Robert O'Donoghue

958. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will urgently review the staffing allocation for the 2025/2026 school year at a school (details supplied), where the loss of a mainstream teacher will result in a merged 3rd and 4th class of 39 pupils, well above her Department’s average class ratio size of 23:1; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20041/25]

1092. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if, in light of the Government’s decision to delay the introduction of a content levy on international streaming platforms under the revised Broadcasting Bill requiring Ministerial sign-off before any levy can be imposed, he will outline how the Government’s decision to delay the introduction of a content levy on international streaming platforms aligns with its stated objective of supporting Irish content creation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19572/25]

1093. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if an assessment has been made of the cultural and economic impact of postponing a revenue stream that could generate up to €20 million annually for investment in Irish film, television and digital media; the rationale for excluding RTÉ and TG4 from eligibility for the new media fund; how the Government intends to support these public service broadcasters in their efforts to innovate and serve diverse audiences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19573/25]

1094. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will commit to engaging in urgent consultation with Coimisiún na Meán, content creators and public broadcasters to develop a future-focused media strategy that protects consumers while holding global streaming platforms to account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19574/25]

1095. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will publish the Coimisiún na Meán viability report into the content levy without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19575/25]

1801. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the average rates of pay for each grade or role within the early childhood education and care sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18791/25]

1932. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of the growing frustration among a union (details supplied) and early years educators due to the lack of progress on the new employment regulation order; if she has engaged with the employer representatives on the Joint Labour Committee to stress the urgency of concluding this process; the actions her Department is taking to protect the €45 million in ring-fenced funding for pay increases in the sector, particularly given that €860,000 per week—or €3.6 million per month—may be lost as a result of continued delays by employer groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20706/25]

1935. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an eight-year-old child (details supplied) is still facing an 18-month wait for an initial speech and language assessment; the immediate steps that will be taken to address the excessive waiting times for children requiring essential developmental support; if the child will be given urgent access to speech and language therapy given their age and the fact no communication has been received from the HSE since the initial contact regarding Parliamentary Question No. 638 of 25 March 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20728/25]

2252. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health when funding will be provided for a community neurorehabilitation team for central and north Dublin, as promised in 2019, and in line with the Programme for Government commitment and recent calls (details supplied), given the ongoing disadvantage faced by patients discharged from national centres who currently have no access to such a service locally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19909/25]

2416. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current HSE funding criteria for access to the weight management medication saxenda, in cases where it has been prescribed for clinically significant health reasons ; if she will consider allowing more compassionate and flexible discretion in individual cases, particularly where patients with serious chronic conditions such as COPD, asthma, and a history of cancer have demonstrated clear medical benefit from the treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20758/25]

2464. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if her Department will revise the current means testing system for medical cards to formally include the "cost of disability" as an allowable expense category in determining eligibility for the medical card. [21164/25]

2494. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a student attending a school (details supplied) qualifies to apply to the CAO as a Gaeltacht applicant, in light of previous indications that students at boarding schools may not be eligible for this status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18787/25]

2505. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will acknowledge the disadvantage facing CAO applicants who are sitting their Leaving Certificate in 2025 compared to those who sat their Leaving Certificate in previous years; if his Department has plans to tackle this disadvantage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19026/25]

355. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has collected any data or statistics on the increase in insurance costs associated with hosting music events since 2020; if so, to outline the extent of these increases; to specify the main drivers behind these rising costs, particularly for small to medium music venues; if his Department has undertaken any analysis or engaged with stakeholders to address the challenges faced by event organisers due to rising insurance premiums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16929/25]

210. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with Meta about the reported use of pirated creative works to train its AI models, including thousands of books produced by Irish creators and publishers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16359/25]

216. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will clarify the criteria under which students from a school (details supplied), are eligible to apply as Gaeltacht applicants for teaching courses through the CAO; if there is an official policy or circular governing this situation; and if she will address concerns regarding the apparent exclusion of these students from applying as Gaeltacht applicants despite the school’s status as a Gaeltacht school under the Gaeltacht schools recognition scheme; if the potential for recognition of the school students’ residency in the Gaeltacht for the purpose of CAO applications will be examined given its significant contribution to the local Gaeltacht community and year-round immersion in an Irish-speaking environment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16375/25]

2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Government acknowledges the significant increase in production costs for farmers in recent years, which many can no longer sustain; and how he plans to address the challenges posed by increasing energy, labour and environmental-compliance costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Irish farming sector. [14131/25]

24. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that women have always been integral to the family farm but that their crucial role has often not been fully recognised or acknowledged, if he will implement the recommendations of the report “Highlighting Pathways to Empower Rural Women to Have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13824/25]

43. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the ongoing funding deficiencies in State marine infrastructure, particularly in counties like Donegal, which has 155 piers and harbours to maintain (details supplied); to outline plans to increase investment in marine infrastructure to support both local economies and tourism development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13825/25]

45. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the significant disparity between the forward malting barley price offered by a company (details supplied) of €240/t and the €300/t sought by growers, and considering the fears raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding transparency in the pricing mechanism, if he will direct the Office of the Agri-Food Regulator to investigate whether fair pricing and transparency exist within the malting barley supply chain, from farm to final product; the measures his Department will take to ensure that malting barley growers receive a sustainable return on their produce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13827/25]

54. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address concerns around declining numbers of young people entering farming, particularly in light of financial uncertainty and environmental pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/25]

57. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the ongoing delay in updating the TAMS reference costs, which has been flagged by an organisation (details supplied) as creating uncertainty and delaying investment in essential farm infrastructure, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this review; the measures his Department will take to ensure that grant aid reflects actual material costs, such as concrete and steel, to support farmers in making necessary improvements, particularly in areas related to water quality and slurry storage; and the discrepancies in the TAMS dairy equipment scheme’s terms and conditions regarding grant aid for multiple robotic milking machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13826/25]

390. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the installation of the promised prefab building at a school (details supplied), which is intended to accommodate a general-purpose hall and a classroom; the reasons for the delay; the steps being taken to resolve the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15181/25]

444. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if any public body or publicly funded body under his Department's aegis are not compliant with Part V of the Disability Act 2005; if Part V applies to all subsidiaries of such bodies; if, in cases where it does not, he has the power to extend such a requirement, either through Ministerial order or through funding requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15491/25]

493. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide a date for when a decision will be made regarding Fingal County Council's request for inclusion in the defective block scheme, given that the Housing Agency has completed its investigations and consultations and is currently drafting its report with a recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15751/25]