256. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Transport for the passenger numbers using the improved and now hourly-frequency rail service between Belfast and Dublin, month on month, hour by hour, from January 2024 to date in 2025, following the €12.5 million funding allocated from the Shared Island Fund in February 2024; to consider running the service later to support the cultural, economic and nighttime economy…
325. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider introducing a special tax levy on windfall profits accruing to private IPAS centre contracts/operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51445/25]
373. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to support the retail and hospitality sectors facing cost pressures; including through changes to VAT or PRSI, as signalled in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51443/25]
403. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will confirm that health supports for survivors under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025 will be delivered to a Health (Amendment) Act-standard in practice, including a published list of covered services and referral pathways; if she will set out (i) the go-live date for issuing the first cards/entitlements…
404. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will bring forward proposals to provide a payment for eligible survivors of Industrial and Reformatory Schools that is equivalent to the maximum State Pension (Contributory) at pension age, in recognition of unpaid child labour in State-supervised institutions; the estimated number of potential beneficiaries; the projected annual and five-yea…
493. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of a situation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51878/25]
494. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current and five-year trend in average primary class size and pupil teacher ratio, by local authority area, and by DEIS status; the number of classes with 30 or more pupils; the estimated teacher accommodation and current expenditure required to reduce the national average by one point and two points in 2026, with options to prioritise largest c…
495. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current capitation grant rates at primary level (mainstream, special school, and special class top-ups); the aggregate annual outturn for capitation since 2019; her assessment of the adequacy of the €224 standard rate against schools' non-pay running costs; the full-year cost of increasing the standard rate by €75 per pupil in 2026 (including pr…
496. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools with three or more special education teacher (SET) posts, by local authority area; if she will introduce dedicated special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) posts at assistant principal level in such schools in 2026; the projected full-year cost, timeline, and CPD framework for SENCO implementation; and if she will …
497. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to publish the evaluation findings and lessons learned from the small schools pilot project; the number and location of participating schools; if she will bring forward a plan and costing to expand the model nationally in 2026, including cluster governance templates, additional administration days for teaching principals, ICT supports, and transport…
498. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide 2024/2025 teacher supply and vacancy data at primary level, by local authority area (including fixed-term, permanent, and substitution coverage rates); the measures taken to improve recruitment and retention in high-vacancy regions; if she will align any class-size reductions in Budget 2026 with a phased, supply-led rollout and publish an…
499. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to publish the cross-departmental implementation plan for the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025, including; the commencement dates by section; the allocated 2025 and 2026 budgets and staffing; the service access model for survivors in Ireland and abroad; the guidance to the HSE and other delivery bodies; and the sche…
624. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of maternity benefit applications refused on the grounds of insufficient PRSI; the estimated number involving full-time PhD researchers or scholarship holders; if a breakdown by HEI, by month will be provided; the number and outcome of appeals in these cases, in 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter…
625. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has examined options to maintain insurability for PhD scholarship holders e.g. an education/training PRSI credit or a tailored insurable class so that eligibility for maternity benefit and related payments accrues during State-supported doctoral study; the outcome of any such analysis; the timeframe for a decision; and if he will mak…
626. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in receipt of fuel allowance, by qualifying primary payment (for example State pension, disability allowance, jobseeker's long-term schemes, carer's allowance, etc.), by age band of primary claimant (under 66, 66-69, 70-79, 80+), for each of the past fuel allowance seasons 2021/2022 to 2025/2026, in tabular form; and if he wil…
627. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of successful fuel allowance claims by assessment pathway, distinguishing claims qualifying under the over-66 higher means limits, claims qualifying under the standard means test; within those cohorts, the number of claimants with assessable capital falling within each €10,000 band up to and above the current capital disregard; the same bre…
628. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number and share of claimants opting for weekly payments and opting for lump-sum payments of the fuel allowance for each of the past three seasons; the total value paid under each option; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51428/25]
629. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fuel allowance recipient households and total expenditure by local authority area; the claimant rates per 1,000 households to allow comparison between areas for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51429/25]
630. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the average and median processing time for fuel allowance applications in 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 to date; the share of applications decided within two, four, six, and eight weeks; the number of refusals and appeals, with the principal reasons for refusal listed and ranked by frequency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51430/25]
631. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fuel allowance recipients whose qualifying payment is carer's allowance, carer's benefit, disability allowance, or invalidity pension; the number of these cases which qualified under the over-66 means limits versus the standard means test, in 2024/2025 and 2025/2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51431/25]
632. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide total fuel allowance expenditure; the average amount paid per recipient household for each of the past five seasons, showing the proportion of part-season payments due to late awards or changes in circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51432/25]
633. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the full-year cost and the in-year (single season) cost of increasing the weekly fuel allowance rate by €10, €15, and €20 respectively, based on current recipient numbers and allowing for behavioural and eligibility effects; and to set out any offsetting savings or interactions with the household benefits package; and if he will make a statement on th…
634. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the full-year and in-season costs of increasing the over-66 weekly means limits by €25 and by €50; increasing the capital disregard by €10,000 and by €25,000; and to provide estimated additional recipient numbers under each scenario, with distribution by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51434/25]
635. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will conduct and publish, in advance of Budget 2027, a review of the fuel allowance scheme that examines options to increase the weekly rate; revise the means thresholds for those aged 66 and over; adjust the capital disregard; simplify the application process including automatic awards where data sharing permits; the timeframes and consultative…
686. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51419/25]