Written answers
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Middle East
3. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the reported torture and death of a Palestinian doctor (details supplied) in an Israeli prison, given that with their death,...
- Passport Services
4. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will ensure passport applicants are informed immediately if there is a problem with their application (details supplied) to allow...
- Election Monitoring Missions
7. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 14 February 2024, if Irish election monitors observed the 2023 Turkish general election; the...
- Foreign Birth Registration
8. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if an application to the foreign births register (details supplied) will be expedited. [22094/24]
- Passport Services
9. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if an issue in relation to two passport applications (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22099/24]
- Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
- Climate Change Policy
11. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will take legislative action to close the policy gap by prohibiting SRM geoengineering, providing penalties and...
- Recycling Policy
12. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the provisions in place for people with disabilities and elderly people to access the deposit return scheme (details...
- Department of Defence
- Defence Forces
13. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his proposals to support veterans' associations; the progress made implementing related recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces;...
- Commemorative Medals
14. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will report on the work of the working group established to review the process of awarding medals; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Defence Forces
15. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the establishment figure of the Defence Forces; the number of personnel required under level of ambition 2 of the Commission on the Defence...
- Emergency Planning
18. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the measures being taken to ensure the protection of submarine communication cables in Irish waters; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
- Electric Vehicles
19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on a survey (details supplied) and the recently announced figure of a decrease in new car registrations of 16% compared with...
- Road Safety
20. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures being taken to deal with wild deer on public roads and the increased prevalence of traffic incidents due to their increased...
- Electric Vehicles
22. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline his engagement to date with Cork County Council in progressing and delivering EV charging infrastructure for existing homes and...
- Department of Finance
- Insurance Industry
23. To ask the Minister for Finance the steps his Department is taking to assist with the increasing price of insurance premiums, despite the fact claims are going down. [22025/24]
- Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
- Capital Expenditure Programme
24. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide a schedule of Garda stations in Offaly and Laois that are the subject of capital works, by location; the budget associated...
- Public Sector Pensions
26. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps being taken to resolve issues in the integrated pension system for those who joined the Civil Service after 1995, where...
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Business Supports
27. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a late increased cost-of-living business grant application will be accepted from a business (details supplied) in County Kerry; and...
- Departmental Contracts
28. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by his Department in each of the past ten years; the...
- Information and Communications Technology
29. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the capital investment in computer and data infrastructure, by investment, in each of the years since 2011, in tabular form. [21990/24]
- Work Permits
30. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the timeline for the new employment scheme for non-EEA fishermen; the estimated start date for the employment scheme, which was to...
- Department of Education and Skills
- School Admissions
31. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure the provision of local school placements for students (details supplied); if she can help to get them placements so they can be...
- Special Educational Needs
32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she can confirm that a person (details supplied) will be able to access an autism class in a primary school in their locality; and if she will...
- School Equipment
33. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is any discretion available on a matter (details supplied). [21935/24]
- School Staff
34. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is reviewing sick leave for a section of staff based on correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Schools Building Projects
35. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the new school building for a school (details supplied); the timeline for the completion of same; and if she will make a...
- Pupil-Teacher Ratio
36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average class size of primary schools, on a county-by-county breakdown, for the 2023-24 school year. [21975/24]
- Departmental Contracts
37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by her Department in each of the past ten years; the cost of each...
- Special Educational Needs
38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to support children attending a school (details supplied) after the board of management made changes to its enrolment policy...
- School Accommodation
39. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the lease agreement in place for temporary accommodation for a school (details supplied); when the lease is due to expire; if...
- Educational Disadvantage
40. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the difficulties experienced in DEIS schools following the reduction in the primary schools books grant (details supplied); if she...
- School Staff
41. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will engage with a person (details supplied) regarding pay scale concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21998/24]
- School Transport
42. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the case of a student (details supplied) will be reviewed, given that Bus Éireann has been made aware of the issue regarding the special...
- School Enrolments
43. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the forward-planning unit in her Department has identified the shortfall in school places at primary level in the east Waterford area; the...
- Special Educational Needs
44. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps her Department is taking to target a shortage of special needs units and early prevention units in national schools throughout Ireland,...
- School Enrolments
45. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are any proposals in place to increase the number of classes in schools in all of the Fingal area, due to the growing population; and if...
- School Transport
46. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the provision of school bus transport for the 2024-25 academic year for secondary school students travelling from Kilmore,...
- Departmental Schemes
47. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) can expect to have works completed further to a successful application and assurances from the Department that...
- School Staff
48. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will investigate concerns around the inability of a school staff member to access incremental credit (details supplied); and if she will...
- Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
- Sports Funding
49. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the progress of an application for funding under the sports capital scheme (details supplied); and if she will...
- Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
- Departmental Expenditure
50. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount being paid to a company (details supplied) to remove the tents of asylum seekers; with a breakdown of the amount...
- Wildlife Protection
51. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he intends to initiate a national oiled wildlife response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22064/24]
- Wildlife Conservation
54. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will urgently add the old Irish goat to the list of animals protected under the Wildlife Act 1976, given it is now...
- Hare Coursing
55. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the cause of injury to a hare that was euthanised by a vet on day two of the Johnstown and Urlingford coursing meeting in...
- Departmental Contracts
56. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by his Department in each of the past ten...
- Septic Tanks
57. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he can review the criteria for the septic tank grant; if he will acknowledge that many people who want to avail of the grant...
- Wastewater Treatment
58. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to review a matter (details supplied); if there are any allowances or financial support that can be given in this case; and if...
- Housing Policy
59. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider putting a cap on the timeframe local authorities are given to carry out approved works for those who need...
- Septic Tanks
60. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will extend septic tank grants to include homes that may have old and leaking septic tanks and are located close to...
- Housing Policy
61. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has any view or if any formal public policy exists in relation to the role public representatives might play...
- National Parks and Wildlife Service
62. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the NPWS will liaise with a local first responders group regarding access to a location in County Kerry (details supplied)...
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- Social Welfare Eligibility
63. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to expand the threshold for the domiciliary care allowance up to 18 years of age; and if she will make a statement...
- Widow's Pension
64. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision on a widower's pension application (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the...
- School Meals Programme
65. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if meal providers to schools are required to provide for the various dietary requirements of students, for example, coeliac;...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
66. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will remove the means test for the carer’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21960/24]
- Social Welfare Appeals
67. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is further leave to appeal after a section 317 appeal within her Department or elsewhere; if appellants are entitled...
- School Meals Programme
68. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide an update on the provisions she has put in place to reduce food waste in the context of the school hot...
- Social Welfare Benefits
69. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the up-to-date status of a carers allowance application review (details supplied), given that further documentation was...
- Widow's Pension
70. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the current stage of legislation that will allow for the enactment of the recent Supreme Court decision to allow a cohabitant...
- Department of Justice and Equality
- An Garda Síochána
71. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the statutory functions of An Garda Síochána in compiling statistics on the prevalence of certain types of theft and...
- Deportation Orders
72. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of deportation orders revoked by her Department in each of the past ten years.; and if she will make a statement on...
- Prison Service
73. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of people on waiting lists for mental health treatment in Irish prisons in 2024; the average waiting period; and if...
- Departmental Contracts
74. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by her Department in each of the past ten years;...
- Immigration Policy
75. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of overseas students on a stamp 2 visa currently in Ireland; if she has considered making these visas more flexible...
- Immigration Status
76. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused temporary protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Naturalisation Applications
77. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when a person (details supplied) will receive their certificate of naturalisation; and if she will make a statement on the...
- Prison Service
78. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount spent on anti-psychotic medication for inmates in the Irish Prison Service in 2023, 2022 and 2021; and if she will...
- Asylum Applications
82. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of people refused permission to enter Ireland via inbound flight in the past 12 months who subsequently applied for...
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Assisted Animal Reproduction
85. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a ban on the surgical artificial insemination of all dog breeds, including greyhounds, in light of the Veterinary...
- Horse Racing Industry
86. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 510 of 5 March 2024, if he will provide a breakdown, by name of hunt and amount, in relation to...
- Agriculture Schemes
87. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) has yet to receive their full basic payment. [22129/24]
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Childcare Services
89. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children accessing early childhood education and school age childcare on the NCS sponsorship...
- International Protection
93. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will ensure the provision of local accommodation for a person (details supplied). [21922/24]
- Disability Services
94. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to examine an issue for an individual (details supplied). [21940/24]
- Childcare Services
96. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 91 and 92 of 30 April 2024, if he is aware that the proposed draft...
- Departmental Contracts
97. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by his Department in each of the...
- Disabilities Assessments
98. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) will receive an assessment of need; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Childcare Services
99. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the new regulations for childminders; if he is aware of the concerns being expressed regarding...
- Maternity Leave
100. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will honour his commitment to legislate to ensure women going through a cancer diagnosis or other serious...
- Parental Leave
101. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will consider extending the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 from the age of 12 to 18 years. [22067/24]
- Disability Services
102. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if additional funding can be made available for a service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on...
- Hospital Charges
105. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the HSE review of national guidelines for daily car parking rates in acute hospitals; whether a working group has been established; the timelines...
- Tobacco Control Measures
106. To ask the Minister for Health his plans for additional legislative reform in regard to nicotine inhaling products and tobacco products; his engagement with colleagues in Northern Ireland...
- Cancer Services
107. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the total number of people who attended a pigmented lesion rapid access clinic nationally; and the number who were offered...
- Health Services Waiting Lists
109. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of people who were waiting on a diagnostic scan - MRI, CT, VUS, US - in Ireland, in each quarter from 2016 to...
- Cancer Services
110. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of persons who started chemotherapy, by month, in each of the years 2020 to 2024, respectively. [21929/24]
- Hospital Waiting Lists
114. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people awaiting on a first outpatient appointment in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital; the average waiting time for a first outpatient...
- Cancer Services
115. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to extending the upper age limit for BreastCheck; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21944/24]
- Health Services Staff
116. To ask the Minister for Health how many nurses were employed in the health service in each of the past 15 years. [21945/24]
- Health Services
125. To ask the Minister for Health if eye specialist services currently centralised to Athlone will be reinstated in Portlaoise, and if funding is available to locate a service in County Laois....
- Medicinal Products
127. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware that PCSK9 inhibiting medication is being denied to those who need it; if he will update the criteria to ensure those who have an intolerance to...
- Health Services
128. To ask the Minister for Health if he can examine the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21980/24]
- Hospital Appointments Status
129. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on a case (details supplied); and when the person concerned can expect an appointment. [21987/24]
- Substance Misuse
130. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the north inner city drug and alcohol task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21988/24]
- General Practitioner Services
131. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 614 of 30 April 2024, the number accessing Midoc in Tullamore on a weekly basis in 2024; to provide a breakdown of the...
- Health Services
132. To ask the Minister for Health the steps his Department is taking to provide additional resources for survivors of stroke and other cardiovascular conditions in the community who are...
- General Practitioner Services
133. To ask the Minister for Health if being put on a waiting list for a GP practice would qualify as a refusal (details supplied); and, if not, the reason for same, as the applicant is still...
- Mental Health Services
134. To ask the Minister for Health the reason funding has been cut to the Kildare mental health day hospital in Kildare primary care centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22020/24]
- Medicinal Products
135. To ask the Minister for Health the reason saw pallmeto is not reimbursed under the medical card scheme; if he will consider including same in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on...
- Medical Cards
136. To ask the Minister for Health the current process for cancer patients to obtain a medical card; if the emergency medical card application via a GP in the only avenue; if his Department...
- Dental Services
137. To ask the Minister for Health a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of special care dentists, by county, and the numbers of dental patients with additional needs and-or anxiety...
- Mental Health Services
138. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.1542 of 9 April 2024, when a full HSE reply will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22050/24]
- Hospital Appointments Status
139. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive a date for an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22051/24]
- Healthcare Policy
140. To ask the Minister for Health if Huntington's disease will be added to the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22077/24]
- Medicinal Products
141. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department will increase the medications available on prescription to sufferers of Huntington's disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Health Services
142. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the cross-border medical treatment service provides less financial assistance to residents of Ireland than to those who seek similar treatments or...
- Health Services Waiting Lists
143. To ask the Minister for Health when a person will be seen at a clinic (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22134/24]
- Department of Education and Skills
- Departmental Contracts
144. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of publicly funded contracts awarded to a company (details supplied) by his Department in each of the past ten years; the cost of each...
- Information and Communications Technology
145. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the capital investment in computer and data infrastructure, by investment, in each of the years since 2011, in tabular form. [21991/24]
- Educational Disadvantage
146. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if any efforts are being made to accelerate the approval process for Reach funding to enable applicants to plan community education programmes in...
