Questions

888. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the work of his Department to establish a consistent process for prioritisation and advancement of requests to expand provision in key areas of public sector workforce planning for critical skills. [27321/25]

889. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the work by officials within his Department's corporate services to reduce the reliance on the Department of Education and expand the number of processes performed in house across a range of functions. [27355/25]

890. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the work of officials within his Department on the implementation of the housing for all communications plan; and if a review has taken place regarding the success of this work. [27356/25]

891. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the work of his Department in the development of a career model framework (including the introduction of professorships) and attendant employment contracts following the findings of the 2022 OECD Report. [27357/25]

892. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the progression of the historic sectoral pension pay scheme with the University of Limerick, following recommendations of a report produced by the Department of Education in 2022. [27358/25]

893. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the transition to enable upgrade works to No. 52 St. Stephen's Green, including the decant of all staff to Ely Place for the duration of the works; when these works will take place; and the estimated completion date. [27359/25]

894. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the progress of his Department's work in the establishment of a Department-wide framework for the oversight of state bodies. [27360/25]

895. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there are still the same number of dental students as 25 years ago; the reason most of these are from overseas; to provide details on how many dental students are registered per year, for the past 25 years, including nationality, in tabular form. [27577/25]

896. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for details on the €3.5 million cost following a cyber-attack in September 2024 at Munster Technological University; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27578/25]

897. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for information and details about a significant deficit of €8.4 million to the year end 31 August 2023, following a deficit in the prior year of €3.8 million, from Technological University Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27579/25]

898. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for the details he has on a bad debt provision of €371,000 from Atlantic Technological University (ATU) (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27580/25]

899. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on the delay in the purchase of a property from Louth Meath Education and Training Board worth €6.5 million, which have been held in a non-interest-bearing account since September 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27581/25]

900. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the date on which the CAO is notified of the number of college courses to be offered via CAO, on an annual basis [27686/25]

901. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the growing population in Fingal west; if he understands that there are no third level education facilities in this area; if he will provide an update on his plans to address this deficit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27695/25]

902. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that a large industrial facility in Fingal west that has recently closed (details supplied); if he will give consideration to examining this site for a possible third level college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27696/25]

903. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the supports available for men's shed groups from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26780/25]

904. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will report on the operation of the seniors alert scheme which is processed through POBAL; if he has any proposals to disband or change this important scheme for older people; if he is aware that application forms are not available for collection; if he will give priority for the printing and availability of same; and if he will mak…

905. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if framework-based procurement is included in his Department’s reporting of “tendered” procurement in its annual accounts; if so, to distinguish between contracts awarded via framework mini-competition, contracts awarded via direct drawdown from a framework without competition and frameworks run independently by his Department versus thos…

906. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a list of all framework agreements used by his Department or its agencies since 2022, by name and description of framework; if it was established by his Department, the OGP, or another central/sectoral body; if it is a single-supplier or multi-supplier framework; if drawdowns required mini-competitions; and the total number of …

907. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if all drawdowns from frameworks by his Department or its agencies from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024, valued over €25,000 were accompanied by publication of a contract award notice on the eTenders portal as required by Circular 05/2023; and if not, to list any known contracts where such publication did not occur and the reason. [270…

908. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the action being taken to promote water safety, particularly in light of recent fatalities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27132/25]

909. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to confirm that he will work with local authorities to promote water safety by installing signage in public parks and near bodies of water that show the three or four steps of how to raise alarm/throw a lifebelt, as well as providing similar signage on lifebuoy poles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27133/25]

910. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration would be provided to providing funding for training on how to use lifesaving equipment such as raising the alarm, lifebuoys and lifebelts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27134/25]

911. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to confirm that consideration would be given to launching a new water safety campaign, with social media guidelines on actions that members of the public can take if someone is in difficulty and how to do this, in light of recent fatalities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27135/25]

912. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the key capital investment made by the Department in the years of 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025 in County Roscommon; and the amount of investment in each case and under what scheme, in tabular form. [27165/25]