Ken O'Flynn

1199. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated total cost of the proposed national online AI and digital skills platform intended to upskill up to one million people; the funding source for this initiative, including whether funding will be drawn from his Department’s Vote, the National Training Fund, or another source; the multi-annual budgetary provision envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7633/26]

1200. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the delivery model proposed for the national AI and digital skills upskilling platform; whether delivery will be provided directly by the State, through SOLAS, or via contracted private or third-party e-learning providers; the procurement process envisaged for selecting any such providers; and the governance and oversight arrangements that will apply. [7634/26]

1201. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the specific target cohorts for the proposed AI and digital skills platform; whether participation will be open to workers, jobseekers, SMEs, the self-employed, and those outside the labour force; the measures planned to ensure accessibility for people with low baseline digital skills; and if he will outline how uptake will be measured. [7635/26]

1202. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the proposed micro-credential framework referenced for the AI and digital skills platform; how stackability and formal recognition of qualifications will operate; whether these micro-credentials will align with the National Framework of Qualifications; and what engagement has taken place with employers and higher-education institutions in this regard. [7636/26]

1203. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the evidence base used to support the target of upskilling one million people in AI and digital skills; the data sources relied upon, including reports from Ibec, OECD and the National Skills Council; and whether the Department has set interim targets or timelines for delivery. [7637/26]

1204. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the functions, staffing complement, and annual operating cost of the proposed National Skills Observatory; how it will operate within SOLAS; the nature of the labour-market intelligence and forecasting it will provide; and how its outputs will inform policy and funding decisions. [7638/26]

1205. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how the proposed AI and digital skills initiatives will address regional and sectoral skills gaps; whether specific provision will be made for construction, manufacturing, retail, and SMEs; and how regional disparities identified by the National Skills Observatory will be acted upon. [7639/26]

215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether, under Irish law, a financial institution may satisfy its anti-money laundering and know your customer obligations by relying on the name of an intermediary, including an accountant or professional adviser, rather than identifying and verifying the ultimate beneficial owner of funds; the statutory or regulatory basis for any such practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7146/26]

216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Central Bank of Ireland permits regulated financial institutions to accept funds or open accounts where the ultimate beneficial owner has not been identified and verified in accordance with anti-money laundering legislation; whether any exemptions or alternative arrangements are recognised in supervisory guidance; and if he will provide details of same. [7148/26]

217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether reliance on third parties, including accountants, solicitors, or other professional intermediaries, to satisfy anti-money laundering and know your customer requirements is permitted under Irish law; the conditions under which such reliance is allowed; and the safeguards in place to ensure compliance with beneficial ownership requirements. [7149/26]

218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether investment funds, including so-called vulture funds, are subject to the same anti-money laundering and know your customer verification standards as banks operating in the State; whether any differentiated treatment applies in practice; and the rationale for any such differences. [7150/26]

219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of supervisory inspections, enforcement actions, or remedial directions relating to failures in anti-money laundering or know your customer compliance were issued by the Central Bank of Ireland in each of the past five years; and whether any related to failures to identify ultimate beneficial owners. [7151/26]

220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has assessed the reputational or regulatory risk to the State arising from any practices that could be perceived internationally as weakening anti-money laundering or know your customer controls; and whether any such concerns have been raised by EU or international bodies. [7152/26]

221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has been made aware, through engagement with the Central Bank of Ireland, of any pattern of confidential High Court settlements entered into by an organisation (details supplied) relating to mortgage or consumer banking disputes following the conclusion of the tracker mortgage examination; and whether such settlements have been assessed by the Central Bank as indicating the existence of a systemic cohort issue beyond those identified under the examination. [7191/26]

222. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the policies or guidance in place to ensure that where a regulated financial institution settles multiple similar legal claims on a confidential basis, the Central Bank assesses whether those settlements constitute evidence of ongoing consumer detriment requiring market-wide redress; and whether he will provide details of any such assessments carried out since the conclusion of the tracker mortgage examination. [7192/26]

223. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Central Bank has an obligation, under the consumer protection framework arising from the tracker mortgage examination, to apply the "stop the harm" principle where evidence emerges of repeated settlements affecting a defined customer cohort; and whether he is satisfied that this principle is being applied consistently where redress is obtained through litigation rather than regulatory action. [7193/26]

224. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he is concerned that permitting individual confidential settlements by regulated banks, without requiring equivalent redress for all similarly affected customers, risks creating unequal access to justice within the banking system; and whether he will review the adequacy of the Central Bank's powers and practices to ensure that consumer protection outcomes do not depend on a customer's ability to initiate High Court proceedings. [7194/26]

225. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total number of complaints received by the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman in each of the years 2021 to 2025, inclusive; the number and percentage of those complaints which were rejected or deemed inadmissible prior to a full investigation in each year; the principal statutory grounds relied upon for such rejections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7245/26]

226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has conducted, commissioned, or reviewed any analysis of the decision-making thresholds, screening criteria, or admissibility standards applied by the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman when determining whether a complaint proceeds to full investigation; if not, whether he intends to initiate such a review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7246/26]

227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the governance and oversight mechanisms currently in place to ensure that the complaint rejection rates of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman remain consistent with the statutory objective of providing accessible, independent, and effective redress for consumers; whether his Department monitors uphold and rejection rates across complaint categories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7247/26]

306. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department first issued formal guidance to local authorities on the operation of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants; which local authorities formally confirmed to his Department that the scheme had been implemented; and the steps his Department took to ensure the scheme was operational in every local authority area. [7207/26]

307. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department required local authorities to submit data on the tenant rent-a-room scheme, including applications received, approvals granted, and rooms made available; whether any regular monitoring or reporting framework was put in place by his Department for this scheme; and if not, the reasons no such oversight mechanism was established. [7208/26]

308. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has carried out any internal review or evaluation of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants since its introduction; whether the significant gap between projected housing supply and actual delivery has been examined; and the policy changes or corrective actions which are now being considered at departmental level. [7209/26]

309. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department issued any circulars, directives, or follow-up instructions to local authorities where no applications were received or where the tenant rent-a-room scheme was not operational; and the steps that were taken by his Department to address non-implementation by local authorities. [7210/26]

310. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department assessed administrative, insurance, tenancy, or welfare interaction barriers faced by local authority tenants under the tenant rent-a-room scheme prior to its rollout; whether such barriers contributed to the extremely low uptake; and the responsibility his Department accepts for the failure of the scheme to translate policy intent into delivered housing supply. [7211/26]