509. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of the Public Only Consultant Contract since its introduction in March 2023; whether the Department has established measurable performance indicators to determine whether the contract has delivered its stated objectives of increased senior clinical decision-maker availability in hospitals; and if she will provide de…
13. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in light of the significant escalation in hostilities involving Iran and adjoining states between 28 February and 1 March 2026, during which her Department’s travel advice and consular outreach capacities were placed under heightened demand; the number of staff that were rostered, on duty, and actively responding to calls on her Department’s desi…
168. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the date on which Government approval was granted for the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft; whether a formal memorandum was submitted to Government; and whether a cost-benefit or options appraisal accompanied that submission. [20283/26]
169. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether alternative aircraft types were assessed during the procurement process for the Falcon 6X strategic reach aircraft; the number of aircraft types evaluated; and whether a formal options appraisal document exists. [20284/26]
170. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the estimated total lifecycle cost of the Falcon 6X aircraft over a twenty-year operational period including maintenance, fuel, crew, insurance and infrastructure. [20285/26]
171. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether a formal operational requirement document was prepared prior to the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft; and whether that document specified passenger capacity, range, medical evacuation capability or other operational criteria. [20286/26]
172. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft was ranked as a priority capability requirement relative to maritime surveillance, naval fleet staffing, radar capability or subsea monitoring capability. [20287/26]
173. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the annual number of applicants to the Reserve Defence Forces in each year from 2018 to date in 2026; the number accepted for training in each year; the number who commenced the joint induction training syllabus; the number who successfully completed that training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20333/26]
174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current policy targets set by her Department for the strength of the Reserve Defence Forces under the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan published in July 2024; the projected strength targets for each year to 2028; and the measures being implemented to achieve the stated objective of reaching an effective strength of 80 percent. [20334/26]
175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the average time currently required for a new Reserve Defence Forces recruit to complete the joint induction training syllabus and become fully qualified; whether her Department monitors attrition rates during this training process; if so, the attrition rate recorded in each year since the introduction of the syllabus in 2024; and if she will make a statement on …
176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the level of annual funding allocated specifically for the development, training and equipment of the Reserve Defence Forces in each year since 2020; whether the Government intends to introduce a dedicated capital funding stream for Reserve Defence Forces capability development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20336/26]
177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether her Department maintains structured data on the reasons for resignation or discharge from the Reserve Defence Forces, including exit interviews or retention surveys; if not, whether she intends to introduce a formal retention monitoring system to support the objectives of the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan; and if she will make a statement on the…
179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of procurement projects currently underway within the Defence Forces; the stage each project has reached within the capability development lifecycle; and the estimated value of each project. [20412/26]
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 V…
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 ma…
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 a…
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 a…
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 whic…
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 mech…
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 gen…