Ken O'Flynn

670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific supports financial or otherwise that have been introduced by the Government since March 2025 to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality and retail sectors facing closure; and if any further emergency measures are being considered in light of recent data indicating over 3,250 business closures to date in 2025. [44887/25]

671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has received representations or data from representative bodies (details supplied) in relation to the closure of over 200 cafés and restaurants in 2025; and what the Government’s response has been to these concerns. [44888/25]

672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the Department has undertaken any economic impact assessment of SME closures in the hospitality and retail sectors in 2025, and to publish the findings of any such analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44890/25]

673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide a sectoral impact assessment of the new 15% US tariffs on Irish goods; to identify which Irish industries, including agri-food and pharmaceuticals, are most exposed to this trade development; and the contingency supports being considered for vulnerable SMEs with export exposure to the United States. [44913/25]

674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department intends to conduct a review of the Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022, with particular regard to its effectiveness in protecting low-paid hospitality workers; if he has engaged with the Minister for Finance regarding the taxation of tips under the current legislation; if he will examine the feasibility of introducing a statutory exemption from taxation on genuine customer gratuities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44920/25]

675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department is tracking the rate of business closures in the independent retail and hospitality sectors in Cork city since January 2025; if he will provide a breakdown, by business type; and the supports or crime prevention initiatives being developed to assist small business owners affected by cost pressures and anti-social behaviour. [44936/25]

685. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will assess adopting France’s shrinkflation disclosure model; and report to the Oireachtas on options to require in-store notices for at least two months after a content reduction that raises unit price. [45702/25]

686. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to increase maximum penalties and resourcing for Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to police unit pricing and pricing promotions following the 2024 prosecutions; and to provide timelines for any legislative changes. [45703/25]

687. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will request the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to update UCPD guidance to treat unflagged material recipe changes as potentially misleading omissions. [45704/25]

696. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in view of youth unemployment at 12.2% more than double the national average, the steps the Government will take to prevent a lost generation. [46263/25]

718. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in light of significant truck driver shortages reported in Cork, up to 40 vacancies locally, the measures that will be taken to fast-track HGV licensing, streamline cross-departmental employment permits, and support sectoral recruitment in Cork’s haulage industry. [46810/25]

719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps being taken to stimulate investor confidence especially in high-growth sectors in Cork and the Munster region with Q2 venture capital investment plunging 80% to €116.5million [46822/25]

788. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address the ongoing issues regarding school transport provision in the areas of Whitechurch, Blarney, and Upper Glanmire; the immediate measures being taken to ensure that children attending schools (details supplied) can access school bus places for the 2025-2026 academic year given that a number of families in these areas have been unable to secure transport and now face significant logistical and financial difficulties as a result. [44943/25]

837. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider extending the home tuition scheme, or the introduction of alternative departmental supports, to allow qualified teachers to provide educational provision for students who are unable to attend mainstream school due to school refusal or the lack of an available school place, through the establishment of educational hubs, where a small number of tutors would work collectively from a shared premises; whether such a model could be formally recognised under existing education policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45710/25]

838. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department holds figures for the number of children currently availing of the home tuition scheme; if so; if she will provide these figures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45717/25]

850. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the body that has overall responsibility for the operation of the school transport scheme; the role of her Department and the role of Bus Éireann in the delivery of the scheme; if she will report on the adequacy of capacity and the number of eligible children who were unable to secure a seat for the current school year; and if she will review the eligibility criteria particularly for rural areas and provide an update on the appeals process for parents whose children have been refused transport. [45833/25]

871. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has considered the introduction of gender balance quotas, or other targeted measures, to encourage greater male participation in the teaching profession, including in the early years and preschool sector, given the significant gender imbalance and ongoing staffing shortages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45945/25]

872. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department holds statistics on the gender breakdown of teachers and educators at early years/preschool, primary, secondary, and third level; and if she will provide the most recent available figures. [45946/25]

943. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of cases in which funded, purpose-built, special education units in primary schools are being used to house a mainstream classes rather than the intended special education provision; and if she will outline the steps her Department will take to address this matter ensuring that children requiring specialist support are provided with the facilities and services originally intended. [46461/25]

944. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the monitoring and follow-up procedures, in place to ensure that schools are using Department-funded, purpose-built special education units for their intended purpose; and if she will provide details of how compliance is checked both at the time of project completion and on an ongoing basis. [46462/25]

945. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions or sanctions that are available to her Department when a school uses a purpose-built special education unit for purposes other than that for which funding was granted; and if she will outline how the Department ensures accountability for public expenditure in such cases. [46463/25]

946. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will outline how her Department ensures that children who were due to be accommodated in a special education unit, but are instead placed full-time in a mainstream class, receive the level of specialist support, resources, and therapeutic input they are entitled to. [46464/25]

947. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department holds figures on the number of primary school pupils nationally who were placed on reduced school hours during the 2024-2025 academic year; and if she will provide a breakdown by county. [46465/25]

948. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of cases where primary school pupils were placed on reduced school hours for the entire 2024-2025 school year; and if she will outline what steps her Department is taking to address such practices, given that reduced timetables are intended to be short-term and exceptional. [46466/25]

949. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the monitoring and oversight mechanisms that her Department has in place to ensure that reduced school hours are only used in line with Department guidelines; and if she will outline how compliance is tracked across schools. [46467/25]