Richard Boyd Barrett

420. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if her Department will review a decision not to include a glucose monitoring system (details supplied) for persons with type two diabetes for reimbursement under either the DPS or the long-term illness scheme; if she will explain the rationale for excluding it; her views on the prohibitive costs, especially in the case of older persons in receipt of a State pension who have to pay €400 per month, and the financial burden this places on them in trying to manage their diabetes effectively; if she will commit to making a strong case for its inclusion as a matter of priority given the health costs to the State as a result of mismanagement of diabetes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52708/25]

3. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 187 of 10 June 2025, his views on whether the principle lesson of the Good Friday Agreement applies equally to Palestine as to Ireland, namely, that militant and paramilitary groups can come to form part of a civilian administration provided they mostly, or partially, decommission their arms, or come to some other settlement that ends a phase of violence; and, if so, to clarify his remarks that an organisation (details supplied) has ‘no place’ in a future Palestinian state on grounds that the Irish Government disapproves of its present militant activity. [52199/25]

199. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the legislative basis of the Government's policy not to issue travel documents to non-nationals experiencing grave humanitarian disasters whose passports have been lost, damaged or destroyed as a consequence of the conditions they are seeking to be removed from (details supplied); and whether he will consider legislation which will allow Irish embassies issue travel documents to non-citizens whose passports have been damaged, lost or destroyed and where issuing these documents will allow a person to be evacuated from a grave humanitarian disaster. [51176/25]

200. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of historical precedent for issuing travel documents to non-nationals outside of normal procedures during conditions of genocide (details supplied); and his plans to follow the precedent to enable the evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza where they are seeking to come to Ireland.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51177/25]

207. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether Ireland's 1980 position endorsing Palestinian statehood, and resolving not to make comment "good bad or indifferent" as to the political beliefs of organisations that are "in a position to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people," still applies (details supplied); in particular noting that the relevant beliefs included support for the military destruction of Israel; or whether Ireland's 2024 recognition of Palestinian statehood downgrades the standing of a prospective Palestinian state and introduces a role for the Irish Government, or other non-Palestinian Governments, in determining an appropriate government for the Palestinian people, in light of recent comments from the Taoiseach indicating that an organisation could have no role in the future of a Palestinian state, whatever the views of the Palestinian people themselves; and that this was on grounds that the organisation calls for the military destruction of Israel, and that Ireland has resolved that said organisation offers no future to the Palestinian people. [52054/25]

427. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated completion date for new special classes at schools (details supplied); and when the school will commence for children with additional needs who were due to start in these classes [51241/25]

428. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of second level special class and special school places available in Dublin 9, 11 and 17 in 2025; and the projection for September 2026. [51242/25]

536. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on proposals to review planning laws in relation to permitting the installation of cabin-type accommodation in back gardens to temporarily house family members who cannot source housing elsewhere in view of the current housing crisis; if he will confirm that permissions will be granted solely to accommodate family members with strict criteria to preclude exploitation of the relaxation of rules for profit; if he will indicate when the review will be completed and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51108/25]

550. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider conducting an audit to date of a public project's (details supplied) financial, physical, social, and economic aspects following the closure of multiple organisations tasked with delivering the project and the previous publication of a Comptroller and Auditor General Report identifying large cost overruns, delays to delivery of physical regeneration and numerous other failings. [51290/25]

252. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the appropriate routes for Palestinians in Gaza to acquire employment permits in Ireland, which might enable the granting of a visa and subsequent evacuation from the region (details supplied); for details of any efforts his Department is making to connect Palestinians in Gaza with potential employers in Ireland; and for any guidance he might issue to Oireachtas members for connecting Palestinians in Gaza with potential employers in Ireland. [51095/25]

159. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that, despite reports to the contrary, waits for driving test appointments appear to be increasing; to address a person’s experience of wait times (details supplied) for both a first-time appointment and a subsequent retest appointment; the most recent steps to address the issue of waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49801/25]

185. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport further to communications from the National Transport Authority (details supplied) the estimated cost of ensuring that all out of order lifts in Irish Rail and DART stations are fully repaired on the day that they are reported. [50285/25]

569. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 2032 of 8 September 2025, wherein he indicated that the Section 38 and HSE disability workforce grew by over 20% between 2019 and 2025, for any data regarding the number of new HSE and Section 38 disability employees were recruited from Section 39 disability providers, or who worked in the sector before being recruited to the HSE or a Section 38 employer. [50284/25]

608. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the case of a person with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALLtype B cell) who, at 35 years of age (details supplied) is not eligible to receive CAR T cell therapy as it is only licenced in Ireland for those under 26; the reason Ireland is the only country with this age requirement, and the rationale for this decision; the circumstances around the urgent request for this person to receive the treatment and respond positively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49811/25]

644. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if she will investigate the case of a young person with complex needs (details supplied); if she will acknowledge that their parents have coped with the intensity of their care since they were a child but now urgently need the help and support of extra hours as a matter of priority; if she will take steps to ensure they are provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50035/25]

226. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has engaged with Bus Éireann regarding the ongoing failure to secure a school transport provider for students at a school (details supplied); will she outline how her Department intends to support the resumption of this essential service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49527/25]

227. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has considered the use of smaller buses or local operators to bridge the gap in school transport provision for children at a school (details supplied); to confirm the timeline envisaged for implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49528/25]

228. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which her Department is coordinating with the Department of Education and Youth to ensure that children with additional needs do not lose out on schooling due to tendering failures or shortages of bus drivers; if either Department have an estimate of the number of children currently missing school or relying on private taxis due to issues with school transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49529/25]

242. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that at least 12-children accepted into a school (details supplied) have been unable to attend school this term due to the absence of a transport provider; the immediate steps her Department will take to guarantee school transport for these children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49523/25]

243. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has contingency measures in place for children with additional needs when a bus provider withdraws from a route or retires; the reason such measures have not been applied in the case of students attending a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49524/25]

244. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available to families currently being advised to use taxis at a cost of approximately €80 per day in the absence of school transport such as the case in a school (details supplied); if her Department will cover the full cost of such transport until a permanent solution is found; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49525/25]

245. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will review the current school transport tendering process to ensure continuity of service for children with special educational needs; the changes which are being considered to avoid repeated disruption to vulnerable students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49526/25]

92. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are plans to establish a process or mechanism by which Irish citizens in Gaza, who have lost their documentation during the ongoing genocide can be issued with urgent or temporary documents to assist in their evacuation; the steps he will take in the case of Irish citizens trapped in Gaza (details supplied ); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48229/25]

892. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 1092 of 19 March 2025, if he will investigate the delay in the publication of the Report of the Inspector of Prisons into the death of a person in Mountjoy Prison on 3 January 2022; if he will acknowledge the distress this is causing the family of the person who are awaiting the publication of the report for a long time in order that an inquest can be held; if he will take steps to expedite the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48442/25]

1151. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health to identify the members of the National Drugs Strategy review steering group. [47817/25]