Ken O'Flynn

558. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the eligibility criteria for the electricity allowance under the household benefits package; if medical dependency on electricity is considered in eligibility decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31913/26]

559. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments issued in each of the past three years to assist households with electricity costs; the total expenditure incurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31914/26]

560. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider the introduction of a dedicated support payment or allowance for households where a person is medically dependent on continuous electrically powered medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31915/26]

566. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures in place to detect the use of forged or AI generated documents submitted in support of social welfare claims; whether his Department has experienced an increase in suspected fraud involving forged or AI generated documentation in the past three years; the number of cases referred to investigation annually since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32180/26]

579. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the Department's estimated proportion of an average household electricity and natural gas bill currently covered by the €1.15 per day allowance, using the most recent available national data sources; and if he will outline the methodology used to derive this estimate. [33019/26]

580. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated proportion of an average household electricity and natural gas bill covered by the allowance at the time of its introduction in 2013, and the equivalent estimated proportion in 2026; and if he will outline the basis for these estimates [33020/26]

581. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has utilised or considered data from the Central Statistics Office, Commission for Regulation of Utilities, or Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in assessing the adequacy of the electricity and gas allowance; and if so, to provide details. [33021/26]

582. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the electricity and natural gas allowance has been subject to a Value for Money or policy evaluation review since 2013, in line with the Public Spending Code; and if so, to provide the date and outcome of any such review. [33023/26]

583. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the policy rationale for maintaining a flat-rate cash allowance introduced in 2013 without periodic recalibration, and whether alternative models, including indexed or usage-based supports, have been formally assessed. [33024/26]

584. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken any comparative analysis between increases in Fuel Allowance and the static electricity/gas allowance, including whether one scheme is intended to compensate for the other; and if he will provide details. [33025/26]

585. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether an impact assessment has been conducted on recipients of the Household Benefits Package who do not qualify for Fuel Allowance, and the extent to which these households may face a gap in energy support. [33026/26]

586. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any specific proposals have been developed to revise the structure of the electricity and gas allowance, including seasonal weighting or indexation to energy prices; and if so, to outline the status of such proposals. [33027/26]

587. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether a formal review of the electricity and natural gas allowance will be completed in advance of Budget 2027, and if he will provide a defined timeline and scope for that review. [33028/26]

649. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has received any briefing from An Garda Síochána concerning the policing of the recent Whitegate refinery protests in County Cork, including public safety planning, use of force, deployment scale and inter-agency coordination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32752/26]

650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost, if available to his Department, of the Garda policing operation associated with the recent Whitegate refinery protests in County Cork, including overtime, transport, logistics, catering, subsistence and accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32757/26]

651. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has requested or received any post-operation assessment from An Garda Síochána concerning the policing of the recent Whitegate refinery protests, including the adequacy of planning, medical preparedness, proportionality of enforcement action and use of force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32769/26]

656. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department will request the Legal Aid Board to develop a methodology to estimate the full cost of legal aid services provided to international protection applicants, including pay, law centre overheads, administrative costs, private practitioner costs, counsel fees, interpretation, translation, medical reports and related service-delivery costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32905/26]

657. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Legal Aid Board records the outcome of international protection cases in which it provides legal assistance, including grants of protection, refusals, appeals lodged, appeals allowed, appeals withdrawn and appeals refused; if not, whether he considers this a data gap in the oversight of publicly funded legal services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32906/26]

658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has asked the Legal Aid Board to record legal aid expenditure in international protection cases by stage, including initial application, interview preparation, written representations, appeal preparation and appeal hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32907/26]

659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any target, benchmark or performance indicator exists for the cost per completed international protection legal aid case; if not, whether he intends to introduce one through the Legal Aid Board performance delivery agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32908/26]

660. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Legal Aid Board’s internal audit programme since 2019 has examined international protection legal aid expenditure specifically; if so, to provide the title and date of each audit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32909/26]

661. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he will request the Legal Aid Board to undertake a dedicated value-for-money review of legal aid expenditure relating to international protection applicants, having regard to the increase in expenditure since 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32910/26]

662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the 2026 Performance Delivery Agreement with the Legal Aid Board includes any specific performance indicators relating to international protection legal aid costs, case throughput, waiting times, appeal-stage expenditure or outcome tracking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32911/26]

663. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any forecasting model is used by his Department or the Legal Aid Board to estimate future demand and expenditure for international protection legal aid services; if so, to outline the assumptions used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32912/26]

664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he intends to bring forward a timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Civil Legal Aid Review Group, including recommendations relating to tribunal-based matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32914/26]