Ken O'Flynn

560. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will direct the HSE to establish a national dataset for primary care laboratory testing, including standard lipid profile tests, with data recorded by CHO area, care setting and quarter, as recommended in the HSE Strategic Plan for Laboratory Services 2026-2035; the timeline for implementation of such a system; the governance arrangements that will apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67021/25]

561. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the specific actions taken to date by her Department to implement the HSE Strategic Plan for Laboratory Services 2026-2035, with particular reference to the recommendation for consistent and transparent systems for the collection of data and workload metrics; the funding and staffing allocated in 2025 and 2026 for this purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67022/25]

562. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 976 and 977 of 12 November 2025, the estimated annual percentage growth in standard lipid profile test volumes across the health service since 2021, in view of the statement that test volumes from all areas, including primary care, have increased by between 10 and 15 percent per year; the way in which this trend has informed capacity planning for laboratory services, workforce, and equipment under the HSE Strategic Plan for Laboratory Services 2026-2035; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67023/25]

563. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual expenditure on standard lipid profile tests ordered from primary care for each year since 2019, based on available data, including the current estimated average cost range per test where precise figures are not available; the reasons for variation in cost per test between regions or providers; and her plans to reduce unwarranted variation and secure better value for money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67024/25]

96. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to set out in detail the obligations that will apply to Ireland under the European Democracy Shield, including all monitoring, reporting, data-sharing, or participation requirements foreseen for Member States; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66556/25]

97. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether the European Democracy Shield will require Ireland to participate in any EU-wide systems for identifying, reviewing or classifying online communications, including content linked to domestic political debate; and to outline the legal basis that would permit any such participation. [66557/25]

98. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether the European Commission has accepted Ireland’s position that electoral regulation and political debate must remain under full national competence, and to detail how this will be protected during the implementation of the European Democracy Shield. [66558/25]

99. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has completed any risk assessment since 1 September 2025 on the impact of unilateral UK changes to the Windsor Framework on cross-Border trade, regulatory stability and market access for Irish exporters; and if she will provide the findings of that assessment. [66577/25]

100. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her Department’s current assessment of the level of exposure for exporters in the Cork port-region arising from possible UK regulatory divergence under the Windsor Framework; and if she will outline any contingency measures being developed for affected sectors. [66578/25]

101. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position her Department has taken in the EU Working Party on the United Kingdom and in the Specialised Committee meetings since the European Commission raised concerns about UK unilateral actions; and if she will provide any briefing notes or submissions supplied by his officials to those forums. [66579/25]

102. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a detailed list of all categories of infrastructure falling within the policy remit of his Department under the Climate Action Plan 2025, National Planning Framework, National Marine Planning Framework and renewable energy programmes, including grid development, offshore renewable energy, electricity system reinforcement and energy security projects; and to outline which Department holds statutory responsibility for the delivery of each category. [66544/25]

123. 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. [66545/25]

143. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will review the current VAT treatment applied to bus and coach operators; if he is aware that only tour operators are eligible to reclaim VAT on the purchase of new buses under the VAT 71 scheme, while school-bus and mixed-service operators who operate on significantly lower annual mileage and turnover are excluded; if he will assess the impact that this differential treatment is having on fleet renewal, vehicle supply, and costs faced by operators, particularly given the nationwide shortage of available buses and increased demand arising from new Local Link and public-transport services; if he will consider extending VAT recovery eligibility to all licensed bus operators to support the purchase of new vehicles and improve fleet quality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66431/25]

144. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will examine the impact of VAT and customs duties on buses being imported from the UK by Irish operators; if he will consider measures to reduce the cost burden, given the current shortage of buses in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66432/25]

153. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of instances in the past five years in which a Minister, Minister of State or senior official was required to recuse themselves from policy development or decision-making due to a declared conflict of interest involving a family member with financial interests in pharmaceutical or healthcare companies. [66573/25]

154. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if her Department has issued any guidance, circulars or instructions to Government Departments since January 2020 on the management of conflicts of interest in emerging medical or technological policy areas, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and other gender-affirming treatments for young people. [66574/25]

208. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out, for each of the past five years, the number of major infrastructure projects whose progression was delayed at the stage of environmental assessment processes, including screening for Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment, and to identify the average duration of delay attributable to these processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66543/25]

209. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has prepared a year-by-year delivery schedule to achieve the target of 12,000 new social homes per annum; and if he will provide that schedule, including quarterly output milestones for 2026, 2027 and 2028. [66580/25]

210. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any assessment of the staffing, technical and financial resources required by local authorities to meet the 12,000 social homes annual target; and if he will outline any planned increases in housing, engineering, procurement or planning capacity for those authorities. [66581/25]

211. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to ensure that zoning, servicing, water capacity and planning permissions are aligned with the 12,000-unit annual social housing target; and if he will provide any internal reports, reviews or delivery forecasts addressing this alignment. [66582/25]

212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of long-term vacant social housing units in Cork city and Cork county; the average turnaround time for void units in both authorities; and the planned targets for reducing long-term voids in 2026. [66583/25]

213. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer arising from long-term voids in local authority housing stock since 2020; and if he will provide the method used for calculating this estimate. [66584/25]

224. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether on the establishment of GSOC, any mechanism existed to transfer pre-existing complaints or correspondence regarding Garda conduct or deaths in Garda custody to the new Commission; whether families who had pursued complaints under the processes in place at the time were informed of GSOCs creation; and if he will review procedures to ensure legacy complaints are not overlooked and that, where families seek to raise complaints outside statutory timeframes, Fiosrú consider that this may be the first occasion on which the Commission becomes aware of the matter. [66304/25]

240. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of unresolved or historic cases that have been referred for peer review since 2018; the number completed; the number reopened; and the number in which new investigative actions were taken. [66588/25]

241. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current number of international protection appeals pending at the International Protection Appeals Tribunal; the average waiting time; and the number of appeals exceeding six months, nine months and twelve months. [66590/25]