Special Educational Needs

386. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the number of primary and secondary school children and children travelling to special schools from the Donabate and Portrane area in the 2025 school year; and to include a breakdown of children attending these schools by roll numbers, in tabular form. [68343/26]

Cabinet Committees

24. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [68568/26]

Departmental Funding

211. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport if his Department will support funding for an orbital bus route for residents of Kinsealy in order that they can access Portmarnock and Malahide train stations while reducing congestion. [67228/26]

Rail Network

168. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the delivery of MetroLink. [67227/26]

Bus Services

14. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department plans to address the number of areas in Dublin Fingal East that have seen significant building since the plans for BusConnects were agreed and as such with the roll out of BusConnects will not be properly served. [67232/26]

Health Services Staff

224. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if she will intervene to lift the effective freeze on the hiring of physician associates (PAs) within the public health service, given there are more than 40 qualified PAs whose education was funded by the HSE, who committed as part of their training to work for the HSE for three years following qualification and who cannot find employment due to the current delays on the approval of the national grade code (details supplied). [67285/26]

34th Dáil debate — 2026-09-30

Deputy Duncan Smith First, I wish to pass on the condolences of the Labour Party on the passing of Seamus Carroll, a genuinely warm presence in these corridors for many years. He will be sorely missed and out thoughts are with Treasa and his wider family. There is a need for this industrial action. The 100,000 front-line workers across health, education and local authorities do not want to be on a work to rule. They do not want strike action on 14 and 21 October and they feel they are being ga

34th Dáil debate — 2026-09-29

Deputy Duncan Smith At the Cabinet committee, will the Taoiseach back up his words at the UN General Assembly with three separate actions to strengthen support for the Palestinian people? First, in light of the British Government's policy reset and its stronger version of an occupied territories Bill, will the Government revisit its own Attorney General's advice as well as advice from Departments in relation to financial services and services in general and strengthen our own Bill? Second, will

34th Dáil debate — 2026-09-29

Deputy Duncan Smith Spain, which is an EU member state, has included services. Now the UK is acting.

34th Dáil debate — 2026-09-29

Deputy Duncan Smith Yes, Britain is including services, in accordance with the legal advice it has been given.

34th Dáil debate — 2026-09-29

Deputy Duncan Smith In light of the Virgin Meida investigation last night, there is an urgent need for a debate on special education and additional educational needs. We had this Government announcing places at the start of an academic and school year and weeks into it, those places are not filled by children and families we know personally are not getting those places. That is just the tip of this crisis. We need an urgent debate on it.