Questions

601. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all national strategies, action plans or documents that may be described as such, which are currently in operation and under the remit of his Department. [39611/25]

602. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to introduce regulations to provide for a deposit retention scheme under section 61 of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015; the timeline for same; the measures being taken to strengthen tenants’ rights in respect of deposits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39659/25]

603. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list the research papers on which his claim that Irish apartment design standards are the highest in Europe; if this research was produced by his Department; if not, the name of the organisations that undertook this research; and to publish the research on which this claim was made which is being used to justify the new design s…

604. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the spend to date on the implementation on his Department’s new IT system, project Dion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39730/25]

605. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the implementation timeline for his Department’s new IT system, project Dion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39732/25]

606. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for such delays in respect of reported delays in his Department’s new IT system project Dion, being set up; when his Department expects the new IT system to be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39733/25]

607. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department's plans to introduce a new Action Plan promoting social inclusion in rural areas, in view that "The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025" is coming to an end later this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39025/25]

608. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will detail the total number of CCTV cameras owned by his Department; the specific video file format used in the recording and dissemination of the recorded footage; the total number of CCTV cameras owned by bodies under the aegis of his Department; the specific video file format used in the recording and dissemination of the recorded footage,…

609. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the process for applying for carer’s allowance and if it is necessary for the applicant to be physically seen by the social welfare officer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38697/25]

610. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the confidentiality safeguards available in the General Register Office to protect at-risk families prior to and following birth registration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38703/25]

611. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the legislation around the release of birth certificate information to any member of the general public, and the potential abuse of this information that could occur, such as the divulging of personal details to abusive third parties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38746/25]

612. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the main policy achievements of his Department since 23 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38762/25]

613. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending eligibility for the State pension (Contributory) to long-serving public servants, including teachers and local authority workers, who paid class D PRSI for decades but now find themselves excluded from receiving the State pension; if he acknowledges the financial hardship faced by many of these retired individuals, whose o…

614. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commit to introducing a fair and standardised system of income support for part-time school bus drivers during school closures (details supplied); if he will work with the Department of Education and the Department of Transport to develop an advance or automatic payment mechanism that recognises school closures as part of the normal working …

615. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider introducing a mobility support payment or allowance for disabled individuals who face ongoing difficulty accessing public transport and must rely on taxis for essential travel, in light of rising taxi costs and the absence of a dedicated subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38774/25]

616. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost if the fuel allowance income limit for persons aged over 66 increased to €555 per week for a single person or €1,100 per week for a couple; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38790/25]

617. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of delays in postal deliveries and if discretion is exercised in these circumstances to time-limited requests for information from persons i.e. where a person is given ten working days to respond but only receives the letter a number of days after it is posted. [38803/25]

618. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will make changes to the current homemakers and home carers scheme given both discriminate against women in terms of age (details supplied); if he is aware that the current regime is causing income poverty for many women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38805/25]

619. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of supplementary welfare allowance or urgent needs payment made, by reason, in Cork in the first six months of each of the past five years. [38829/25]

620. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people refused carer’s allowance in the first six months of 2025 due to exceeding the income threshold. [38830/25]

621. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of letters that issue each year from the child benefit section as part of ongoing control measures to ensure parents remain eligible for child benefit payments; the number of letters that issued respectively in 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the postal cost of those letters in each year; the reason there is no option for parents to retur…

622. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of parents that had their child benefit stopped in each year from 2022 to 2024, and to date in 2025, due to a failure to return a posted control measure form in time; of those stopped, the number that subsequently had their payment reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38844/25]

623. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has access to school attendance records from the Department of Education and Youth for the purposes of child benefit control measures; the action his Department takes with the school attendance information it collects as part of ongoing control measures; if the information collected is cross-checked against school records; and if he will…

624. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving from child benefit control measures in each year from 2022 to 2024, and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38846/25]

625. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of letters that issue each year from individual payment sections of his Department as part of on-going control measures; the total cost of those letters by payment section, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38847/25]