Questions

276. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport the amount expended by his Department and by each agency for which he is responsible on advertising, promotion, advertising companies and external communications companies or consultants in 2025 and the expected costs for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11360/26]

277. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport the current escalation pathway for when flights crews note non-cooperative aerial observations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11366/26]

278. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Transport if the announcement in December 2025 regarding the purchasing of new DART carriages will have automatic ramps covering the gap between train carriage and station platforms. [11481/26]

279. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the assessment that has been made on the impact of the withdrawal of the midday Dublin-Donegal flight, in particular for cancer patients; and when significant investment in transport infrastructure to connect Donegal to other major cities such as Dublin and Galway will be made. [11563/26]

280. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance for an update regarding the rent-a-room tax relief (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11287/26]

281. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the expenditure for 2025, and the impact it had on the surplus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11568/26]

282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the average private motor insurance premium charged to learner drivers in each of the past five years, by age cohort; whether his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland monitors or analyses the impact of age-neutral learner driver pricing models on affordability and proportionality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11162/26]

283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the oversight mechanisms in place within the Central Bank of Ireland to assess whether motor insurance pricing models, particularly those applied to learner drivers, comply with consumer protection principles on fairness, proportionality, and transparency; whether any thematic reviews have been undertaken in this area since 2020; and if he will make …

284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of motor insurers currently authorised to write private motor insurance in the State; the number of those insurers that actively provide quotations to learner drivers; whether the Central Bank assesses effective market participation where large cohorts of consumers face limited or prohibitively expensive access to cover; and if he will mak…

285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether learner drivers are recognised by his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland as a distinct consumer cohort for the purposes of insurance affordability and access; whether any assessment has been carried out on the societal and economic impact of high learner-driver premiums on families, older first-time drivers, or returning emigrants; and…

286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Central Bank of Ireland requires motor insurers to provide consumers with a clear explanation of the principal factors driving quoted premiums, particularly where exceptionally high premiums are issued to learner drivers; whether any regulatory guidance has been issued in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11166/…

287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he has considered introducing additional regulatory safeguards or guidance to ensure learner driver motor insurance premiums are evidence-based, proportionate, and transparent; whether any policy review is planned in conjunction with the Central Bank of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11167/26]

288. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if there is a canteen in his Department headquarters; and if the Minister can provide assurances that all meat sold or provided in that canteen is of Irish origin. [11181/26]

289. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the amount expended by his Department and by each agency for which he is responsible on advertising, promotion, advertising companies and external communications companies or consultants in 2025 and the expected costs for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11351/26]

290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the pension increases payable in respect of former Department of Posts and Telegraphs service under the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme are classified by his Department as current expenditure or capital expenditure; and the reason such expenditure would be subject to external scrutiny beyond the Department. [11434/26]

291. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to introduce a scheme in association with insurance companies, whereby homeowners can obtain insurance to protect their homes and properties against flooding (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11476/26]

292. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the estimated full year costs, if the stamp duty on credit and debit cards was capped at €2 per year per card. [11483/26]

293. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he is aware of an error in 2025 and 2026 tax clearance certificates (details supplied); the action he is taking to ensure this does not happen again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11499/26]

294. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the design for a flood relief scheme for Athy, County Kildare is progressing on schedule; if funding for the project will be prioritised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11126/26]

295. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation given the Committee recommended that currently known and expected overruns should be incorporated into and reflected in all budgetary documentation, and that supplementary estimates should not be used regularly, his plans and associated timelines for this to be the case; and if he will ma…

296. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the new netting on parts of the roof of the National Gallery; the initial cost approved; the expected cost; when it will be completed; when the final account will be agreed and completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11128/26]

297. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department will repair damage to a private road in County Kerry (details supplied) following their flood defence works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11154/26]

298. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if there is a canteen in his Department headquarters; and if the Minister can provide assurances that all meat sold or provided in that canteen is of Irish origin. [11187/26]

299. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the amount expended by his Department and by each agency for which he is responsible on advertising, promotion, advertising companies and external communications companies or consultants in 2025 and the expected costs for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11…

300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any guidance has been issued to public bodies regarding the protection of defined benefit pension schemes from being used to address funding shortfalls or restructuring costs; and whether RTÉ has been assessed for compliance with such guidance. [11372/26]