373. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the date on which the proposed 2.1 percent pension increase for members of the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme was formally submitted to his Department for approval; the actions taken since receipt; the reason the increase has not yet been approved or paid; and if he will provide a timeline for decision. [11432/26]
374. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether NewERA has any role in the approval or scrutiny of pension increases payable under the Éircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme; the statutory or administrative basis for any such involvement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11433/26]
375. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to confirm which Minister holds final decision-making authority for approving and releasing State-funded pension increases payable under the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme; whether any other Minister or agency can delay payment once approval is sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11435/26]
376. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has obtained legal advice regarding the State’s obligations under section 46(4) of the Postal and Telecommunications Act 1983 in respect of pension conditions for former Department of Posts and Telegraphs staff; and whether that provision continues to be regarded as operative. [11436/26]
377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has assessed the differential treatment in pension increases applied to members of the Eircom Superannuation Defined Benefit Pension Scheme who retired before and after January 1984; whether such differential treatment has been legally examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11437/26]
393. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether she was informed of any proposal by RTÉ to alter the use, governance, or charging structure of the RTÉ defined benefit pension scheme; the date on which she was so informed; the nature of any consent sought or given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11368/26]
394. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the oversight mechanisms in place within her Department to ensure that pension assets accrued for the benefit of contributors are not used, directly or indirectly, to offset operational or legacy costs of a public service broadcaster; and whether those mechanisms were engaged in relation to RTÉ in the past five years. [11369/26]
395. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether her Department has sought or received any legal advice regarding the permissibility of charging broadcaster costs to a pension scheme sponsored by a public body; and if so, whether she will outline the conclusions reached.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11370/26]
396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether she accepts that any perception of interference with pension funds undermines public confidence in RTÉ governance; and what steps she is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in the broadcaster’s treatment of deferred pay and pension obligations. [11371/26]
407. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will provide a directive to local authorities to increase the fresh start mortgage initiative, in line with rising property prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11153/26]
422. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he accepts that treating income earned by local authority tenants under the tenant rent-a-room scheme as reckonable for the purposes of calculating differential rent significantly reduced participation in the scheme; whether this impact was assessed prior to the scheme’s introduction; and whether he will now introduce a mand…
423. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department carried out any formal impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis or behavioural modelling prior to the roll-out of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants; and, if not, how the Department satisfied itself that the scheme would deliver additional housing supply in practice. [11395/26]
424. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of additional rooms his Department projected would be made available nationally under the tenant rent-a-room scheme at the time of its launch; the number of rooms actually delivered during the first twelve months of operation; and whether the scale of any shortfall has been examined at departmental level [11396/26]
425. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of reported breaches of wildlife protection legislation in each of the past five years involving illegal hunting, coursing, or the use of dogs to kill or injure protected wildlife; the enforcement actions taken by the National Parks and Wildlife Service or other authorised bodies; and whether the Minister has assessed the…
426. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the scheduled commencement of revised rent control and rental sector reforms on 1 March 2026, whether all necessary statutory instruments required to give effect to those reforms have been finalised; whether any instruments remain in draft; and whether the Department is satisfied that full operational readiness has been a…
469. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, in the awarding, renewal, or continuation of contracts or payments under the International Protection Accommodation Services, his Department assesses company-law compliance at group level, including the compliance status of any parent or holding company of a contracting entity; and if he will outline the governance checks appl…
470. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether failure by a parent or holding company of an International Protection Accommodation Services contractor to file annual returns with the Companies Registration Office within statutory timeframes is treated as a material governance or compliance risk by his Department; and if he will detail how such risks are evaluated. [11422/26…
471. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether State payments under International Protection Accommodation Services contracts may continue to be made to a subsidiary company where a parent or holding company is non-compliant with Companies Registration Office filing obligations; and what safeguards or conditions apply in such circumstances. [11423/26]
472. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the oversight, escalation, or remedial measures available to his Department where group-level governance or compliance issues arise in respect of International Protection Accommodation Services contractors; and whether corrective action is required prior to the continuation of payments. [11424/26]
473. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has reviewed the governance and compliance framework applied to International Protection Accommodation Services providers in light of increased public scrutiny of accommodation contracts; and if he will outline any changes made or under consideration to strengthen assurance on the use of public funds. [11425/26]
474. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of incidents reported to An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years concerning alleged animal cruelty offences; the number of investigations commenced; the number of animals seized; the number of files submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions. [11427/26]
475. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has undertaken any policy, legislative, or regulatory review of the State’s framework for addressing insurance fraud and organised compensation fraud; the primary statutory provisions currently relied upon for this purpose; whether any gaps or weaknesses in that framework have been identified at departmental leve…
476. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has commissioned, received, or considered any research, reviews, or Law Reform Commission material relating to sentencing policy for insurance fraud and fraudulent personal injury claims; whether sentencing guidelines or statutory sentencing frameworks have been examined in this context; and whether legislative r…
491. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out by his Department in each of the past five years relating to equine welfare, including cases involving neglect, mistreatment, abandonment, or tethering; the number of horses seized, euthanised, or otherwise removed from owners following such inspections; the number of prosecutions initiated under the …
492. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulatory and enforcement framework governing the breeding, keeping, and welfare of dogs used for hunting purposes; the number of inspections carried out by his Department or on its behalf in each of the past five years in respect of dog breeding establishments and private dog keepers; the number of enforcement actions taken, includi…