Ken O'Flynn

354. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the number of NCT appeals lodged in each of the years since 2015; the cost of lodging an appeal; and whether his Department has reviewed whether the appeals mechanism is accessible and proportionate. [19949/26]

355. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether any independent external review mechanism exists for audit findings relating to NCT inspectors. [19950/26]

356. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether service credit penalties have ever been applied to a company (details supplied) under the NCTS contract; the value of such penalties; and the circumstances in which they were applied. [19951/26]

357. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has assessed the impact of operational efficiency bonuses on inspection quality in the NCTS. [19952/26]

358. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether consideration is being given to introducing multiple providers in the next NCT contract after 2030. [19953/26]

443. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views that the continued application and scheduled increases of the carbon tax on petrol and diesel, at a time when motorists are already facing significant increases in fuel prices due to global instability, is placing an unfair and disproportionate burden on working people, families and rural communities who rely on their cars; the additional VAT revenue being collected by the Exchequer as a result of these higher fuel prices; and whether he will immediately suspend or freeze the carbon tax on transport fuels in order to prevent the State from effectively profiting from rising fuel costs at the expense of Irish motorists. [19569/26]

444. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has engaged with the Central Bank of Ireland regarding the use by regulated financial service providers of facial image capture, facial recognition, or other facial biometric processing technologies for customer onboarding, authentication, fraud prevention, or identity verification purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19592/26]

445. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Central Bank of Ireland has issued, or is preparing to issue, supervisory guidance for regulated financial service providers regarding the use of facial biometric processing technologies, including requirements relating to lawful processing bases, consumer transparency, data minimisation, storage limitation, security safeguards, and the availability of non-biometric alternatives for customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19593/26]

446. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether regulated financial service providers operating in the State are required, as a matter of supervisory expectation or consumer protection regulation, to provide customers with a reasonable non-biometric alternative where facial image capture or facial biometric verification is used for onboarding, authentication, fraud prevention, or account access purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19594/26]

447. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland maintains information on the number of regulated financial service providers using facial image capture or facial biometric processing technologies for identity verification, customer onboarding, authentication, or fraud prevention; if so, the number of such firms and the general purposes for which such technologies are used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19595/26]

448. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has considered whether the Consumer Protection Code or other financial regulatory frameworks should be updated to provide explicit standards governing the use of facial image capture and facial biometric technologies by regulated financial service providers, including standards concerning transparency to customers, consent mechanisms where applicable, retention periods, and alternative access methods for customers who do not wish to use biometric verification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19596/26]

449. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland holds data on operational incidents, data protection incidents, or consumer complaints reported by regulated financial service providers relating to the use of facial image capture or facial biometric processing technologies since 1 January 2023; if so, the number of such incidents by year and general category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19597/26]

469. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance when he will publish the approach to the taxation of retail investment referenced in Budget 2026; whether that publication will include specific proposals regarding the eight-year deemed disposal regime for funds and ETFs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20391/26]

470. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has prepared an internal options paper, memorandum, or comparative analysis on reform of the eight-year deemed disposal regime for investment funds and ETFs, including options such as abolition, extension of the interval, or replacement with a savings and investment account model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20392/26]

471. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether, in the work underway on the taxation of retail investment, his Department has identified which EU member states and OECD jurisdictions operate an eight-year deemed disposal or equivalent forced realisation regime for retail fund investors; and if he will provide that list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20393/26]

472. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question replies of 4 March 2026 on deemed disposal, whether his Department considers it satisfactory that the State cannot isolate the specific tax yield, taxpayer numbers, compliance burden, or administrative cost associated with the eight-year deemed disposal regime; whether he will direct that improved reporting be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20394/26]

473. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he will require Revenue to introduce a separate reporting field for tax arising specifically from eight-year deemed disposal events, as distinct from other chargeable events under the investment funds regime, in order to inform future tax policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20395/26]

474. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the work underway on retail investment taxation includes analysis of whether the eight-year deemed disposal regime diverts household savings away from diversified fund investment and toward cash deposits, property, pension wrappers, or direct shareholdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20396/26]

475. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the review of the Special Assignee Relief Programme published with Budget 2026 examined any exit pathway, sunset clause, or replacement model for the scheme; if not, the reason a continuing relief to 2030 was considered preferable to a broader competitiveness strategy based on structural tax and non-tax measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20397/26]

476. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Budget 2026 review of SARP examined the sectoral distribution, salary distribution, and regional distribution of beneficiaries; whether any assessment was made of the extent to which the relief supports multinational employers as distinct from indigenous enterprise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20398/26]

559. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when he expects to publish the outcome of the public consultation on the proposal to extend the late working hours exemption for young persons to unlicensed premises under the Protection of Young Persons Act 1996; and whether he intends to introduce new regulations or revise the existing code of practice arising from this consultation. [18642/26]

664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the recent closure of a school (details supplied), including the dates on which the school has been closed; the formal health and safety or other legal powers relied upon by the patron or board; and any directions or guidance issued by his Department to the school or patron in relation to this closure. [18751/26]

665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the prolonged closure of a school (details supplied) is compatible with the State’s constitutional obligation to provide for the education of every child and with statutory duties in respect of children with special educational needs [18752/26]

666. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific measures she will put in place to ensure that a special school cannot again be closed for an extended period because of behavioural incidents or staff injury, including mandatory contingency and continuity-of-education plans for all special schools; clear national protocols favouring partial or phased provision rather than full closure; and maximum timelines within which such plans must be activated when serious risk to health and safety is identified. [18753/26]

667. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will introduce binding national guidelines on the management of dysregulation and high-risk behaviour in special schools, including positive behaviour support, trauma-informed practice, and de-escalation approaches, with monitoring and compliance mechanisms; and if so, the timeline for their development and implementation. [18754/26]