Employment Support Services

57. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans within his Department to expand remote-work training and supports for jobseekers in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46202/26]

120. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends any specific short-term financial and career-transition supports; if the Department is putting any in place for workers affected by recent tech-sector layoffs; and the way in which he plans to ensure that these supports are accessible without excessive [46176/26]

185. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the mechanisms in place to support agencies under his remit with the increased costs of employing staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31368/26]

186. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the mechanisms in place to support agencies under his remit to manage the increase in the minimum wages in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31386/26]

187. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the mechanisms in place to support agencies under his remit to manage increasing operating costs including insurance, energy and fuel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31404/26]

189. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures his Department is taking to promote active participation and social inclusion through the provision of income supports and employment services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31474/26]

190. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which his Department is currently developing and delivering cost-effective income supports and activation services for jobseekers and families; and if he will outline any planned reforms in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31475/26]

191. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the role of Intreo centres in delivering integrated employment and income supports; and the steps being taken to enhance access to these services nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31476/26]

193. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made in ensuring seamless service delivery between his Department and other Government Departments and agencies in the provision of social welfare and employment supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31478/26]

144. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the action his Department is taking together with the Department of Social Protection to address the barriers to participation in employment faced by disabled persons, given that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of employment among disabled people in Europe standing at 32.6% in comparison with the EU average of 51.…

166. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the action she has taken to improve supports for disabled entrepreneurs and self-employed people. [28233/26]

1054. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which Springboard+, HCI Pillar 1 and other upskilling initiatives will be expanded in 2026 to support workers transitioning from sectors affected by technological change and climate action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22130/26]

1173. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the funding of a training course for a person (details supplied) by her Department and Turas Nua. [18857/26]

66. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to publish a new employment strategy to help those most distant from the labour market into the workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15021/26]

421. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports being put in place for those who may lose their jobs at a company (details supplied) following the announcement of significant job losses [16821/26]

887. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will develop a Traveller and Roma employment training and enterprise plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14657/26]

427. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total actual expenditure incurred (as opposed to allocated or contracted amounts) to date in respect of clients classified as TPU and referred to contracted public employment services; to provide a breakdown of this expenditure by programme (Local Area Employment Services (LAES) and the National Employment Services (NES)); to out…

175. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department is concerned about the rising rate of long-term unemployment, and youth unemployment, which stands at nearly three times the average unemployment rate, according to the CSO; the measures his Department is taking to find the cause and address these issues in the labour market; and if he will make a…

179. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if an application for a general employment permit for a dairy farm assistant has been refused on the basis that the quota has been filled, if the application be treated as an existing application when the quota system has been reviewed and a new quota limit set, in view of the lengthy nature of the application process…

359. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will give consideration to increasing the current quota for dairy farm assistants under the general employment permit system; in view of the fact that dairy farmers in Cork South-West have been unable to recruit staff locally despite extensive efforts over a two-year period, and that the existing quota has …

362. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he plans to release additional permits for dairy farm assistants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69566/25]

367. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will consider introducing temporary or emergency measures to address the shortage of dairy farm assistants, including a temporary extension of the quota; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69782/25]

369. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if consideration can be given to increasing the quota for dairy farm assistants under the general employment permits scheme, in view of the quota being reached and all subsequent applications being rejected, taking into account that many employers urgently require dairy farm assistants for the upcoming spring calving …

371. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if consideration can be given to increasing the quota for dairy farm assistants under the general employment permits scheme in view of the high demand for skilled workers in agriculture, in particular during the spring calving season, taking into account that labour shortages are a major challenge for dairy farms; and…

692. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps his Department is taking to increase participation in the Activation and Family Support Programme, the Community Employment Programme, and other training and reskilling initiatives; the number of persons who have been assisted into employment to date in 2025; the way in which his Department is targeting supports to long-te…