548. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the steps being taken to develop a national career pathway for healthcare assistants working in the nursing home sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54576/26]
549. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will consider introducing targeted financial supports for private and voluntary nursing homes to assist with increased energy and fuel costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54577/26]
550. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm whether the residential environment enhancement scheme will be extended beyond 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54578/26]
551. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health when the Government intends to deliver on its Programme for Government commitment to introduce an equitable funding model or the nursing homes support scheme (fair deal); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54579/26]
552. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the development of a National Nursing Home Care Policy; the resources that have been allocated to support its preparation; the expected timeline for its publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54580/26]
553. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the process by which recipients of HSE-funded home support may request a change of home care provider; whether the HSE will introduce a clear national pathway to allow clients to transfer their HSE-funded home support hours from one approved provider to another; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54581/26]
554. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will consider facilitating recipients of HSE-funded home supports who wish to receive both their publicly-funded and privately-funded home care services from the same provider in order to improve continuity of care and reduce the number of carers entering their home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54582/26]
616. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress made to date in implementing Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors: National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023–2027; the actions undertaken to support the development of outdoor recreation infrastructure, trails and amenities nationwide; the funding allocated to support delivery of the strategy; and if he will make a …
617. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress made in the delivery and expansion of the Broadband Connection Points initiative; the number of Broadband Connection Points currently operational in each county; the supports and thematic programmes being provided through these locations to improve digital skills, education, remote working and community conn…
618. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress made in delivering the LEADER programme 2023–2027; the level of funding allocated to date to support rural enterprise development, job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects; the steps being taken to ensure that communities in all regions can access and benefit from this funding; and if he wil…
619. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the measures being taken to support the continued regeneration of rural towns and villages through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme; the number of projects approved in the current funding cycle; the criteria used to assess applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54559/26]
620. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress made to date in allocating the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund commitment under Project Ireland 2040; the total funding allocated, the number of projects supported, and the impact assessments undertaken in relation to the regeneration of rural towns and villages, addressing population decl…
235. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of applications, places available and waiting lists for each of the 14 reading classes nationwide for each of the past five school years; whether her Department has undertaken any assessment of unmet demand for specialist reading classes for children with severe dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54247/26]
236. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress being made through the NCSE Parents Notify online portal in supporting early identification of demand for special education places; the steps being taken to ensure that information gathered through the portal informs timely decisions on the establishment of additional special classes and special school places; and if she will make a stat…
237. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth how the Department and the NCSE are using the earlier notification process for special education places to plan for teacher, special needs assistant, accommodation and transport requirements for the 2027/2028 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54249/26]
238. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will outline the further actions being considered to address schools that continue to publish admission policies containing clauses contrary to Department and NCSE guidance; whether additional compliance measures or oversight mechanisms are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54250/26]
410. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the timeframe for additional permanent respite beds to become available in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54057/26]
69. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made in implementing the twenty-eight recommendations of the Food Vision Tillage Group Report; the actions completed to date; the timeline for implementing the remaining recommendations to support the expansion of the tillage sector towards the Climate Action Plan target of 400,000 hectares by 2030; and if he will make a stat…
174. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the context of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the steps being taken to secure an increased CAP budget that reflects the strategic importance of agriculture for food security, environmental sustainability and rural development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52202/26]
175. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagement undertaken at EU level regarding the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and its potential impact on Irish agri-food exports; the assessment his Department has made of the implications of CBAM for the competitiveness of Irish agriculture and food processing sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [522…
176. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to ensuring that the new biomethane capital grant programme provides support for farm-scale biogas plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52204/26]
177. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider revising the current valuation ceilings under the on-farm market valuation scheme for TB compensation to ensure compensation reflects open market value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52205/26]
178. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average length of time taken from initiation to conclusion of the arbitration process under the TB compensation arrangement scheme; the number of cases currently awaiting determination by the arbitration panel; whether delays have increased in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52206/26]
93. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she is aware of difficulties experienced by passport applicants whereby photographs uploaded through the Online Passport Service are initially accepted by the system but subsequently fail biometric verification checks; if consideration is being given to improving the online photo-validation process so that non-compliant photographs are identi…
299. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the timeline for the completion of the new Garda station in Portlaoise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50078/26]