Ken O'Flynn

785. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the arrangements currently in place to ensure that protected disclosures made to him under section 8 can be read, assessed and followed up where the OPDC is unable to access its systems; and if he considers that a whistleblower framework in which disclosures may be lawfully made to him but cannot be read by him and may not be accessible to the OPDC complies with the requirements of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and Directive (EU) 2019/1937. [7790/26]

787. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total amount of public funds paid by his Department and by the Irish Prison Service to the podcast (details supplied) since 2020; the annual breakdown of those payments; the budgetary subhead under which the expenditure was approved; and the Minister’s rationale for approving this expenditure. [7822/26]

788. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procurement process used by the Irish Prison Service in awarding contracts or payments relating to a podcast (details supplied); whether competitive tendering was undertaken; if not, the justification for dispensing with competition; and the measures in place to ensure value for money and compliance with public spending rules. [7823/26]

789. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the governance and oversight arrangements applied by his Department and the Irish Prison Service to publicly funded media or communications projects; whether performance targets or deliverables were set in respect of a podcast (details supplied); and how compliance with those requirements was assessed. [7824/26]

790. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the policy basis under which funding was provided to a podcast (details supplied); the specific rehabilitative, educational, or engagement objectives the project was intended to achieve; and how those objectives align with current Irish Prison Service strategy. [7825/26]

791. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any formal evaluation, impact assessment, or cost-benefit analysis was conducted in relation to a podcast (details supplied); if so, the findings; and if not, the reasons such evaluation was not undertaken prior to or following the expenditure of public funds. [7826/26]

792. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration what controls, guidance, or criteria are now in place governing the funding of podcasts, media projects, or external communications initiatives by the Irish Prison Service; and whether changes have been introduced following the conclusion of a project (details supplied). [7827/26]

873. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the title, version date, and last review date of the Department's internal governance guidance used by officials when assessing conflicts of interest for appointments to the board of Bord Bia, including the Chairperson role, beyond the general requirements of the code of practice for the governance of State bodies; and if no internal guidance exists, the reason. [8218/26]

874. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific assessment steps applied by his Department before recommending or approving the appointment of a Chairperson to Bord Bia, including, the documents reviewed, the criteria used to assess external commercial interests relevant to Bord Bia's statutory functions, and the official level at which the assessment is signed off; and if he will provide a copy of the assessment template or checklist used, with any personal data redacted. [8219/26]

875. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the frequency and format of conflict of interest disclosures required by his Department from Bord Bia board members and the Chairperson, including whether disclosures are required on appointment, annually, and on the occurrence of material changes; and the definition of "material change" applied for the purposes of such disclosure requirements. [8220/26]

876. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of times in each of the last five years that his Department has requested additional information, clarifications, mitigation measures, or recusals from Bord Bia board members arising from conflict of interest disclosures; and the number of cases, if any, where the Department directed that a disclosed interest be managed by recusal or other mitigation steps. [8221/26]

877. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates on which corporate governance meetings between his Department and Bord Bia were held in 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026; whether conflicts of interest, declarations of interest, or perception risks were discussed at any of these meetings; and if so, whether minutes or action logs exist and will be provided, with any personal data redacted. [8222/26]

878. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether, since 1 January 2025, he has requested or received any written assurance, report, or governance submission from Bord Bia relating to the management of perceived conflicts of interest at chairperson or board level; and if so, the date received and whether he will publish it or place it in the Oireachtas library, with any personal data redacted. [8223/26]

879. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed the potential impact of governance controversies on farmer participation and confidence in the Bord Bia quality assurance system; and if so, the methodology used, the indicators reviewed, and the date of the most recent assessment. [8224/26]

880. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will initiate a targeted review of conflict-of-interest and perception-risk guidance for State bodies in the agri-food sector under his remit, including Bord Bia; and if so, the scope, the body or unit leading the review, and the timeline for completion. [8225/26]

894. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assessment her Department has made of the risk of sexual exploitation of children placed in residential care and special emergency arrangements; the formal risk classifications which apply to such placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7490/26]

895. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards which are in place to prevent grooming, coercion, and sexual exploitation of children placed in open or non-restrictive residential care and special emergency arrangements; the way in which compliance with those safeguards is monitored; and if she will publish the most recent internal review or evaluation of their effectiveness. [7491/26]

896. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department reviewed the findings and recommendations of a report (details supplied) on sexual exploitation risks faced by children in residential and emergency care; the actions which were taken following its publication; and which recommendations, if any, remain outstanding. [7492/26]

897. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of incidents in which children absconded from residential care and special emergency arrangements in each of the past five years; the number of those cases in which sexual exploitation risk factors were identified; and the policy or procedural changes that were introduced in response. [7493/26]

898. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the governance and oversight mechanisms which are in place to review decisions to place high-risk children in open or non-restrictive emergency arrangements; whether such decisions are subject to periodic review by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7494/26]

900. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total Exchequer funding allocated to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in each year from 2020 to 2025, inclusive; the breakdown of this funding by staffing, legal work, research, public advocacy, grants and communications; and whether the Minister is satisfied that this expenditure reflects a balanced discharge of the commission’s statutory remit under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. [7659/26]

901. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has sought or received any analysis from her Department on the thematic focus of the work undertaken by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; whether such analysis identifies a concentration of resources or public advocacy in particular policy areas; and what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure that publicly funded advocacy remains proportionate, evidence-based, and within the scope of the Commission’s statutory functions. [7660/26]

902. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is satisfied that IHREC gives equal and appropriate consideration to competing rights, including sex-based rights, in its advice to Government and the Oireachtas; whether the Minister has raised concerns regarding the absence of explicit balancing analysis in any submissions made by the commission in recent years; and if not, the reasons for this. [7661/26]

903. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has reviewed the position taken by the former Irish Human Rights Commission during the passage of the Gender Recognition Bill 2013 in opposing the inclusion of specific protections for women and girls in sport and single-sex spaces; whether that position continues to inform the approach of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; and whether the Minister considers that approach consistent with current evidence and public policy concerns. [7662/26]

904. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures in place to assess whether the work of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission commands broad public confidence; whether any value-for-money or governance review of the Commission has been carried out since 2019; and whether the Minister intends to initiate such a review in light of increased funding and expanding public advocacy activity. [7663/26]