Questions

251. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will outline any plans to establish a central reporting mechanism for recusals or conflict-of-interest statements made under the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and Standards in Public Office Act 2001, in order to ensure consistent oversight in areas of emerging medical policy, including …

252. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if any review has been undertaken by his Department since January 2020 on whether current ethics legislation is sufficient to address conflicts of interest arising from new or emerging medical technologies, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgical pathways for minors and related …

253. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of Departments that have notified his Department since 2020 of internal policies or protocols for managing conflicts of interest in healthcare-related policy development; and if he will provide a list of those Departments. [68785/25]

254. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has carried out any assessment of the adequacy of existing guidance on conflicts of interest within the civil service where officials have personal, family or financial links to organisations involved in gender-related clinical services, research, training or advocacy; and if h…

255. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department maintains any record of instances since January 2020 in which senior civil servants sought approval to proceed with official functions notwithstanding a declared conflict of interest under the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995; and if he will provide the number of such requests …

256. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of engagements, consultations or meetings his Department has held since January 2020 with the Standards in Public Office Commission to review or update guidance on conflicts of interest, and if any of these engagements addressed medical or technological policy areas involving minors. …

257. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has identified any gaps or deficiencies in the current conflict-of-interest framework as applied to emerging medical or technological policy areas, and if he will outline any proposals under consideration to address those gaps. [68791/25]

258. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reason there was an underspend of €7.8 million in flood defences in 2024 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68860/25]

259. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Question No. 828 of 25 February 2025, if the exclusion of retired medical scientists from the Labour Court recommended pay adjustments is consistent with past practice on pension parity for retired public servants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68867…

260. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reason he is the sole decision maker in pension appeals in circular 16/2020; the reason his Department does not engage directly with claimants during the appeals process; the reason published processing timelines differ from actual timelines; if he will ensure that where delays arise, i…

261. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has examined the introduction of statutory pregnancy-loss leave for losses before 23 weeks; and the assessments carried out on cost, eligibility, expected uptake, and international best practice. [68756/25]

262. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the work being carried out to promote market leading top of the line semiconductor manufacturing companies to begin manufacturing operations in Ireland; and the way in which the funding Ireland has or will receive under the EU Chips Act will be used to attract investment from these companies. [68532/25]

263. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department will prioritise work permit applications for the diary sector given the time sensitive nature of the sector's labour needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68562/25]

264. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps being taken to ensure clear and accurate consumer information on meat products supplied to food service businesses and retail outlets; the oversight mechanisms for verifying origin, labelling and traceability; and the measures in place to prevent consumers being misled about the nature or source of meat products. [68742/25]

265. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific productivity indicators his Department uses to evaluate the impact of State-funded innovation schemes in the residential construction sector, including Built to Innovate and Construct Innovate, and to confirm whether metrics such as output per labour hour, output per euro of State support, and time-to-completion benchmarks …

266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the methodology used by his Department to assess value-for-money in the allocation of more than €6.5 million under the Built to Innovate programme for residential construction productivity, including the performance criteria applied to participating firms and the evidence of productivity gains recorded to date. [68901/25]

267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the findings of the recent mid-cycle international evaluation of Construct Innovate carried out in November 2025, including the assessment of its productivity-related KPIs, its impact on residential construction delivery, and any recommendations for corrective actions. [68902/25]

268. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the work undertaken with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Central Statistics Office since 2022 to develop residential-specific productivity data, including the collection of GVA, hours worked, and modern methods of construction output data separately from commercial construction, and the timeline for firs…

269. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of companies who have participated in the digital for business consultancy scheme in each year since it was established to date in 2025; the cost of the scheme in each year; the number of companies targeted to participate in the scheme in 2026; and his plans to expand the focus or scope of the scheme. [68949/25]

270. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth to urgently consider expanding the criteria for DEIS, in view of the unprecedented situation some schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68534/25]

271. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which schools will be selected for DEIS band 1 under the new DEIS Strategy; the data which will be used to inform this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68563/25]

272. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding funding available to support the creation of an interschool soccer competition for a group of DEIS primary schools in Shankill, County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68591/25]

273. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the merits of creating a dedicated fund to support the creation of localised interschool sports competitions with a view to improving participation in sports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68593/25]

274. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider creating a pilot programme in Shankill, County Dublin to create a localised interschool soccer competition for a group of DEIS primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68595/25]

275. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to a case (details supplied) and if she will ensure that the child in question is able to attend a school in their local area. [68623/25]