5. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he has assessed the gaps in specialist expertise across the civil service and wider public service, including in policy development and evaluation, economics, engineering, procurement, digital and data, and major project delivery; and the steps he will take to recruit, develop and retain those…
29. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the gaps in specialist expertise across the civil service and wider public service, including in policy development and evaluation, economics, engineering, procurement, digital and data, and major project delivery have been assessed; and the steps he will take to recruit, develop and retain t…
53. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to his announcement in Budget 2027 of a Public Spending Efficiency Taskforce, when its terms of reference will be published; the way in which will its membership and work programme will be determined; and the way in which recommendations, expected savings and impact on public services wi…
118. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of pupils in mainstream classes of more than 30 given the impact of these class sizes on pupils’ learning and the ability of teachers to meet individual needs. [74056/26]
135. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the reading support available in mainstream schools is meeting the needs of pupils with dyslexia; the number of reading classes currently available at primary level and the number of pupils waiting for access to such classes; and the steps she is taking to ensure that pupils receive timely, appropriate support. [74057/26…
458. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken by her Department and the HSE to ensure mental health supports for young people are accessible at an early stage and do not rely solely on young people seeking help themselves and whether there are plans to expand school-based, community-based and HSE in-reach services for those aged 12 to 19 years. [75110/26]
460. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the actions being taken by her Department and the HSE to improve help-seeking behaviour among teenage boys and increase their engagement with mental health services; and whether any targeted initiatives have been developed through sporting, community or youth settings. [75109/26]
461. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health whether her Department and the HSE take account of the differing mental health needs of girls and boys in the planning and delivery of youth mental health services, the measures being taken to address higher reported levels of anxiety and stress among girls; and whether gender-responsive early intervention supports are being developed. [75108/26]
121. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures being taken to address broadband connectivity issues in towns and villages that fall outside the National Broadband Plan intervention area but where residents and businesses continue to report poor broadband service. [66726/26]
128. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his views that the current broadband supports available to remote workers and small businesses who remain affected by poor connectivity are sufficient; and whether additional measures are under consideration pending the completion of fibre rollout. [66727/26]
209. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the current timeline for enactment and commencement of the proposed direct lines/private wires legislation and when renewable electricity generators and neighbouring electricity consumers will be able to enter into such arrangements. [73380/26]
210. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the approvals, conditions and regulatory requirements that will apply to private wire/direct line arrangements between a renewable electricity generator and a neighbouring electricity consumer. [73379/26]
211. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if a business operating wind turbines or other renewable energy generation assets will be permitted under the proposed direct lines/private wires regime to sell electricity to an adjoining community, sporting or voluntary organisation. [73378/26]
212. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the proposed direct lines/private wires legislation will permit a renewable electricity generator to supply electricity directly to a neighbouring premises rather than exporting that electricity to the national grid. [73377/26]
242. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence if she will outline any proposals to facilitate greater mobility between the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and Fire Services through the mutual recognition of relevant experience, training and qualifications; and the timeline for any such measures. [73515/26]
243. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence if consideration is being given to recognising previous service, experience, training and qualifications obtained in An Garda Síochána, Fire Services or other front line emergency services for the purposes of recruitment, pay, promotion or other employment benefits within the Defence Forces. [73514/26]
254. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if additional commuter parking, interchange facilities or station access improvements for Rush and Lusk Railway Station are planned as part of, or complementary to, the DART+ Coastal North project. [73478/26]
255. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the National Transport Authority has assessed the feasibility of developing a park-and-ride facility serving commuters in the Rush, Lusk and wider north Fingal area. [73477/26]
256. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the plans to increase the number of parking spaces at Rush and Lusk Railway Station. [73476/26]
257. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he has requested the National Transport Authority or Iarnród Éireann to undertake a review of parking capacity at Rush and Lusk Railway Station and the current occupancy rates of the station car park. [73475/26]
366. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether, in the context of the carbon tax measures announced in Budget 2027, consideration was given to extending to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the treatment applied to natural gas and kerosene; and whether representations have been received regarding the tax treatment of LPG users. [73567/26]
412. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department is examining the introduction of a cross-public service framework to recognise previous service, experience, training and qualifications for personnel moving between An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Fire Services and other emergency response organisations; and if he will…
450. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the engagement his Department has had with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding competition, transparency and consumer protection within the private health insurance market. [74234/26]
453. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has made any recommendations to his Department in relation to improving transparency in the pricing and benefits of private health insurance policies; and if so, if he will provide details of any such recommendations. [74238/26]
462. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the delivery of the sanctioned autism classes for (details supplied). [73410/26]