Questions

395. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has examined, at any time since 2016, the introduction of a tax relief or housing support for former residents returning to live and work in the State after a period abroad; if legal advice has been obtained on the compatibility with EU law of such a measure (details supplied); if he will examine such a measure in the context of ski…

396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has assessed the extent to which the limitation of help-to-buy relief to income tax and DIRT paid in the State in the four years preceding the year of application reduces or removes eligibility for former residents who have recently returned to the State after a period of employment abroad; whether any data is held on the number of …

61. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the mechanism her Department uses to assess whether policies developed in the name of equality are having unintended or disproportionate impacts on the rights of other groups, particularly children, women and girls; whether she considers that equality policy should require an assessment of the competing rights, privacy, dignity and safety…

1496. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the safeguards in place to ensure that healthcare practices presented to students and healthcare professionals in higher education institutions are appropriately distinguished between established evidence-based practice, emerging research, and unproven practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…

1497. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether he is satisfied that University College Cork's child safeguarding and research governance procedures have been appropriately considered in relation to educational material concerning infants and lactation presented at the TransCare 2026 conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6470…

1498. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether his Department has any role in ensuring appropriate research, clinical evidence and safeguarding standards are applied to healthcare-related educational events hosted by publicly funded higher education institutions, in view of the TransCare 2026 conference at University College Cork; and if he will …

567. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport if the Department will review and update the design and security features of the Irish Seafarer's Discharge Book, having regard to concerns that the current document is outdated and lacks the security features common to comparable documents issued by other maritime states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63398/26]

300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether, in view of her Department's publication of resources and supports for recognised schools in relation to transgender and gender-diverse students, national guidance will be issued for recognised schools on managing circumstances in which a teacher or other member of school staff transitions gender while employed; whether her Department plans t…

202. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline any public consultations that her Department expects to launch before the end of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41744/26]

253. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any internal review, security audit, governance review, or lessons-learned exercise has been commenced arising from the circumstances which led to the current criminal proceedings relating to the alleged handling of sensitive State information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43630/26]

254. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any deficiencies, vulnerabilities, or procedural weaknesses have been identified within the Department’s systems for the handling, storage, transmission, or protection of sensitive information since 2020; the number of recommendations made to address such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43631/26]

255. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any changes have been made since 2020 to access controls, vetting arrangements, information security procedures, document classification systems, or staff training requirements relating to sensitive information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43632/26]

372. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's policy position on schools operating for extended periods without permanent accommodation; and the measures in place to address cases where such arrangements persist over multiple decades. [32272/26]

681. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has published internal guidance on the operation of section 19 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, including evidential thresholds for fraud, concealment of material facts, and serious threat to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32932/26]

983. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether interim national guidelines or directives have been issued by her Department to the HSE governing gender-related assessment and referral pathways for minors pending completion of the model of care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32522/26]

1008. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a copy of any formal written policy, guideline or standard operating procedure governing eligibility decisions under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; and if none exists, to confirm this. [32561/26]

1014. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has considered developing a national policy definition or classification framework for surgical procedures by clinical priority, medical necessity, quality-of-life impact, and elective status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32577/26]

1015. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts the HSE position that there is currently no agreed or standardised definition of a procedure that is not medically necessary; whether her Department intends to address this policy gap; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32578/26]

3291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national uptake rates for MenB, MenC and MenACWY vaccines over the past five years and to date in 2026, including any identified regional or cohort-level gaps in coverage and the measures in place to address same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26766/26]

3292. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national contingency planning framework in place for a surge in meningococcal disease cases, including policy provisions relating to hospital capacity, intensive care availability, laboratory services, and public health staffing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26767/26]

970. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has considered introducing a dedicated capital stream for large regional facilities in major urban areas such as Cork, where the scale of infrastructure required often exceeds the typical local grant thresholds. [20407/26]

1364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide, for each engagement by the Irish Prison Service with podcasts, broadcasters, or media providers since 1 January 2020, the procurement reference number, contract or purchase order reference, procurement route used, date of approval, and total final amount paid. [20343/26]

1365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether a written sole supplier justification was completed in respect of the 2025 partnership with a podcast (details supplied); the date on which that justification was approved; by whom it was approved by grade; and if he will provide the reason an open or competitive process was not used. [20344/26]

1366. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Irish Prison Service obtained more than one quotation in respect of an engagement (details supplied); if so, the number quotations were sought and received; whether the comparator quotation related to like-for-like services; and if he will provide the total quoted amounts, without prejudice to commercial sensitivity. [2034…

1367. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether expenditure aggregation rules were applied in respect of repeated payments to the same media or podcast providers since 1 January 2020 for the purposes of procurement compliance; and if he will set out the manner in which those rules were applied in each case. [20346/26]