Peter Roche

91. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has examined the impact of the current means-testing arrangements for the SUSI grant on adult and mature applicants who, due to the lack of available or affordable housing, continue to reside in the family home and are therefore assessed on parental income; his plans to review the SUSI means test to address this issue, particularly in respect of independent or mature students; whether his Department is engaging with the Department of Social Protection regarding potential reforms to these arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6932/26]

146. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether his Department is assessing the extension or adaptation of existing funding and approval mechanisms for student housing developments; whether consideration is being given to a streamlined or single-stage approval process for publicly supported student accommodation projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6931/26]

467. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has examined the impact of the current means test for the SUSI grant on adult applicants who, due to the lack of available or affordable housing, continue to reside in the family home and are therefore assessed on parental income; whether a review of the SUSI means-testing arrangements is planned to address this issue, particularly for independent or mature students; whether his Department is engaging with the Department of Further and Higher Education on potential reforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2736/26]

171. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the merits of developing more inclusive and targeted support models for children and adolescents that would help deter involvement in anti-social behaviour; if he will consider expanding and diversifying funding streams for community-based projects working with young people (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6171/26]

216. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current strategy, and programmes, in place to address antisocial behaviour, including Garda-led initiatives; the way in which the effectiveness of these measures is being assessed; the additional actions or policy developments planned to tackle persistent antisocial behaviour, particularly in urban and rural communities such as Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6172/26]

51. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Health her plans to address recruitment and retention challenges within dental services, particularly in the HSE Public Dental Service; the way in which the Department intends to ensure that workforce capacity will meet public demand for dental care into the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5037/26]

128. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Health her plans to address the large number of children who have missed dental examinations through the HSE school dental screening programme in recent years; whether the future delivery of children’s dental services will rely on outsourcing to private clinics; the way in which she will ensure that any new approach provides timely, equitable and safe dental care for children, particularly those already missed by the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5038/26]

220. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is assessing the broadening of the single stage approval process for further housing developments, such as student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5005/26]

135. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his Department is aware that areas in rural Ireland, including Mountbellew in County Galway, continue to experience significant gaps in mobile phone coverage and effectively remain dead zones for cellular reception; if he will provide an update on measures being taken to address these coverage deficits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3651/26]

193. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the position regarding the Sports Action Plan in addressing anti-social behaviour, particularly in Galway; if he will outline any new or expanded initiatives planned to broaden sports access for at-risk youth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3652/26]

614. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his Department is aware that areas in rural Ireland, such as Mountbellew in County Galway, continue to experience significant gaps in mobile phone coverage and remain effectively dead zones for cellular reception; if he will provide an update on measures being taken to address these coverage deficits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73228/25]

89. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps his Department is taking to ensure that recipients of disability allowance who take up part-time employment within the permitted income and hours thresholds are supported rather than penalised during the transition to work; if he is aware of cases where disability allowance has been disallowed despite timely and complete disclosure of earnings, resulting in prolonged loss of income and hardship; the safeguards which exist to prevent such delays, particularly where claimants have ongoing medical and travel costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2737/26]

156. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that it has been reported that Galway is among the most congested cities globally and in Europe, with road users losing an average of approximately 67 hours annually due to traffic delays; the assessment his Department has made of the impact of this level of congestion on commuters travelling from Galway east into the city for work, education, and healthcare; the specific measures which are planned to address congestion in Galway, including improvements to public transport capacity, park-and-ride facilities, and east–west connectivity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2746/26]

427. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will seek a review of the means-testing arrangements affecting farm families where one parent is a full-time unpaid carer and the sole farm income marginally exceeds thresholds, despite high costs associated with third-level education and caring responsibilities; and if measures will be considered to alleviate this hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66666/25]

428. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection the current means-testing system for farm households to ensure that depreciation of machinery and equipment is properly accounted for when assessing farm income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66665/25]

121. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the engagement his Department has had with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding current waiting times for first-time Irish residence permit registration appointments, which in many cases now exceed new employees’ actual job start dates due to exceptionally high demand for appointments and limited availability (details supplied); the measures are being taken to reduce these waiting times; the supports or temporary flexibilities are being put in place to assist affected employees and employers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1459/26]

176. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the assessment his Department has made of the estimated 6% decline in visitor numbers nationally in 2025, as reported by tourism industry bodies; the specific impact this decline is having on tourism businesses and employment in Galway east and county; and the measures being taken to support the tourism sector and to reverse this downward trend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1458/26]

137. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to outline the current uptake of the home energy upgrade loan scheme in County Galway; and how his Department intends to expand awareness and access for homeowners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73229/25]

178. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has assessed the cumulative impact of rising energy, childcare and housing costs on households that do not qualify for means-tested supports; whether targeted tax credit adjustments are under consideration in future budget preparations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73232/25]

109. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the current system for allocating support-teaching hours to schools, given concerns that allocations are based primarily on data from previous years and therefore do not accurately reflect present-day enrolment levels, pupil needs, or the number of students requiring additional educational support (details supplied); if a more responsive or real-time allocation model is being considered to ensure schools have adequate staffing to meet actual needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70775/25]

156. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding streams, grant programmes, or corporate partnership schemes available to support schools developing garden projects that will also serve the wider community; whether additional resources are planned to assist schools in promoting biodiversity, environmental education, and outdoor learning through such initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70774/25]

231. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a college (details supplied) will be considered eligible for capital investment support; if his Department has examined options to align the college with an appropriate public body or higher education institution in order that it may access such funding; if he will consider facilitating access to capital investment through Atlantic Technological University or another suitable mechanism, in recognition of the college’s contribution to agricultural education and regional development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67829/25]

78. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60387/25]

39. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current regulatory framework governing maximum wind turbine height; whether concerns raised by residents in County Galway regarding the increasing scale of turbine proposals, particularly turbines exceeding traditional height thresholds, are being considered as part of the ongoing review of wind energy planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65792/25]

542. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to ensure meaningful public consultation in rural communities that are expected to accommodate renewable energy projects significantly larger than those envisaged under current planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60402/25]