Questions

331. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his response to the European Commission's decision to open an infringement procedure against Ireland (INFR(2025)2005) for failing to correctly transpose the Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC as amended by Directive 2011/97/EU and Directive (EU) 2018/850) which sets standards for landfills to prevent adverse effects on h…

332. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider capping standing charges for electricity at a rate consistent with European averages (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24265/25]

333. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether legislation will be progressed to move towards a consumption-based energy billing model and away from reliance on standing charges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24266/25]

334. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether legislation will be progressed to mandate that energy providers provide a specific breakdown and justification for any standing charges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24267/25]

335. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether he believes it is appropriate that individuals who are low energy users, in particular those who are low energy users because they are on low incomes, pay a disproportionate amount for their energy usage through high standing charges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24268/25]

336. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether his Department has investigated whether standing charges paid by households for energy contribute to lower bills for commercial energy consumers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24269/25]

337. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware that Irish-based financial institutions hold more than €31 billion in investments in fossil fuel industries; how he intends on encouraging such institutions to divest from polluting industries, given both national and global emissions reduction targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24339/25]

338. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress his Department has made to complete action 8 of the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 document, including the target to deliver an additional 2GW of flexible generation by the winter of 2025/2026; if the generation is being targeted to regions that are experiencing capacity shortfalls; and if he will make a state…

339. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the actions undertaken to reduce Ireland’s dependence on natural gas as the main form of flexible electricity generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24347/25]

340. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is considering reducing the regulated cost of gas meter removals for households that are improving energy efficiency and going fossil-fuel free; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24493/25]

341. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces are carrying out exercises in the St. Bridget’s Campus, Ballinasloe; if so, the reason residents were not notified as there was loud noises during the night; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23249/25]

342. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the rationale for purchasing four H145M helicopters; whether any missiles have been bought for these helicopters; whether there is any plan to buy any missiles for these helicopters; and if so, which type of missiles and from which company. [23613/25]

343. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to review correspondence (details supplied); if he will provide an update on the status of the scheme; if there are any plans to return the payment to its original status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23708/25]

344. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide an overview on the recent acquisition of Airbus H145M helicopters and the capabilities he expects them to provide to the Defence Forces. [23731/25]

345. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on the extent of Israeli designed or produced military technology included in the recently purchased Airbus H145M helicopters, and if these helicopters have the capability to use the Israeli-made Spike anti-tank guided missile. [23732/25]

346. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department has examined the possibility of using Spike anti-tank guided missiles on the recently purchased Airbus H145M helicopters, and if he has plans to acquire these missiles. [23733/25]

347. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if it is the policy of the State to purchase military equipment from other militarily neutral states; if this policy has been revised in recent years; and his views on the state's procedures and priorities in acquiring foreign military equipment. [23734/25]

348. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will commit to a public plebiscite on the question of the removal of the triple lock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23745/25]

349. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23810/25]

350. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23828/25]

351. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department’s aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entiti…

352. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored …

353. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23883/25]

354. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO fu…

355. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23919/25]