Questions

296. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated cost associated with the development of each proposed IPAS centre in Mullingar and the Midlands. [27606/26]

297. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any impact assessments have been carried out in relation to public services in Mullingar and the wider Midlands arising from the establishment of new IPAS centres; and the findings of such assessments. [27607/26]

298. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of safety orders granted for the DMR Region; the number of domestic abuse calls that have been handled; the number of Gardaí working specifically in the area of DSGVB in the DMR region, for the period 2010 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27686/26]

299. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to explain the discrepancy in the numbers given by his Department regarding the number of greyhounds homed by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27528/26]

300. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the Government intends to introduce a national temporary farm fuels support scheme to provide monthly payments to farmers and agricultural contractors in respect of increased fuel costs compared to 2025 levels, and if such a scheme will be backdated to 1 March 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27537/26]

301. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration has been given to expanding the existing farm diesel carbon tax relief to include agricultural contractors and to simplify the scheme to improve uptake; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27538/26]

302. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being considered to address the indirect impact of rising fuel and fertiliser costs on farm operations, including contractor services and transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27539/26]

303. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a national tillage sustainability support scheme is under consideration in light of increased input costs, particularly fuel and fertiliser; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27540/26]

304. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of hectares of agricultural land currently classified as set-aside or otherwise unused; whether an assessment has been undertaken of the potential to utilise such lands for the cultivation of alternative sustainable crops, including hemp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27541/26]

305. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has examined historical and current practices of crop diversification, including the cultivation of hemp in Ireland; whether engagement has taken place with farms or enterprises currently producing hemp for industrial or construction purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27542/26]

306. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports, advisory services or pricing models are currently available to farmers who may wish to diversify. [27543/26]

307. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to comment on alleged animal abuse (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27566/26]

308. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current status of the 23,760 non-coursing greyhounds subject to traceability on the Rásaíocht Con Éireann Traceability System in 2021 (details supplied) with a breakdown into active, inactive, exported, reported dead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27609/26]

309. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on funding for an MS community support worker in Sligo, Leitrim (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27463/26]

310. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of additional respite beds will be provided for children in County Kerry in 2026; the number of children on the waiting list; the length of time they are waiting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27353/26]

311. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of additional respite beds will be provided for adults in County Kerry in 2026; the number of adults on the waiting list; the length of time they are waiting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27354/26]

312. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress that has been made in the rollout of the €20 million allocated in Budget 2026 for the assessment of needs, targeted at a waiting list initiative; the specific programmes or services funded to date; the regional distribution of the funding; the expected outcomes and timelines for completion; and if she will make a state…

313. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when she intends to provide all county childcare committees with the Shaping the Future - Early Years Action Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27432/26]

314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any independent or externally commissioned value-for-money review has been conducted on the use of private providers for residential childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide the dates, authors, scope and key findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27504/26]

315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average annual cost per child associated with private residential placements, private foster care placements, and special emergency arrangements, for each year from 2022 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27505/26]

316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the outcome measures used at Departmental level to assess the effectiveness of privately delivered residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; whether such outcome measures are formally linked to funding allocations or contract renewals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27506/26]

317. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to assess the underlying cost structures, including profit margins, of private providers of residential childcare placements as part of value-for-money considerations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27507/26]

318. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal audit, external audit, or examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General has been carried out on the cost-effectiveness or value-for-money of private childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide details and findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27508/26]

319. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of private providers contracted to deliver residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; the proportion of total placements accounted for by the five largest providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27509/26]

320. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy basis on which pricing for private residential childcare placements is set by Tusla, including whether pricing is benchmarked against international comparators or independently validated cost models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27510/26]