Ken O'Flynn

158. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has prepared contingency measures for exporters in the Cork Port region in the event of unilateral UK changes affecting regulatory alignment or market access; and to outline those measures in detail. [68734/25]

159. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has conducted any assessment of the impact of dual regulatory regimes on SME exporters using the Port of Cork, including effects on haulage costs, customs clearance times and supply chain reliability; and to provide the results of that assessment. [68735/25]

174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the latest switching rates for domestic electricity and gas customers; the actions his Department is taking to increase switching among households on high tariffs; and the steps being taken to improve transparency in billing and tariff information. [68933/25]

175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will produce a targeted arrears reduction plan for households facing long-term energy debt, including supports for at-risk customers, actions to prevent the escalation of arrears, and the timeline for transitioning from universal energy credits to targeted supports. [68934/25]

176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total level of electricity and gas arrears, by quarter from 2020 to 2025, broken down by income group and welfare status; and if he will detail the actions his Department is taking to monitor arrears among households at highest risk of disconnection or long-term debt. [68945/25]

215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the staffing levels assigned to the processing of foreign driving licence exchange applications in each of the past three years, broken down by grade; whether any additional staffing or resources have been approved in 2024 or 2025 to address current backlogs; the ICT or administrative changes planned for the National Driver Licence Service in 2026 to improve the processing of foreign driving licence exchanges; the expected impact of these changes on processing times; and the timeline for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68722/25]

216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the current performance targets for the processing of foreign driving licence exchange applications; the percentage of applications that met these targets in each quarter of the past two years; the number of complaints received in the past twelve months in relation to delays or lack of communication regarding foreign driving licence exchanges; the main issues raised in these complaints; and the remedial actions underway to improve performance and communication with applicants, in particular where delay affects a person’s ability to take up or continue in employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68723/25]

217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport in light of his Department’s statutory oversight of the Road Safety Authority under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the regular reports his Department receives on National Driver Licence Service performance in relation to foreign driving licence exchange applications; the key risks, backlogs or performance deficits identified in 2024 and 2025; any directions, instructions or performance improvement measures his Department has issued to the Road Safety Authority regarding these backlogs and delays in communication with applicants; and the timelines and monitoring arrangements in place to ensure that service levels improve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68724/25]

218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the procedures his Department has in place to ensure that urgent foreign driving licence exchange applications are prioritised where delay prevents a person from taking up or continuing in employment; the criteria used to classify an application as urgent; the number of urgent cases identified in 2024 and 2025; the average processing time for such cases; the oversight exercised by his Department to ensure the Road Safety Authority meets these requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68725/25]

219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the average incident-clearance times recorded on the N40 South Ring Road in the past twelve months; the protocols in place for rapid clearance of minor collisions or obstructions; and whether his Department has evaluated the operational requirement for a dedicated peak-hour traffic-management presence to minimise network-wide delays. [68759/25]

220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average time required to complete environmental assessment processes, including Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment, for major transport infrastructure projects commenced in each of the past five years; and to detail any reforms underway to reduce delays in these assessment stages. [68802/25]

221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average duration of Environmental Impact Assessment processes for all Transport Infrastructure Ireland projects with an expected total cost above 200 million euro commenced since 2020; and the measures taken by his Department to address delays at this stage of project development. [68803/25]

222. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average duration of Appropriate Assessment processes for all National Transport Authority projects with an expected total cost above 200 million euro commenced since 2020, and to outline any steps taken by his Department to improve the efficiency of these assessments. [68804/25]

227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the reason his Department does not require the National Transport Authority to collect and report local breakdowns, repeat incidents, and repair costs relating to vandalism of public bus shelters; the reason this information is not monitored at Department level despite annual public funding; and the steps he will now take to ensure full transparency and proper oversight of this infrastructure. [68996/25]

228. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the measures he will introduce to address the rising levels of vandalism of public bus shelters nationwide; the actions he will take in response to the five-year national figures provided to his Department; and the directions he will now give to the National Transport Authority to protect public infrastructure used by commuters, including schoolchildren, older people, and workers. [68997/25]

229. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the controls his Department has in place to ensure transparency and accountability in how vandalism repair and maintenance costs for public bus shelters are managed; the reason his Department does not track the financial impact of vandalism under current contractual arrangements; and the steps he will now take to require clear reporting and performance obligations in future contracts. [68998/25]

230. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the reason he has permitted a national public transport infrastructure programme to operate without basic monitoring of vandalism trends, without cost reporting, without local data, and without any security plan for thousands of bus shelters; and the actions he will take to bring this system in line with normal governance standards expected of publicly funded infrastructure. [68999/25]

231. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the Department’s estimate of the current national shortfall in buses required to meet contractual and public-service obligations, including Local Link expansion and rural-service demand. [69687/25]

236. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of claims made in each of the past five years for preferential tariff treatment under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for buses imported from Great Britain; the number of claims approved; the number refused; and the main reasons for refusals, as recorded by Revenue. [68765/25]

237. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of applications for Returned Goods Relief for buses re-imported into the State from the United Kingdom in each of the past five years; the number approved; the number refused; and the main reasons recorded for refusals. [68766/25]

238. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has assessed whether the administrative requirements of the TCA preferential-origin rules or the Returned Goods Relief documentation may be limiting access for smaller bus operators; and if he will outline any guidance, outreach or simplification measures under consideration by Revenue. [68767/25]

239. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he has examined the feasibility of developing a non-VAT capital support mechanism, such as an accelerated capital allowance or targeted grant, to support licensed bus operators in purchasing new low-emission vehicles, given the VAT constraints described in his reply to Parliamentary Question Nos. 143 and 144 of 26 November 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68768/25]

240. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has carried out any analysis of the economic impact on school-transport and mixed-service bus operators arising from their exclusion from the VAT refund scheme for touring coaches; and if he will outline the findings of any such internal assessments. [68769/25]

241. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the extent to which Revenue’s VAT and customs treatment of buses has been considered. [68770/25]

242. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if Revenue has undertaken any review of the administrative burden placed on small and medium-sized licensed bus operators when importing buses from Great Britain, including documentary requirements for origin, VAT self-accounting, and customs declarations; and if he will outline the findings of any such review. [68771/25]