Questions

326. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the estimated cost of the Rosslare Strand coastal protection scheme has increased since the 2018 estimate of €7.5 million; if so, to provide the revised costings and the reason for any increase attributable to delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17889/26]

327. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the State’s statutory obligations in respect of Rosslare Strand under the Coast Protection Act 1963, including section 26(5); the way in which the Department is ensuring that coastal protection works at Rosslare are maintained in proper repair and effective condition; and if he will make a sta…

328. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of former senior civil servants (principal officer and above) who have still not either fully repaid, or on a repayment plan, following errors related to the chargeable excess tax on gold plated pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17952/26]

329. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Question No. 363 of 20 May 2025, the reason for the delay in having officials from the Office of Public Works to contact the group of relatives of the Invincibles buried in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, as directed to by the Minister of State for the Office of Public Wo…

330. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department plans to engage staff from the private sector who work in accountancy and corporate law firms to work in his Department during the course of the upcoming EU Presidency term; the terms under which such staff will be engaged; the number of staff his Department plans to hire; the mea…

331. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when he plans to issue the commencement order for the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025, given that although the Act was signed into law on 16 December 2025, it has not yet come into operation pending such an order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17906/26]

332. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when he expects the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 will come into force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17911/26]

333. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department plans to engage staff from the private sector who work in accountancy and corporate law firms to work in his Department during the course of the upcoming EU Presidency term; the terms under which such staff will be engaged; the number of staff his Department plans to hire; the measures planned to guard against potential c…

334. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on diversity and inclusion policies within schools; the objectives pertaining to these policies; the number of such objectives there are; whether they have commenced; and the timeline for their implementation across schools. [17876/26]

335. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the sanctioning of a new ASD class at a school (details supplied). [17877/26]

336. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to report on the status of the stage 2 (a) submission by two schools (details supplied) with respect to their urgent need for redevelopment. [17897/26]

337. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason for the ongoing delays in responding to correspondence regarding a school (details supplied); if she is aware that despite repeated correspondence from a person within her Department including multiple occasions in September, October, November and again on 25 November 2025 the matter had been referred to a line manager, no substantive up…

338. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the basis on which an assistive technology application was refused, twice to date, for a child (details supplied) who has a diagnosis of dysgraphia and a joint occupational therapist/physiotherapist recommendation that assistive technology is essential on a full-time basis in order that they can access the school curriculum. [17928/26]

339. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown of what the social inclusion fund within her Department is spent on; if she plans to increase this fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17936/26]

340. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the free schoolbook scheme receives funding through the social inclusion fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17937/26]

341. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth how much the social inclusion fund amounted to for the purpose of tackling educational disadvantage for the year 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17938/26]

342. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the social inclusion fund in the Department provided funding for schoolbooks to tackle educational disadvantage for the year 2025 and 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17939/26]

343. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with SEN who have been refused an offer for a school place in counties Longford and Westmeath for the coming September intake; the breakdown of those refusals by disability type and school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17944/26]

344. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the additional school accommodation applications submitted by a school (details supplied) in 2023 and again in 2025; the stage each application is presently at within the Planning and Building Unit; and when the school can expect a formal decision. [17953/26]

345. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if interim modular accommodation will be approved for a school (details supplied) as an urgent measure ahead of September 2026, in light of projected enrolment growth and the school’s current lack of adequate teaching space. [17954/26]

346. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason NCSE withdrew its October 2023 commitment to provide modular accommodation for two autism classes at a school (details supplied); and if she will address the discrepancy between the NCSE’s stated position of “no demand” locally and the recent sanctioning of a special class in a neighbouring school. [17955/26]

347. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is satisfied that the current accommodation at a school (details supplied) complies with her Department’s technical guidance documents, including TGD-022, TGD-020 and TGD-026; and if not, the immediate actions which will be taken to ensure compliance and safeguard pupil and staff welfare. [17956/26]

348. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a school (details supplied) last received capital investment from her Department; if she is aware that the 2000 extension is now affected by damp, leaks and mould; and the remedial works which will be undertaken to address these issues. [17957/26]

349. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the decision making criteria and weighting used when selecting school building projects for prioritisation in the NDP sectoral plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17987/26]

350. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which future school building projects will be prioritised for future rounds of NDP; the stakeholders that will be engaged and criteria that will apply; the date in Q2 when stakeholders will be engaged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17988/26]