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Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2026

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Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Questions (193, 194, 211)

Liam Quaide

Question:

193. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of engineers currently employed by local authorities who have become ineligible for promotion or career progression under revised eligibility criteria, despite having previously been eligible to progress under earlier arrangements; whether his Department was consulted in advance of these revised criteria being introduced across local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11282/26]

Liam Quaide

Question:

194. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Government will review or issue guidance on qualification recognition, and eligibility criteria to ensure consistency, fairness, and the retention of skilled engineers within local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11283/26]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

211. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he accepts that, given his Department does not collect or hold data on the qualifications of serving local authority engineers, no quantified assessment was carried out prior to July 2025 to determine how many existing engineers-whose qualifications had been assessed and accepted at the time of appointment-would lose eligibility for promotion as a result of the revised engineering qualification requirements; whether responsibility for assessing this impact was assigned to any body as part of the Working Group's review; how the Working Group could credibly "have regard" to the position of existing staff in the absence of such data; whether he accepts that introducing national qualification standards without assessing their impact on serving staff represents a failure of workforce planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10960/26]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I propose to take Questions Nos. 193, 194 and 211 together.

I refer to my reply to Question No. 712 of 10 February 2026 which sets out the position in this matter.

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