Parliamentary questions

294. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the exemptions and reductions available for local property tax (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69454/25]

295. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will open a full investigation into the serious matters of fraud within NAMA outlined in Dáil Éireann by this Deputy on 25 November 2025 (details supplied); if he will engage with NAMA on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69463/25]

296. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the Revenue Commissioners have been instructed by the Department of Social Protection to automatically apply tax to carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit from January 2026; the practical steps Revenue Commissioners will take; if any exemptions or hardship protections will apply for low-income households; and if he will make a state…

297. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to review the VAT regime for cattle haulage in Ireland to ensure parity with other agricultural services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69555/25]

298. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the steps being taken to improve access to affordable credit for small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in regional towns; and if he will outline how Government schemes such as the credit guarantee scheme are being utilised by businesses in Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69556/25]

299. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the way in which his Department is supporting investment in green infrastructure and sustainability projects through tax incentives or funding mechanisms; and the opportunities for counties such as Laois to benefit from these initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69557/25]

300. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if a date has been confirmed for the informal ECOFIN meeting to be held during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69558/25]

301. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of supervisory inspections carried out by the Financial Regulator on each Irish retail and commercial bank in every year from 2004 to 2008, including the number of onsite inspections, thematic inspections and governance reviews conducted during that period, in tabular form. [69662/25]

302. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to provide a breakdown of all enforcement actions initiated by the Financial Regulator or its predecessor authorities against Irish retail and commercial banks between 2004 and 2008, including the statutory basis for each action; the nature of the breaches identified and the outcome of each case. [69663/25]

303. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department holds any internal assessments, briefing papers, risk analyses or correspondence created between 2004 and 2008 concerning the adequacy of banking supervision at that time; and the main findings of any such documents. [69664/25]

304. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he has reviewed the recent remarks of a person (details supplied) in which they acknowledged that the Central Bank had been too trusting of the banking sector during their tenure; and his Department's current assessment of the accuracy and implications of those remarks. [69665/25]

305. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the specific supervisory and risk-assessment methodologies used by the Financial Regulator between 2004 and 2008 when assessing capital adequacy, liquidity risk and property-related credit exposures in Irish banks; and the way in which those methodologies have been replaced or reformed since 2009. [69666/25]

306. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to provide details of any formal concerns, warnings or risk escalations communicated to his Department by the Financial Regulator between 2004 and 2008 regarding overheating in the property market, rapid credit expansion or emerging solvency risks within the banking system. [69667/25]

307. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the statutory or governance oversight his Department exercised over the Financial Regulator between 2004 and 2008; and the mechanisms in place at that time for monitoring the effectiveness of banking supervision. [69668/25]

308. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the specific regulatory weaknesses identified in the Honohan Report, the Nyberg Report and the Banking Inquiry which have since been addressed through primary legislation and the weaknesses which remain under review. [69669/25]

309. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has carried out any retrospective review of supervisory failures in the banking system between 2004 and 2008; and to provide the conclusions of any such review, including recommendations for further reform. [69670/25]

310. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to publish a consolidated historical record of supervisory, enforcement and governance actions taken by the Financial Regulator between 2004 and 2008 in order to provide full transparency on regulatory failures that contributed to the financial crisis; and the timeline for publication. [69671/25]

311. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance in view of the significant reduction in birth rates both domestically and internationally, the analysis his Department has conducted with respect to reforming the tax system to incentivise or support an increasing in total fertility rates here; if he is aware of reports that in 2010, Hungary ranked last among EU member states in t…

312. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the specific supervisory or enforcement failures identified within the Central Bank or its predecessor authorities for the period 2004 to 2008, that contributed to the weaknesses later examined in post-crisis reports, including any internal Departmental assessments or reviews that refer to excessive reliance on principles-based su…

313. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he accepts the assessment by a person (details supplied) that the Central Bank had been “too trusting” of Irish banks during the pre-crisis period; the Department’s interpretation of this assessment; and the extent to which this institutional culture contributed to supervisory weaknesses identified by subsequent inquiries. [696…

314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his Department’s current estimate of the total fiscal cost to the State arising from regulatory and supervisory failures during the period 2004 to 2008, including the bank guarantee, recapitalisations, NAMA transfers, and related interventions; and the way in which these lessons have been incorporated into current Departmental ove…

315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has evaluated whether any elements of the pre-crisis supervisory culture or regulatory approach identified in post-crisis reports persist within the current regulatory environment; the findings of any such evaluation; and the steps being taken to ensure these risks are addressed through Departmental oversight of …

316. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if future changes to the help-to-buy scheme are being considered to increase the completed price limit, taking into account huge increases in building costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69791/25]

317. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the fiscal rationale used to justify removing electricity credits in Budget 2026; the estimated Exchequer saving; and if the Department evaluated the risk of renewed inflationary pressure from rising energy bills. [69904/25]

318. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views on the NTMA’s investments in a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69912/25]