Robert O'Donoghue

865. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his position on the live export of Irish animals to countries outside the European Union, given the serious welfare concerns regarding the transport and slaughter of animals in destination countries where no enforceable animal welfare framework exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63374/25]

866. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the fact that there have been only four live export shipments to non-EU countries this year, involving approximately 9,000 cattle out of a total of 325,000 exported, and given that cattle prices are currently high, his views that the limited economic benefit of these exports justifies the serious welfare risks animals face during transport and slaughter outside the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63375/25]

867. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider phasing out live exports of animals to non-EU countries and instead support the development of domestic or EU-based processing and slaughter capacity to reduce animal transport distances and improve welfare outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63376/25]

178. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the level of funding allocated in Budget 2026 to support the negotiation and implementation of a new early years employment regulation order; the timeline for communicating this allocation to the Early Years Joint Labour Committee; the steps being taken to ensure pay negotiations proceed without delay, given ongoing recruitment and retention challenges and the risk of missing the 1 September implementation date, as occurred previously; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61621/25]

247. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will consider supporting and promoting a nationwide ‘Power Hour’ campaign, encouraging schools across Ireland to turn off all classroom lights for one hour each day at 12 pm with the aim of reducing electricity usage, cutting carbon emissions, and raising awareness of energy conservation and sustainability among students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61640/25]

322. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on the consideration of establishing a dedicated transport policing service, similar to the British Transport Police operating in Northern Ireland, to enhance safety and security across public transport services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61536/25]

341. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if he will review the public transport provision serving Garristown and the surrounding rural areas of North County Dublin; if he will consider extending or adapting the 142 bus service, or introducing a new local loop route from Ashbourne through Ballymadun, Nutstown, Adamstown and Newhaggard, returning to Ashbourne; to examine the feasibility of providing a door-to-door local link service to assist residents, particularly older and isolated individuals, who currently have no access to reliable transport for essential journeys such as medical appointments, shopping and collecting pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61852/25]

405. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation his views on whether organisations in receipt of public funding (details supplied) should continue to receive such funding when they fail to recognise or engage with a trade union representing their employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61249/25]

462. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department intends to launch a national public awareness campaign in advance of the introduction of new regulations under the Short-Term Letting (STL) Bill, to ensure that property owners and hosts are fully informed of their obligations before the May 2026 commencement date; and if he will provide details of his Department’s engagement with the Department of Housing and Local Authorities to ensure consistent guidance and communication to the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61872/25]

463. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will jointly develop and deliver a national public relations and information campaign with the Minister of Housing to provide clear and accessible guidance for short-term letting hosts ahead of the May 2026 implementation of the new regulatory framework; to provide details of the way in which host representative groups and stakeholders will be included in the consultation and communication process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61873/25]

529. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if he will consider supporting and promoting a nationwide ‘Power Hour’ campaign, encouraging schools across Ireland to turn off all classroom lights for one hour each day at 12 pm with the aim of reducing electricity usage, cutting carbon emissions, and raising awareness of energy conservation and sustainability among students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61641/25]

571. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps being taken to have darts recognised by the Irish Federation of Sport as a sport in its own right; if consideration will be given to granting official recognition to darts so that local clubs and organisations may become eligible to apply for Sports Partnership and other forms of State funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61224/25]

572. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his views on whether organisations in receipt of public funding (details supplied) should continue to receive such funding when they fail to recognise or engage with a trade union representing their employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61248/25]

594. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage he is willing to meet with constituents from Fingal West who are affected by defective concrete blocks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61201/25]

595. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for when funding under the defective blocks scheme will be made available to affected homeowners in Fingal West; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61202/25]

596. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when and if homeowners in Fingal will be able to apply to Fingal County Council for grants to remediate their homes under the defective blocks scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61203/25]

597. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a list of the 39 homes in Fingal identified as being affected by defective blocks, or otherwise indicate how affected homeowners are being contacted and supported by the Department and local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61204/25]

632. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has issued or intends to issue guidance and instructions to local authorities regarding the implementation of the Short-Term Letting (STL) Bill, particularly in respect of the announced exemption from ‘Change of Use’ planning permission for properties located in towns and villages with populations of fewer than 10,000; and if he will confirm that consistent national guidance will be provided to ensure uniform application of the legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61874/25]

815. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s response plan following the recent confirmation of avian influenza (H5N1) outbreaks on commercial turkey farms in counties Meath and Carlow; the measures being taken to prevent further spread of the disease; and if he will provide details of the compensation supports available to affected farmers, including the process and timeline for assessment and payment of losses incurred as a result of mandatory culling and movement restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61862/25]

907. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a list of early years and school age childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme; the number and percentage of services that have signed up to the scheme to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62219/25]

1135. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the current SUSI grant assessment criteria, given that some parents are being penalised where a dependent child previously worked full-time but is now returning to full-time education, resulting in the loss of that income; if he will consider allowing this change in circumstances to be reflected in the means assessment so that families are not unfairly excluded from grant support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61272/25]

458. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider the reintroduction of the 9% VAT rate for cinemas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58096/25]

575. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps his Department is taking to protect Irish artists, writers, and performers from the unauthorised use of their work, likeness, or voice in artificial intelligence-generated content; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57907/25]

576. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to introduce specific legislation or regulations to safeguard creative professionals against the misuse of artificial intelligence technologies in the arts and entertainment industries, particularly in relation to consent, credit, and fair remuneration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57908/25]

577. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which his Department is engaging with representative bodies (details supplied) to ensure that developments in AI do not undermine employment opportunities, intellectual property rights, or creative integrity in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57909/25]