Ken O'Flynn

261. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which her Department defines “frontline delivery” for the purposes of reporting and evaluation; whether staff salaries, travel, accommodation, and central office costs are classified as frontline expenditure; and the rationale for those classifications. [1098/26]

262. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the value-for-money assessments carried out prior to the approval of funding under international development and humanitarian assistance programmes; if her Department operates benchmarks or thresholds in respect of acceptable administrative and overhead cost ratios; and to provide details of any programmes that exceeded such benchmarks in the past three years. [1099/26]

263. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what mechanisms are in place within her Department to assess whether funded international development and humanitarian assistance programmes address the underlying causes they are intended to tackle rather than indirect or short-term outputs; the metrics used to measure effectiveness; and the findings of the most recent evaluations carried out. [1100/26]

430. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel inducted into the Permanent Defence Force; and the number remaining in service at six months, 12 months and 24 months after induction, by Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, in each of the years from 2020 to 2025. [75306/25]

431. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of recruits who commenced initial recruit training, the number who completed training, the number who did not complete, and the reason categories recorded for non-completion, by service in each of the years from 2020 to 2025. [75307/25]

432. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel who left the Permanent Defence Force within 12 months of completing initial recruit training; the median length of service at exit; and the reason categories recorded in each of the years from 2020 to 2025. [75308/25]

433. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the authorised establishment strength and the actual strength of the Permanent Defence Forces at year-end for each year from 2020 to 2025 inclusive; and the total number of inductions and total exits in each year. [75309/25]

434. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current retention strategy for the Permanent Defence Forces; the specific retention targets set by her Department; the key performance indicators used to measure retention; and the most recent results available against those indicators. [75310/25]

611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the precise date on which he or his Department first became aware of a governance dispute between the board of DAA and a person (details supplied); the form in which that information was received; and the actions taken by him or his Department at each subsequent stage to discharge the State’s shareholder oversight responsibilities. [75143/25]

612. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport if any proposal for a severance, settlement, mediation outcome, or exit arrangement relating to the DAA Chief Executive was submitted to him or his Department in 2025; the dates and monetary values of each proposal; the statutory or policy basis on which his approval was required; and the reasons each proposal was approved, refused, or allowed to lapse. [75144/25]

613. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total cost incurred to date by DAA arising from the dispute involving its Chief Executive, including legal fees, mediation costs, investigation costs, external advisers, and salary paid during any period of suspension or leave; and the steps taken by his Department to ensure compliance with public spending rules and value for money. [75145/25]

614. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he was notified in advance of the DAA board’s decision to suspend the Chief Executive on full pay pending investigation; whether his consent or views were sought; and the assessment carried out by his Department of the financial, legal, and reputational exposure to the State arising from that decision. [75146/25]

615. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport if any protected disclosures, workplace complaints, or governance concerns were cited to him or his Department as part of the dispute involving the DAA Chief Executive; and to outline the governance framework under which such matters were handled, including independence safeguards, timelines, and reporting obligations to the shareholder. [75147/25]

616. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the assessment his Department has undertaken of the DAA board’s handling of this matter against the code of practice for the governance of State bodies, including board effectiveness, escalation procedures, risk management, and the handling of disputes involving senior executives. [75148/25]

617. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport when he last met the Chair of DAA and when he last met the DAA Chief Executive; the issues discussed at each engagement insofar as they related to governance and executive leadership; and whether formal records or minutes of those engagements were created and retained by his Department. [75149/25]

618. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the rationale provided to him or his Department for the reported appointment of additional senior executive capacity within DAA during the period of the Chief Executive’s absence; the expected annual cost of those arrangements; and whether his Department assessed alternative options. [75150/25]

619. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the assurances sought or received from DAA to ensure continuity of executive decision making, operational resilience, and delivery of capital and service programmes at Dublin Airport and Cork Airport during the period in which the Chief Executive was absent from the business. [75151/25]

620. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the changes, if any, he intends to make to shareholder oversight, escalation protocols or performance evaluation of boards within commercial State bodies under his remit to prevent a recurrence of prolonged and costly executive governance disputes of this nature. [75152/25]

983. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the analysis undertaken by his Department of the cumulative impact on Irish small and medium-sized enterprises of recent and forthcoming changes to customs and tariff rules affecting parcel exports to the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union; and the policy supports are planned to assist businesses facing increased administrative burdens and costs. [1038/26]

1283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has conducted or commissioned an assessment of the compatibility of the proposed age-verification system with EU law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation, and the Digital Services Act, and to outline the findings of any such assessment. [1079/26]

1284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what statutory basis he proposes to rely upon to require adult users to use a State-issued digital identity system in order to access private-sector social media platforms, and whether primary legislation will be required to mandate such a requirement. [1080/26]

1285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether a data protection impact assessment has been carried out in respect of the proposed digital age-verification system, including the use of State-held identity credentials for access to private online services, and whether that assessment has been submitted to or reviewed by the Data Protection Commission. [1081/26]

1286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what safeguards are envisaged to ensure that the proposed State-issued digital identity system does not enable the State or third-party platforms to identify, infer, track or retain information relating to an individual’s lawful online activity or content consumption. [1082/26]

1287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether he accepts that the proposed the State-issued digital identity system age-verification system would apply to all users, including adults, and whether his Department has assessed the proportionality of requiring universal State-mediated identity verification to access lawful online communication. [1083/26]

1288. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what assessment has been undertaken regarding the impact of the proposed system on persons who do not own smartphones, including older persons and those experiencing digital exclusion, and what alternative access arrangements are envisaged. [1084/26]