for affordable housing supports under Housing for All. [41441/25]
1457. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all housing support schemes available to households whose incomes exceed the social housing and fall below affordable housing thresholds. [41442/25]
2160. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current procedure by which afforestation licence applications are referred to the ecology unit; and the average processing times to first response and final decision. [41348/25]
2161. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the mechanisms that exist to ensure active communication between ecology unit staff, the forest service inspectorate, the forester who submitted the application and the landowner throughout the field assessment process. [41349/25]
2162. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of any Service Level Agreement, SLA, or target for maximum review time within the ecology unit; and the proportion of applications exceeding this SLA in each of the past three years. [41350/25]
2163. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration is being given to changes that would allow foresters or landowners to participate with consent in site visits or interim discussions so that unsuitable areas can be flagged early, avoiding wasted time and resources. [41351/25]
2164. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total cost of the running the forest service in each of the years 2020 to 2024, in tabular form. [41352/25]
2165. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs per hectare, by licence type for afforestation, felling, and forest road; the total hectares processed under each licence category; and the average administration cost per hectare for applications that were ultimately approved versus those that were withdrawn or refused, for eac…
2166. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average processing time for applications under the re-establishment upon successful reconstitution scheme dealing with ash die-back replanting, broken down by application size. [41354/25]
2167. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of hectares approved and replanted under the re-establishment upon successful reconstitution scheme since its inception. [41355/25]