Departmental Policies

372. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the process by which his Department assesses proposals from Tusla or the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to adjust allowances for high-risk or high-intensity services such as special care (details supplied); whether staff retention and service continuity…

412. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has considered using external training providers to train teachers and school staff in special education schools or settings. [54620/25]

413. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will avail of external training providers to use a more targeted approach to train teachers and staff in special education, rather than a one size fits all approach. [54621/25]

432. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to address the serious and ongoing concerns being experienced by a school in County Offaly (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54729/25]

434. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if junior cycle coordinators will be formally recognised as a leadership role, eligible for appointment to an Assistant Principal II post. [54756/25]

180. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline any plans to reform the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund evaluation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54503/25]

185. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth Further to Parliamentary Question No. 436 of 30 September 2025, if new applications or proposals will be accepted where they are made by HEIs who are not currently offering the programme; whether the use of the term ‘area’ in the reply referenced above refers to a “geographical” or ‘subject matter’ area; and if she will make a sta…

201. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures currently in place to ensure compliance with the right of children to opt out of religious instruction, and that suitable alternative educational activities are provided in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54537/25]

236. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the use of online bidding platforms and countdown clocks in house sales; his views on whether they are a positive innovation in the housing market; if he will seek to ban or regulate their use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54528/25]

300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's working definition of the terms 'man', 'woman', 'male' and 'female' as used in official Departmental documents, policies, teaching materials or curriculum guidelines; if she will confirm whether these definitions are consistent with biological and legal definitions applied elsewhere in Government policy; and if she…

302. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will confirm whether schools are instructed, formally or informally, to prioritise biological definitions of sex when teaching about puberty, reproduction, and human development; the way in which her Department ensures consistency between educational content and established medical and legal standards; and if she will make a…

303. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has consulted medical authorities, such as the Medical Council of Ireland or the HSE's clinical programmes, and legal authorities, such as the Attorney General's Office, when framing definitions or guidance relating to the terms 'man', 'woman', 'male' and 'female' for use in curriculum development or school polici…

45. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if consideration has been given to setting up a cross-departmental-agency task force overseeing competitiveness in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52289/25]

447. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to alter how special needs assistants can use their parental leave due to difficulties experienced by those educators (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51396/25]

450. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider allowing primary school teachers who have been on the supplementary panel for an extended period to apply for the main panel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51454/25]

721. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department maintains a policy on the purchase of data from companies engaged in real-time bidding on location data of Irish citizens by its agencies; details of the policy, if it exists; and if his Department, or agencies under its auspices, have engaged with, or purchased data from, companies engaged in real…

965. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current distribution of PhD stipend levels across HEIs and funders; the number and share below €25,000; if he will set a national baseline of at least €25,000 with annual indexation; to publish the full-year costings and implementation timeline for raising sub-baseline awards to the …

542. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy measures her Department is considering to address the high demand for baby room places including in Dublin mid-west where shortages have been documented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49814/25]

618. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Health if she will consider the establishment of a national body with radiotherapy expertise to identify patient and technology specific needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49889/25]

620. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health her views on the need to provide life-saving equipment in addition to AEDs and life rings; and her plans to issue new guidelines on appropriate life-saving equipment to provide to schools, sports clubs and other such bodies. [49896/25]

631. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to extending the special leave with pay scheme (SLWP), and that some form of long term support will be put in place for these workers, particularly given that approximately 166 employees of the HSE are affected by long-Covid since 2020 as a result of working on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she…

633. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if her Department is considering classifying long-Covid an occupational illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49973/25]

646. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she will approve the use of CAR T-cell therapy for a patient (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50037/25]

647. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health to provide a further update on an issue (details supplied), to outline whether an organisation has engaged with a local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50039/25]

653. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reasoning behind the use of Car-T therapy being restricted to just those under the age of 26 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50153/25]