Written Answers Nos. 350-365
350. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied that her Department is capturing unmet need data with regards to residential planning; if she considers parental age consideration alongside complexity of diagnosis as a planning tool; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66644/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis should be directed at the Department of Children, Equality and Disabilities.
351. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if non-specialist tobacco and vape retailers, such as barbers and phone shops, will be allowed to continue to sell vaping and tobacco products under the Department's proposed retail licensing system; and to outline the specific criteria for a retailer to obtain a licence under the new system. [66654/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for the application and enforcement of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 is a matter for the National Environmental Health Service. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
352. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the progress made on the development of a primary care centre for the region of An Cheathrú Rua and Leitir Móir in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66655/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
353. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if she will review the prescribed allocation of glucose sensors (details supplied). [66660/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
354. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health her plans to extend the covid special pay scheme for healthcare workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66688/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a Labour Court hearing in June of this year, a final extension was recommended. The scheme will now run until 31 December 2025, when it will formally conclude.
Importantly, this does not mean that supports will end. Staff who remain unfit to return to work will move seamlessly into the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme, ensuring continuity of care and financial protection.
Under that scheme, staff receive full pay for three months, followed by half pay for three months, and then have the option to apply for Temporary Rehabilitative Remuneration, which can provide up to a further 547 days of paid leave. In addition, the Critical Illness Protocol may provide supports for up to three years.
355. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health the progress to date with recognising long covid as an occupational disease and injury; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66689/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister for Social Protection has reviewed the EU recommendation on recognising COVID-19 as an occupational illness. It has been determined that COVID-19 does not meet the criteria required for recognition under the Social Welfare Acts.
356. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the annual rent paid by the HSE for a building (details supplied) in Tralee; the total amount paid since the lease commenced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66707/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
357. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of international students studying in Irish universities and institutes of technology in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66502/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Higher Education Authority (HEA) publish a comprehensive data base of students registered in Irish publicly funded higher education institutions (HEIs). The table below sets out the numbers of students registered in Ireland's HEIs during the last two academic years, disaggreated into major domicile groups.
|
Students registered in publicly funded higher education institutions |
|
|
|
Domicile Group |
2023/2024 |
2024/2025 |
|
EU |
7,620 |
8,610 |
|
Non-EU |
29,560 |
32,940 |
|
Great Britain |
1,440 |
1,365 |
|
Northern Ireland |
1,685 |
1,585 |
|
Ireland |
225,505 |
234,340 |
|
Unknown |
90 |
40 |
|
TOTAL |
265,905 |
278,880 |
Should the Deputy require further detail on student registrations across a range of classifications, this can be readily accessed from the HEA website at: hea.ie/statistics/data-for-download-and-visualisations/access-our-data/.
358. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total funding allocated to student mental health supports in 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66503/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe table below reflects funding allocated to student mental health in Higher Education, this is in addition to funding supports provided through core funding, for the years that the Deputy requested.
|
Year |
Total |
|
2023 |
€5m |
|
2024 |
€6m |
|
2025 |
€5m |
It is also worth noting that as part of Budget 2026 I have secured an extra €1m for Mental Health supports in Higher Education which brings the core ring-fenced fund to €6m for 2026.
Using this core Mental Health funding the?Department has progressed a number of initiatives, in partnership with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), over the last few years to address the broad spectrum of mental health and well-being issues faced by students, including:
• Mental Health and Well-being funding supports
• Healthy Campus Charter and Framework
• Student and Learner Wellbeing and Engagement Working Group
• National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework
At Further Education level (FET) ,the Framework for Further Education and Training: Mental Health and Wellbeing, developed by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) in 2023, provides guidance for Education and Training Board (ETB) staff on supporting learners’ overall well-being and responding to mental health critical incidents in a consistent, planned, and structured manner. Additional staff development resources are available on the ETBI website.
359. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department, or any bodies under its remit, rent space in a building (details supplied) in Tralee; if so, the annual rental cost; the total rent paid since the commencement of the lease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66706/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll Education and Training Boards (ETBs) apply to the Department for ministerial sanction for a lease in line with section 53 of the Education and Training Board Act, 2013.
In relation to your question, SOLAS has advised my officials that Kerry ETB holds a lease for Unit 102 for Further Education and Training administration in the Centrepoint building. The lease commenced on 1 June 2017, with a lease term of 10 years and 7 months. The current annual rental cost is €55,600.92 including VAT which is funded from the SOLAS allocation to Kerry ETB.
In addition, Kerry ETB holds a separate lease for its Head Office in the Centrepoint building. The costs associated with this lease are met from two distinct departmental budgets: that of my Department (allocated via SOLAS) and that of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Youth. This arrangement reflects the legislative framework governing ETBs, which deliver functions across both the further education and training remit and the wider education system. The lease for the Head Office commenced on 1 August 2015 with a lease term of 12 years and annual rent of €242,514.18 including VAT.
The total rent paid across both leases since commencement amounts to nearly €2.8 million including VAT.
Details on buildings owned and leased by ETBs are set out in their annual financial statements. The Minister for Education and Youth recently laid Kerry ETB’s financial statements for 2024 before the Houses of the Oireachtas in line with section 5 (2) of the Education and Training Board Act, 2013.
360. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to provide a breakdown of the funding announced for women’s sheds in Budget 2026; the category of groups that can apply for this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66401/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra361. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the funding available to a registered charity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66402/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 361 together.
I believe that the emergence of Women's Sheds has been a very positive development for communities across Ireland and I am fully committed to supporting Women's Sheds in the valuable work they do.
My Department provides funding to Women’s (Sister) Sheds under various funding supports, including:
• The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP)
• The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2024 - 2028
• The LEADER programme.
Women's Sheds can apply individually for all of these schemes.
As Women’s Sheds do not currently operate under a national organisation, my Department is unable to provide funding similar to that provided to Men’s Sheds via the Irish Men's Sheds Association. My Department and the Department of Health are currently working with the Women's Sheds of Ireland to support their efforts to form a national body thereby facilitating access to similar funding.
Separately, the Department of Health secured funding of €150,000 in Budget 2026 to support Women's Sheds.
At present, I do not have any plans to introduce additional funding supports specifically for Women's Sheds. However, the Local Enhancement Programme 2026 is currently under consideration and, as in previous years, I expect individual Women's Sheds will be eligible to apply under the programme.
I would encourage all Women’s Sheds to check my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcdg, and to engage with their Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), Local Development Companies and Public Participation Networks (PPN), to ensure they are aware of relevant funding opportunities as they become available.
362. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of Irish language summer colleges supported in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66504/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the interest of clarity, I should make the Deputy aware that the Irish language summer colleges' sector is essentially commercial in nature and that my Department does not fund the colleges directly. However, in order to foster language acquisition and enrichment opportunities in the Gaeltacht outside of the education system for learners of the language, my Department provides a nightly subsidy under the Irish Language Learners Scheme (Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge) payable to recognised Gaeltacht households who provide accommodation for learners attending a recognised Irish course in any of the Irish-language colleges operating under the scheme.
The table below details the number of colleges recognised under 'Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge' in 2024 and 2025. My Department provided recognition for a total of 259 courses in 2024 and 262 in 2025.
|
County |
2024 No. of colleges |
2024 No. of subunits |
2025 No. of colleges |
2025 No. of subunits |
|
Kerry |
2 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
|
Cork |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Donegal |
10 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
|
Galway |
16 |
24 |
16 |
24 |
|
Mayo |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
|
Meath |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Waterford |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
34 |
49 |
35 |
50
|
My Department's support of this sector as a whole under Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge is provided via an investment of over €6m annually. This investment goes towards subsiding accommodation costs as I have already outlined, but also towards providing scholarships to those attending DEIS second level schools from across Ireland and towards start-up grants for new accommodation providers to the sector. In addition, earlier this year, I announced a new once-off grant for accommodation providers to support the purchase of new beds and mattresses.
Not only does this annual state investment yield benefits in providing language learning and enrichment opportunities to thousands of learners annually, it also generates significant economic benefits within Gaeltacht regions.
363. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on funding allocations to the CLÁR and LEADER programmes in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66505/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas as follows:
• Measure 1 supports the development of community facilities and amenities.
• Measure 2 provides support for the provision of vehicles to transport people with mobility issues or for cancer treatment, for community first responders, and for meals on wheels.
• Measure 3 aims to support communities on our offshore islands in line with the Department’s policy for the development of our inhabited offshore islands, ‘Our Living Islands’.
I have attached a table outlining CLÁR funding allocations under each measure in 2024 and 2025. I was delighted to announce funding of over €1.7 million earlier this year under measure 2 of the 2025 programme. The successful projects under measures 1 & 3 will be announced in the coming weeks.
The LEADER programme is a multi-annual funding programme that is co-financed by the European Commission under the Common Agricultural Policy or CAP. The current LEADER programme is operational across the country, with total funding of €180 million allocated across Local Action Groups at the start of the programming period to cover the period from 2023 to 2027.
LEADER funding is allocated to LAGs at the beginning of each LEADER programme to provide them with greater flexibility in selecting and approving projects which will have a meaningful impact in their areas. As LEADER is a multi-annual fund, a table of annual allocations is not available.
|
2024 CLÁR |
Number of Projects |
Amount |
|
Total M1 Projects |
264 |
€11,438,853 |
|
Total M2 Projects |
49 |
€2,150,767 |
|
Total M3 Projects |
10 |
€383,216 |
|
Total |
323 |
€13,972,836 |
|
2025 CLÁR |
Number of Projects |
Amount |
|
Total M1 Projects |
TBC |
TBC |
|
Total M2 Projects |
32 |
€1,719,051 |
|
Total M3 Projects |
TBC |
TBC |
|
Total |
32 |
€1,719,051 |
364. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress on Gaeltacht language planning area implementation in the Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66506/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Gaeltacht Act 2012, language plans are being implemented in three Irish Language Networks within the state, one of which is in Clondalkin, Co. Dublin.
Irish Language Network are areas which have a basic critical mass of community and state support for the Irish language. Foras na Gaeilge is responsible under the Act for supporting organisations in the preparation and implementation of language plans in these statutory Irish Language Networks.
Muintir Chrónáin is the lead organisation which prepared the Clondalkin language plan which was approved in 2020. Annual funding of €96,000 is being made available to this Irish Language Network to allow for the implementation of its plan and to employ a full time Irish Language Officer.
Earlier this year, my Department announced funding of €2,260,281 over four years (2025-2028) for Gaeilge365. This project is being co-funded by the four Dublin local authorities. The aim of this initiative is to develop best practice through local authority services which create enhanced opportunities for the public to speak Irish.
Gaeilge365 is the first innovation unit to operate through the medium of Irish in the public service. Originating from Dublin City Council’s Creative Community Strategy, which encourages creative initiatives between different parts of the Council, early support for the Gaeilge365 project was funded by the Éire Ildánach / Creative Ireland Programme.
Gaeilge365’s innovative approach with staff from across the four Dublin local authorities showcases Irish language creativity and benefitted greatly from this early support. The fundamental aim of this pilot project was to put an innovative approach in place to create more opportunities for the public to speak Irish through the services of local authorities in Dublin. Between now and 2028, Gaeilge365 will work towards four major objectives:
• Development of over 40 innovative language-based projects per year – opportunities to speak Irish to be created through Council services pioneered by networks of language innovators.
• Mainstreaming over 10 of the innovative projects per year in the Councils' work streams and scaling in excess of 8 projects per year to enhance opportunities to speak Irish in Dublin.
• Preparing an ambitious Language Plan for Dublin by developing ecosystems, knowledge bases and specialist skills.
• Developing a high efficiency model for strengthening the Irish language – a model that other local authorities can follow. This will be developed through research, consultation and the widespread dissemination of best practice.
365. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total funding provided to community and voluntary organisations in Dublin Bay north in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66507/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to supporting thriving communities across the country through a range of funding initiatives. Details of the thousands of funding approvals made by my Department each year across the country are available on my Department’s website, in tabular form at the following link: [Funding allocated by the department] (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/funding-allocated-by-the-department/).
While my Department does not record funding allocations on an individual constituency basis, Dublin City and County was allocated approximately €43 million in funding for 2024 and in the region of a further €43 million to date in 2025. This is across both current and capital programmes operated by my Department.
The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is delivered across Dublin Bay North through a number of local development companies, and information on that funding is available at the following link SICAP Funding Allocations (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/sicap-funding-allocations/#2025). Funding for organisations within the Community Services Programme is also available on my Departments website, along with other supports such as the Community Recognition Fund (CRF) and the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) which has supported community groups right across the country over the last few years.
Finally, I would note that the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) is particularly important for community and voluntary groups at local level, providing small capital grants to community and voluntary groups for the improvement of their facilities and/or the purchase of equipment. Again full details are available on my Departments website, but some examples of funding provided to community and voluntary groups in Dublin Bay North under LEP 2025 include €12,685.35 for St Pauls Artane FC to improve their clubhouse; €25,000 for St Pauls Youth Club to rewire their facility, and; €25,000 for Raheny GAA club to replace their heating system.
I encourage all such groups to continue to make use of the many opportunities for funding across my Department, which help to support there important work in communities throughout the country.
