38. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking, including during Ireland’s EU Presidency, to secure an adequately funded, ring-fenced CAP budget post-2027; and the steps he is taking to oppose the proposed reduction in CAP funding. [69777/26]
79. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the progress that has been made in securing capital funding for the construction of a new courthouse in Portlaoise; and when funding will be allocated and construction is expected to commence. [69776/26]
36. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to confirm whether that the scrappage scheme relating to old boilers not only applies to replacement with heat pumps, but also replacement with pellet and wood gasification boilers. [70487/26]
44. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of first-time buyers who have availed of the help to buy scheme in each of the past three years; the total value of support provided under the scheme; and if he will outline any plans to increase the qualifying property price threshold to ensure continued support for first-time buyers seeking to purchase or build a home. [69188/26]
92. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of Irish Water’s current investment programme as it relates to unlocking housing supply; and the priority projects identified to address wastewater constraints in high growth areas. [69186/26]
93. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures are being taken to ensure that the increased housing delivery committed to under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030 is reaching areas experiencing the greatest pressure, including rural towns and commuter counties. [69187/26]
94. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether consideration is being given to removing or revising local authority policies that place limits on the number of dwellings that may be constructed on family farm holdings. [69189/26]
95. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress that has been made in delivering the actions under Heritage Ireland 2030, particularly in relation to investment in built and archaeological heritage and supporting local communities in protecting and promoting their heritage; and if he will outline the priorities arising from the mid-term review. [69190/26]
156. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration will be given to providing flexibility or an exemption to parents with fixed shared-care arrangements under the National Childcare Scheme, so that children alternating between households can attend different childcare providers and retain their childcare place during periods of non-attendance, to ensure that eligib…
424. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the Solar for Schools Programme specifications to facilitate the installation of battery storage in schools, thereby allowing them to retain and use more of the electricity they generate. [68211/26]
611. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to ensuring that small and part-time farmers who have incurred fertiliser costs can access the payment under the EU emergency fertiliser package; and if he will ensure that the scheme provides equitable support across farms of different sizes. [68213/26]
612. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the €15.4 million EU emergency fertiliser package will be made available to farmers; if he will confirm whether additional Government funding will be provided under Budget 2027 to supplement this allocation; and the proposed eligibility criteria and minimum payment thresholds under the scheme. [68212/26]
712. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the HSE and relevant professional bodies to establish a timeline for reviewing accreditation requirements, rather than waiting for the completion of the statutory regulation of psychotherapy. [68218/26]
714. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm whether accreditations (details supplied) will be considered in the development of future professional standards and recruitment frameworks, taking account of CORU’s Standards of Proficiency for Psychotherapists. [68216/26]
716. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the HSE to review recruitment criteria for counselling and psychotherapy posts to recognise accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapists (details supplied); the reason this accreditation is not accepted for certain HSE positions; and whether it will be considered in relevant grade code reviews and workforce planning. [68214/26]
18. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Transport the total funding provided to TFI Local Link Laois Offaly in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of routes and passenger journeys supported in each year; the additional funding sought for 2027 to expand services and address unmet demand in County Laois; and whether a review of existing routes and service frequency is planned in consul…
19. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details of the funding allocated to the Rural Transport Programme and TFI Local Link for 2026; the proposed allocation for 2027; whether additional funding will be provided in Budget 2027 to expand rural public transport services in County Laois, particularly in areas where residents have limited access to public transport for employment, edu…
20. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Transport if he will work with the Minister for Education and Youth and Bus Éireann, to identify opportunities to improve public transport provision for schoolchildren in rural communities in County Laois, particularly in areas where school bus routes are oversubscribed. [67461/26]
32. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the actions being taken to improve competition in the retail banking sector following recent market consolidation; and the measures being considered to strengthen consumer protections in relation to fees, mortgage switching and digital only banking. [67447/26]
33. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will assess the potential impact of a reduction in the VAT rate on wood fuels on domestic producers and suppliers, including businesses operating in County Laois; and if he will consider the benefits such a measure could provide for household heating costs, rural employment and the development of Ireland's domestic biomass supply chain. [67446/…
34. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will review the current 23% VAT rate applying to wood-fuel heating appliances, including qualifying wood-burning stoves and biomass boilers; and if he will examine the potential for applying the 9% second reduced VAT rate to the supply and installation of qualifying wood-fuel heating systems, in line with the existing treatment of low-emission …
35. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has assessed the impact on household heating costs of the current 13.5% VAT rate applying to wood fuels, including pellets and firewood; and if he will examine whether a reduction to the 9% rate would assist households using biomass heating while also supporting the domestic wood-fuel supply chain. [67444/26]
36. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will consider reducing the rate of VAT applicable to wood fuels, including wood pellets, firewood and woodchip, from 13.5% to 9% and if he will examine the potential for aligning the VAT treatment of wood fuels with other domestic heating energy sources. [67443/26]
44. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to identify the actions being taken by Government to support indigenous Irish retailers operating in regional Ireland, many of whom are facing significant increases in employment and operating costs; and whether additional targeted supports will be considered in Budget 2027. [67456/26]
45. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if an assessment has been undertaken of the impact that continued increases in the living wage will have on labour-intensive sectors such as retail, hospitality and other consumer-facing industries; and if he will outline any planned supports to assist businesses in adapting to these increases. [67455/26]