Grace Boland

174. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to the Programme for Government commitment to establish a Small Business Unit within his Department, and a Cost of Business Advisory Forum, if he will provide an update on the work of both bodies to date; the issues they have examined or progressed; and the way in which small businesses are being engaged in shaping their outputs. [30413/26]

206. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which the SME test is being applied in practice to assess the impact of new legislation and regulations on business costs; if he will provide specific examples of legislation or policy proposals where the SME test has been used and influenced outcomes; and the way in which this information is being shared across Government. [30414/26]

794. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending the back-to-work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) to include individuals who are signing on for PRSI credits but are excluded from payments due to means testing; or alternatively, if he will consider introducing a parallel pathway for people in such a position to access the BTWEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30856/26]

73. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth how the application process for special education teaching hours is administered by her Department, including how allocations to individual schools are determined and how the needs profile of a school is reflected in the final allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28417/26]

85. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work currently being undertaken by her Department to upskill teachers to support children with special educational needs, including through initial teacher education and continuous professional development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28418/26]

154. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how her Department is working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Health, as well as local authorities and the HSE, to ensure that adults with intellectual disabilities can access homes that meet their needs within their own communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28421/26]

200. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work her Department is undertaking to deliver accessible and affordable community childcare for families living in north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28422/26]

237. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement that has taken place between his Department and the Department of Health regarding workforce planning for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy; whether projected higher education training places are aligned with workforce demand identified by the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21732/26]

260. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected number of additional training places planned between 2026 and 2027 and 2027 and 2028 for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21731/26]

375. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work her Department is undertaking to ensure that capital funding is keeping pace with rising demographic pressures, inflation in construction costs, and the growing demand for modern, energy-efficient school accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11080/26]

232. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of cases of ENT surgeries being cancelled or placed on standby at short notice by Beaumont Hospital due to lack of bed availability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28970/26]

233. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of cases of ENT surgeries being cancelled or placed on standby in error in Beaumont Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28971/26]

245. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance further to the commitment in the programme for Government to progress the recommendations of the Funds Sector 2030 review to support greater retail participation in capital markets, whether his Department has assessed the recommendation to remove the eight-year deemed disposal rule applicable to exchange-traded funds and other investment funds; the estimated cost to the Exchequer of abolishing this rule; whether the Government intends to remove the deemed disposal provision; the timeline for any such reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25770/26]

271. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has carried out any assessment of increasing the standard rate cut-off point for income tax to €50,000; the estimated full year cost to the Exchequer of such a change; the distributional impact across income groups; the analysis undertaken regarding the potential labour market or economic impacts of such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25769/26]

6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reforms planned or under consideration to improve value for money, risk allocation and cost control in public procurement for State-funded projects; whether changes to tender evaluation criteria, including the weighting applied to price versus quality and delivery capacity, are being examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27862/26]

58. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the project management or project governance framework that is currently required or recommended by Government for the delivery of publicly funded capital projects under the Public Spending Code and the Infrastructure Guidelines; whether a specific methodology or standard such as PRINCE2, PMBOK or other recognised framework is mandated or recommended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25777/26]

520. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the current status of the delivery of Ireland’s onshore wind, offshore wind and solar generation targets under the Climate Action Plan; the installed capacity currently operational in each category; the capacity currently consented but not yet constructed; the capacity currently in the planning system; and the projected timelines for delivery of additional capacity between now and 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27113/26]

521. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the progress made to date in advancing offshore renewable energy projects off the Irish coast, including the number of projects that have received Maritime Area Consents; the status of grid connection arrangements for those projects; the expected commissioning timelines for the first operational offshore wind farms; and the measures being taken by his Department and relevant agencies to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind, onshore wind and solar generation to meet Ireland’s 2030 renewable electricity targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27114/26]

610. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an updated assessment of the impact of recent increases in global fuel prices on the projected cost of operating public transport services in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23626/26]

611. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which increased fuel costs are expected to affect Public Service Obligation subvention requirements in 2026; the additional Exchequer funding that may be required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23627/26]

612. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the number of additional costs arising from increased global fuel prices that will be funded whether through additional Exchequer allocation, reallocation within the existing transport budget, fare adjustments, or other measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23628/26]

613. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he has engaged with the National Transport Authority and public transport operators regarding the financial impact of rising fuel prices; the dates and outcomes of such engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23629/26]

614. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the contingency measures in place within his Department and the National Transport Authority to manage volatility in fuel prices and protect the delivery of scheduled public transport services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23630/26]

615. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the proportion of public transport operating costs attributable to fuel in 2024, 2025 and projected for 2026; and the extent to which this proportion has changed due to recent price increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23631/26]

1019. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the proportion of public contracts awarded on a lowest price only basis compared to most economically advantageous tender criteria, in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23634/26]