Questions

351. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has assessed whether historical supervisory actions by the Central Bank adequately evaluated the treatment of SME borrowers whose loan-to-value positions or credit classifications may have been influenced by undisclosed internal bank calculations or exposures; and his views on whether further examination is warranted. [71042/25]

352. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the safeguards currently in place to prevent regulated lenders from enforcing security or restructuring SME loans where material elements of the borrower’s assessed credit exposure were not transparently disclosed; and whether the Central Bank has issued guidance on the requirement for full borrower visibility of all credit exposures that contribute …

353. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will instruct the Central Bank to establish a defined review mechanism for SME borrowers who believe their historical loan performance, credit grading, or restructuring outcomes were negatively affected by undisclosed credit exposures or derivative-related liabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71044/25]

354. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance what mechanisms are currently in place within his Department to monitor emerging banking-conduct risks that were not present or recognised during the 2004-2008 period, including risks arising from complex credit products, derivative exposures, and non-bank financial intermediaries; and how these mechanisms differ from those that were in place prior t…

355. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has issued any guidance, circulars, or internal directives setting out lessons learned from supervisory shortcomings identified in the reports of Honohan, Nyberg, or the Banking Inquiry; and if so, to publish such guidance and explain how it informs current oversight of the Central Bank. [71159/25]

356. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the Central Bank of Ireland received any disclosures during the period 2007 to 2012 from Ulster Bank or other lenders concerning additional credit exposures arising from interest rate swaps or fixed-rate loan products sold to SMEs; the supervisory framework in place at that time governing the reporting of contingent credit liabilities to the Centr…

357. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the extent to which the Central Bank has reviewed the presence of undeclared credit exposures or contingent liabilities embedded in SME lending products during or after the financial crisis; and if any sectoral analysis has been conducted since 2015 to reassess the transparency of derivative-linked lending to SMEs. [71164/25]

358. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has been briefed by the Central Bank regarding allegations that hidden credit lines were attached to SME hedging products in these islands during the period 2007 to 2012; and the actions he has initiated to determine whether similar practices affected SMEs within the State. [71165/25]

359. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will report on any engagement between his Department and UK authorities concerning cross-border regulatory matters arising from interest rate swap mis-selling and related credit-exposure mechanisms; and the processes in place for assessing risks to Irish consumers and SMEs arising from such cross-jurisdictional practices. [71166/25]

360. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has considered commissioning an independent review of SME hedging products sold in Ireland during the period 2007 to 2012 to determine whether undeclared contingent liabilities or non-transparent credit exposures may have affected SMEs operating within the State. [71167/25]

361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has received any reports, briefing material, or supervisory updates from the Central Bank following Ulster Bank's public communications of June 2025 concerning repayment miscalculations on approximately 90,000 mortgage accounts; and the Department's current understanding, based on that material, of the scale and nature of the issues…

362. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the statutory supervisory and consumer-protection obligations that apply to the Central Bank when a regulated lender publicly confirms widespread repayment calculation errors; and if those obligations require the Bank to consider any additional account changes described by the lender as "not associated with this error". [71172/25]

363. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the issues publicly disclosed by Ulster Bank in June 2025 meet the criteria for mandatory review under the Central Bank's supervisory framework, the Consumer Protection Code 2025, or any related regulatory protocols; and the steps these frameworks require in circumstances where repayment inaccuracies affect a significant number of mortgage holders…

364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has undertaken any assessment of consumer-protection risks arising from the repayment errors and the additional account changes referenced in Ulster Bank's June 2025 customer letters; and the Department's understanding of the potential implications for borrowers whose loans have since transferred to other institutions. [71174/25]

365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the Central Bank has initiated, or is considering, a system-wide thematic review of mortgage-repayment calculation accuracy across all lenders in light of Ulster Bank's June 2025 disclosures; and the Department's understanding of the purpose and scope of such a review where applicable. [71175/25]

366. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the governance and reporting arrangements that apply between the Central Bank and his Department in circumstances where a regulated lender publicly confirms widespread customer-impacting errors; and the manner in which the Department satisfies itself that statutory consumer-protection obligations are being met in such cases. [71176/25]

367. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of WTE vacancies, by job title currently at the Financial Services and Pension Ombudsman; the length of time each vacancy has been for; the expected timeframe for filling each of those vacancies, in tabular form. [71276/25]

368. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the full details of the market valuation of Spa Lodge in the Phoenix Park in October 2018, when it was first occupied by the former Garda Commissioner (details supplied) in 2018; and the details of the annual revisions made to the valuation of that property for each of the years 2018-2025 inclusi…

369. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an overview of the progress made to date under National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 3 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; the additional funding allocated under this NSO following the review of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70475/25]

370. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an overview of the progress made to date under National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 4 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; the additional funding allocated under this NSO following the review of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70476/25]

371. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department, and agencies under the Department’s remit, purchase data on the habits and activities of social media users and other platforms; if so, the reasons for purchasing such data; the amount spent in 2024 and 2025 year to date on such expenditure, in tabular form; and if he will ma…

372. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the plans and the present stage of the planned Ballinasloe flood relief scheme. [70960/25]

373. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if funding will be maintained and ring-fenced for a standalone flood mitigation project in Derrymullen, Ballinasloe; and the planned works and timelines in light of the area’s persistent flood risk and the inability of all residents to house insurance [70961/25]

374. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department, and agencies under the Department’s remit, purchase data on the habits and activities of social media users and other platforms; if so, the reasons for purchasing such data; the amount spent in 2024 and 2025 year to date on such expenditure, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70863/25]

375. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to apply the enhanced SME test to the English language education sector in relation to the stamp 2 visa changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70910/25]