Máire Devine

95. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether there is currently a blanket pause on the processing of school transport applications; the reasons for any such pause, or systemic delays; and the steps she is taking to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities who have secured a suitable school place a significant distance from their home receive the home-to-school transport support to which they are entitled without undue delay, so as to avoid causing further distress to families who have already faced considerable challenges in obtaining an appropriate educational placement. [51926/26]

219. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health if she will provide clarity on recent changes to home support services; if it is correct that new home support packages are now only being approved for people in critical or urgent need and those receiving palliative or end-of-life care; whether home support packages are now being capped at 14 hours per week; and if complex care funding, including nursing supports, has been exhausted for the year. [52060/26]

220. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that home support services are vital in enabling people to remain safely in their own homes; and if she will outline the rationale for the measures. [52061/26]

221. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health the specific measures that will be put in place to protect vulnerable individuals who will be unable to access necessary support, including people who require assistance with essential daily activities such as washing, dressing and eating, as well as younger people with disabilities who depend on home support to live independently. [52062/26]

913. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health if she will advise on the pathways available to a person (details supplied); and if she will advise on the possible routes to registration, provisions, appeals, or alternative recognition processes, under the transitional arrangements for social care workers. [49615/26]

356. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the service level agreement targets for processing times for Irish residence permit applications; the average processing time for IRP applications in 2024; the current average processing time; the longest processing time in 2024; the current longest processing time; whether his Department handling these applications requires additional personnel; whether the 12-week period an IRP applicant is permitted to remain in the state after their permit's expiry will be extended given the extreme delays applicants are currently experiencing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48469/26]

177. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children across Ireland with special needs in both primary and secondary schools in mainstream that are awaiting access to special unit classes. [48119/26]

178. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of additional teachers and SNAs that are required to facilitate all children who require access to a special needs class but are stuck in mainstream, using the formula, six children per one teacher and two SNAs. [48120/26]

280. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available to parents of a child (details supplied) with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder who has been refused placement in a special class in 20 different schools; if she will review this specific case with a view to identifying an appropriate school placement; and if she will advise on the next steps available to the family to secure an appropriate educational placement for the child in line with their assessed needs. [46496/26]

36. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Transport the amount of funding is envisaged in Budget 2027 to allow the NTA to continue operations of transport across the country and the additional finance to support the rollout of planned BusConnects projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46194/26]

441. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Transport the amount of funding that is envisaged in the 2026 budget to allow the NTA to continue operations of transport across the country and the additional finance to support the rollout of planned BusConnects projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42367/26]

263. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health for clarification regarding the policy or administrative basis for excluding pelvic gynaecological MRI scans from GP visit card coverage; whether this exclusion is consistent with Sláintecare’s commitment to universal, equitable access to healthcare; whether her Department or the HSE has assessed the financial and clinical impact of this exclusion on GP visit card holders; and the steps that will be taken to remove this inequity and ensure equal access to essential diagnostic imaging. [38087/26]

214. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will visit locations (details supplied) to view conditions in these social housing complexes which are the subjects of severely delayed regeneration projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37485/26]

946. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health whether she, or appropriate senior management staff from her Department, will meet with a person regarding issues experienced using the redress medical card programme (details supplied).; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37617/26]

90. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether in light of a new report (details supplied), which shows that only 40% of children living in Dublin’s south-west inner city attend secondary school locally, the lowest proportion of any urban LEA in the country, the commitments she and her Department will make towards the establishment of a new secondary school, as has been requested by many families over the past several years; the criteria for her decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35592/26]

91. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether in light of a new report (details supplied), which shows that children in Dublin's south-west inner city (SWIC) are far less likely than children in other areas to attend third-level education, the investment in secondary education she and her Department will make to improve access to third level for children in SWIC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35593/26]

767. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline any supports available to a person (details supplied) who is currently undergoing chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis, and experiencing significant financial hardship due to their ineligibility for illness benefit. [35140/26]

333. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an assessment has taken place on the additional infrastructure required for the population within a site in Dublin south-west inner city with several large residential construction projects (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33600/26]

334. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps that will be taken to address the additional needs for infrastructure for large residential construction projects in Dublin south west inner city (details supplied), for example water, waste and power capacity; addition of primary and secondary school places; provision of additional primary healthcare; the transportation network, such as the provision of infrastructure such as additional buses/bus routes, to accommodate the expansion of public transport services into the area for future residents. [33601/26]

433. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rule for DEIS Plus school applications when they are within 700 metres of another school granted DEIS Plus status, in general and with regard to a school in Dublin 10 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33034/26]

567. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update in relation to the proposed eight-unit women's refuge in County Laois; if an application for funding was made before the 1 March deadline; if so, which housing body has made the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28072/26]

1819. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the growing number of older persons who are experiencing significant anxiety and uncertainty regarding housing following marital separation or divorce (details supplied); the supports and options available to individuals in these circumstances; if persons in this position are eligible to apply for social housing or be placed on the housing list; the criteria applied in assessing such applications; and if there are specific schemes, supports, or interim measures available to assist older individuals who find themselves unable to secure housing following a divorce. [27031/26]

366. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health the status of her Department's plans regarding reimbursement of a medication for a rare, progressive neurological condition (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22734/26]

367. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to ensure the HSE recognises the time-critical nature of Friedrich's Ataxia during current price negotiations with a prescription drug manufacturer. [22735/26]

368. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Health how the commitments in the National Rare Disease Strategy 2025-2030 and the 2026 IPHA Framework Agreement, particularly the 180-day decision timeline, are being applied to the case of patients with Friedrich's Ataxia to prevent further delay in addressing a clear unmet need for treatment and reimbursement. [22736/26]