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referred today to the progression of plug-in solar. Has the Department investigated the cost of a temporary free public transport scheme? What would the estimated cost be? A lot of people who are using public transport are on subsidies at the moment. At the moment, we need … reduce their bills and benefit their pockets. Each system is small but, together, they are cutting down emissions and reducing pollution. It is estimated that they are preventing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions in Germany. The installation of these systems is very simple. It does

know all too well. While each rare disease may affect a small number of people, rare diseases together represent a significant public health challenge. An estimated 300,000 people in Ireland are living with a rare disease, and the impact on individuals, families, health services and wider society … priority actions across several important work streams, including research and innovation, international co-operation, European reference networks, data and registries, education and public information, and screening, diagnosis and access. Across all of that work, three cross-cutting themes will remain central, namely, governance and accountability, implementation and monitoring

straight with the Deputy: that is a nonsense statement. There will be a substantial provision in the budget and the Estimates next week for public service pay. How can anybody credibly say we are not prepared to discuss pay? Come on. Everybody knows that is not true

Will the Minister of State outline the actions his Department has undertaken to deliver contactless payments on all public transport and the estimated timeline for the introduction of this

should be building on those investments, not undermining them by pushing people away from public transport. For every 10% increase in public transport fares, ridership is estimated to fall by 3%. Instead, the Government has decided to place another financial burden on individuals and families who are already

context. I have some macro data here. We know that the total size of the public service of Northern Ireland, inclusive of civil service, health, education, police and local government employees, is estimated to indicate approximately 227,500 in October 2025. The annual pay bill is estimated … have been told that this increases to approximately £18 billion when the wider public services are included. Total public expenditure for the Northern Ireland Executive is estimated at €32 billion in 2025. I have set out some high-level data from the team who assessed the Deputy

youth mental health clinical specialty, (e) the estimated number of whole-time equivalent clinicians to fully and safely staff public mental health services, and (f) the estimated level of new additional funding required to provide full and safe services with timely access to care

already know of. The project cost was not properly estimated by the Arts Council and nor was any final estimate, as is required under the public spending code. Between 2021 and 2024, the Arts Council approved additional money for the project without approval from the Department

million is not huge. The fact is that all of the other Estimates go before a committee. This Estimate now falls under the Minister for public expenditure. It used to be the Minister for Finance. Yet, none of the Ministers have any responsibility for the Estimate. When … responsibility to Dáil Éireann for this matter under Standing Order 44. One of them was to ask both the Ministers for Finance and public expenditure the funding allocated to Vote 15, which in the past was Vote 22. Since 2011 the money is returned to the Exchequer each

club still has a waiting list for juveniles. There are way more running tracks on the southside. I believe the estimate is six or seven public tracks compared with two public tracks on the northside of Dublin. I do not know if this is because previous northside politicians

this Government is the exact same. Budget after budget, the Government failed to allocate the necessary funding for essential public services and relied upon Supplementary Estimates to cover its back. This overspend is not exceptional; these things seem to happen every year under the Minister's watch … practice of using Supplementary Estimates to cover overspends. To be honest, I think that is quite shortsighted. It also shows the poor budgeting that we have seen. I have never seen anything like the last budget, to be perfectly honest. The public deserves to know exactly where those

paper from that group, which will set out information on the adjustment of income tax standard bands, including the estimated cost to the Exchequer. These publications are all based on the Revenue ready reckoner and are useful for all of us in this House to determine the different

number of people who are currently in Ireland subject to deportation orders.". There you have it. The Committee of Public Accounts has heard that the State spent an estimated €2.1 billion on IPAS last year. That means €2.1 billion of the public's hard-earned money went

increase in the real burden of income tax.” It also states, “In the event of an economic downturn and unexpected deterioration in the public finances ... [we would] postpone changes to income tax credits or bands, as we did in Budget 2021”. I am happy to engage further with … recently, the budget 2026 strategy paper set out information relating to indexing the income tax system, including the estimated cost to the Exchequer. The costs used in this publication were taken from the Revenue Commissioners’ ready reckoner publication. This year’s annual progress report also included projections

Institute for Public Administration's digital academy, which offers digital data and AI learning pathways for the public service in 2027. This will build significantly on the estimated 20,000 staff that have already participated in tailored AI training across the public sector. This is really significant when

reduced the fees to €2,500 permanently. The Minister for higher education is in discussions with the Minister for public expenditure in respect of his Estimates and he is anxious, in particular, to try to help larger families who might have two or three students in third level

June or July. However, I will engage with the Ministers in the Department of Finance and the Department of public expenditure on this. A budget Estimate package is being put together in my Department. I am working with my officials to devise it. It will focus

first question veered into another area, so the response to that is in the written reply. I am having pre-Estimate discussions with the Ministers for public expenditure and Finance for the upcoming budget. What we all need to see is an increase in the budget and support

employment will continue to grow, even on the basis of the 25% tariff scenario. The modelling to which I refer estimates that the impact on the public finances would be approximately €500 million. Given what was announced yesterday, it appears that the impact will be somewhat less. Will

aware that the scheme is in place. The interdepartmental group that advised the Government on the design of the scheme estimated the cost of communication and publicity to be well in excess of €2 million. That includes social media and advertising abroad whether it is the United States

other Departments to protect essential healthcare, or will the Government, like we do, present honest, fully funded budgets? The publication of existing level of service, ELS, estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday shines a light on the dilemma and realities faced by the Government. It reckons that … available pot of money are factored in for new spending, just €1 billion would be left next year for new measures, new public services and new innovations. That money will be to cover the promises that the Tánaiste and his colleagues have already made on childcare, the cost

reliability for passengers and commuters. This investment will also form part of the Department's engagements with the Department of public expenditure as part of the annual Estimates process, which has not yet concluded, for next year. On an overall basis, fare revenue only covers approximately … costs funded by the Exchequer. It is, therefore, imperative that there is a rebalancing of the critical equation in how we fund PSO public transport nationally, ensuring that fare revenue continues to make a sustainable contribution alongside significant levels of subsidy, while maintaining the affordability and accessibility

know for example that this year's budget saw total spending up by 12% on the 2025 Estimates. In budget 2026, we saw the largest allocation of public money ever, beating last year's record. That is required to meet the social and economic demands of a growing … exercise its rights and constitutional functions when it comes to accountability for our public spending. This is precisely why I will shortly be publishing legislation to establish an office of an Estimates commissioner, which will greatly enhance the capacity and function of the Dáil to keep the Government

become a political football. Not alone are energy costs high but Government decisions on the cost of groceries, housing, the inadequacy of public and active transport and the lack of a real right to remote work have unleashed acute financial pressures that households feel every … their annual budgets are a work of fiction. What we have seen are massive overruns being papered over with Supplementary Estimates, averaging €2 billion each year. The public finances are being treated like Fine Fáil's and Fine Gael's personal piggy bank, not as a tool

must also stress that when finalising the 2025 Revised Estimate for the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation agreed that any additional third party cost falling due in 2025 would be funded by way of a Supplementary Estimate

Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider exempting public transport services from toll charges; the estimated cost of such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37264/26

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

Department, with specific regard to any reforms to the deemed disposal tax for exchange traded funds; the timeline for the publication of the roadmap; if any cost estimate was done in advance of the last budget in respect of the deemed disposal rule for Irish investors in exchange

Centre project; the status of the appointments of individuals to the project management delivery team; the key next stages, and estimated timelines; and the exact amount of public funding, from all sources, spent on the project to date in 2025. [40271/25

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated revenue from all parking charges at public hospitals in 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35676/25

Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a full update on the Cork Events Centre project; the key next stages and estimated timelines; and the exact amount of public funding, from all sources, spent on the project to date. [16047/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost of trebling the number of publicly available charging points, based on the average cost to date, if future projections are not available. [10431/25

estimated revenue raised by stamp duty from the sale of homes or residential zoned land to private citizens, public bodies, approved housing bodies and other non-profit companies; the estimated revenue raised by stamp duty from the sale of homes or residential zoned land to for-profit private

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost in 2027 if the budget for public service obligation for public transport services increased by 35%. [49631/26

Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of doubling and trebling entitlements under public access to IVF. [48665/26

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the estimated yearly cost of establishing a new annual public holiday. [46581/26

Minister for Health whether the nationwide unused medicines return and disposal service recently announced will include the collection and publication of data on the quantity, type and estimated value of medicines returned annually; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45891/26

Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total number of non-statutory bodies in receipt of public funding in each year since 2020; the estimated aggregate annual funding provided to such bodies; and the proportion of that funding subject to formal governance codes equivalent

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an estimate of the total volume of data currently stored by or on behalf of the State by his Department in data centres in Ireland; data centres outside of Ireland

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of the Public Only Consultant Contract since its introduction in March 2023; whether the Department has established measurable performance indicators to determine whether the contract has delivered its stated objectives

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total Supplementary Estimates in 2025 to date. [69853/25

Health if she will support the calls of an organisation (details supplied) for the introduction of viable fees for public eyecare schemes (medical card and PRSI-estimated cost of €20m annually and the roll out of an over 8s national eyecare programme estimated cost €1.2m annually

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport the estimated full-year cost of making all public transport, including both public service obligation services and private commercial services, free; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35679/25

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Transport if he is considering public transport fare reductions in his Department's estimates 2026 submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34027/25

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost to the State of making all public transport free for persons aged under 18, under 25 and under 30 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31016/25

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the estimated yearly cost of establishing a new annual public holiday. [28011/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost of introducing contactless payments on all public transport. [26885/25

Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost to the State of making all public transport free for persons aged under 18, under 25 and under 30 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26967/25

changing prostate cancer medication that has been approved by the European Medicines Agency, will be made available to all public patients at the earliest possible date; the estimated full year cost of providing this treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23673/25

Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated gross cost of extending State indemnity to all public primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66810/25