Written answers
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
- Department of Social and Family Affairs
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 70: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she is taking to reduce the backlog of jobseeker's allowance claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Identity Cards
Question 71: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when she plans to issue photo identification cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40623/09]
- Social Welfare Fraud
Question 73: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she is satisfied with the arrangements for recording and calculating control savings and pursuing perpetrators of social welfare...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 74: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of farmers who may qualify for farm assist payments following the closure of the REP scheme four; and if she will make a...
- Money Advice and Budgeting Service
Question 75: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she is satisfied with the capacity of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service to negotiate on a person's behalf with financial...
- Social Welfare Code
Question 76: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will review the efficacy of rent allowance and mortgage support with particular reference to the need for early and positive...
- Child Support
Question 77: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the regularity with which review forms for child benefit payment are issued; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40647/09]
- Social Welfare Fraud
Question 78: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on the Comptroller and Auditor General's report that stricter controls and more accountability are needed to eliminate...
- Social Welfare Code
Question 79: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to review the habitual residency condition rules in view of the recent decisions of the appeals office concerning cases...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 81: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the limitations of the back to education allowance scheme in respect of unemployed graduates;...
- Pension Provisions
Question 82: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she will take to facilitate women, forced out of employment due to the marriage rule, to avail of contributory pensions;...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 83: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she is taking to facilitate the transfer from rent supplement to the rental accommodation scheme; and if she will make a...
- Social Welfare Code
Question 85: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to means test child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40650/09]
- Social Welfare Appeals
Question 87: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she is satisfied with the average time to process social welfare appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40640/09]
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 88: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans for carers following the decision not to publish the National Carer's Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the...
- Departmental Staff
Question 92: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking to deal with the problem of absenteeism in her Department. [40735/09]
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 93: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she is taking to increase the uptake of family income supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40600/09]
- Social Welfare Fraud
Question 95: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the discussions she has had in the past 12 months with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform or the gardaí on the...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 98: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to review the free travel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40665/09]
- Pension Provisions
Question 106: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the delay in processing a contributory State pension application in respect of a person (details supplied) in...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 107: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim for jobseeker's benefit; and if she will make a...
- Family Support Services
Question 110: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on families falling into the hands of money lenders as a result of the Christmas bonus cuts. [40671/09]
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 111: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has advised her inspectors at local level that they are to accept the current economic situation of self-employed persons...
- Tax and Social Welfare Codes
Question 113: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has completed her deliberations on the Commission on Taxation Report; and if she will outline her conclusions. [40730/09]
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 118: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that most pensioners use the Christmas bonus to heat their homes over the extended...
- Civil Registration Legislation
Question 121: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when she will bring forward legislation to provide for recognition of transgendered persons' self-identified gender as agreed in...
- Department of An Taoiseach
- Innovation Taskforce
Question 123: To ask the Taoiseach the members of the innovation task force; and the number of times it has met since its appointment. [41005/09]
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Redundancy Payments
Question 124: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when statutory redundancy will be awarded to a company (details supplied) in County Limerick in order that a...
- Employment Support Services
Question 126: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will extend the employment subsidy scheme to the tourism sector; and if she will make a statement on...
- Vocational Education
Question 127: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 1171 of 16 September 2009 if she will provide the name of an official...
- Employment Support Services
Question 128: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will introduce work programmes such as the old teamwork programme in order to allow newly qualified...
- Departmental Agencies
Question 129: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to her public statement in September 2009 that she was seeking legal advice on the severance package...
- Pricing Policy
Question 130: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will request the Competition Authority to investigate the pricing arrangements at and between meat...
- Work Permits
Question 131: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the...
- Department of Finance
- National Lottery Funding
Question 132: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans for distribution of funds from the National Lottery for 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40795/09]
- Liquor Licensing
Question 133: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of pub licences which have not been renewed in the past three years; the location of each in tabular form; and if he will make a...
- Tax Yield
Question 135: To ask the Minister for Finance the revenue to date in 2009 from the health levy; if it is less than predicted; if so, the amount; and her estimate for revenue in 2009 and the...
- Departmental Expenditure
Question 136: To ask the Minister for Finance the funding given from the Exchequer to non-governmental organisations over the past five years; and if the same level of funding will continue....
- Flood Relief
Question 137: To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of the River Nore, Kilkenny City, flood relief scheme; the cost of the separate works undertaken at the Lacken Weir, Kilkenny City; and if...
- Financial Services Regulation
Question 138: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps he has taken to ameliorate the position of mortgage borrowers with the various sub prime lenders; the improvements which have been made...
- Tax Code
Question 139: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will respond to a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40836/09]
- Budget Submissions
Question 140: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has reviewed the pre-budget 2010 submission sent to him on 6 October 2009 by an association (details supplied); and if he will make a...
- Tax Collection
Question 143: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will support the case of a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40859/09]
- Tax Code
Question 144: To ask the Minister for Finance the relief available to a medical card holder who was charged for dental treatment by a dentist not participating in the General Medical Service...
- Tax Yield
Question 148: To ask the Minister for Finance his estimate of the receipts from income tax, from the health levy, the social insurance levy, the special income tax levy, the public service...
- National Lottery Funding
Question 149: To ask the Minister for Finance the funding which was drawn down from a source (details supplied) in each year from 2006 to date in 2009 in tabular format; and if he will make a...
- Departmental Offices
Question 150: To ask the Minister for Finance if there are facilities within the Government Buildings at a location (details supplied) to accommodate the accessing of services in the Department...
- Garda Stations
Question 151: To ask the Minister for Finance the position on a building (details supplied); the stage the proposed building is at; the stages it has to go through before construction begins;...
- Department of Health and Children
- Medical Cards
Question 152: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of a medical card application by a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Food Labelling
Question 153: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the European Commission's proposal COM (2008) 40, final, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and...
- Adoption Services
Question 154: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on whether it is in the best interest of children that the grandfather clause is maintained so that adopted children can be...
- Hospital Services
Question 156: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of the neo-natal screening programme for cystic fibrosis as announced in 1999. [40748/09]
- Hospital Staff
Question 157: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a specialist physiotherapist for cystic fibrosis patients has been recruited for Limerick Regional Hospital; the length of time this...
- Hospital Accommodation
Question 159: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the planned new beds for cystic fibrosis patients in St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin 4; the number of beds that...
- Medical Cards
Question 161: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of a medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40755/09]
- Hospital Services
Question 163: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the projected operating budget for Mallow Hospital, County Cork, for 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40758/09]
- Health Services
Question 165: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there has been a recent policy change within the overseas treatment section of the Health Service Executive regarding the funding of...
- Health Service Staff
Question 166: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of Health Service Executive social workers or childcare workers who are on leave of absence on grounds of ill health who were...
- Health Services
Question 167: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she will respond to a submission sent to her on 14 October 2009 from an organisation (details supplied) regarding an update on the...
- Mental Health Services
Question 168: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has given consideration to the reconfiguration of psychiatric services in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the...
- Tobacco-Related Diseases
Question 169: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the EU countries which have already given effect to Commission Decision No. 2003/641/EC of 5 September 2003 on the use of colour...
- Health Services
Question 170: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the premises that are being rented or leased in the Health Service Executive north western area; the location of each unit and the cost...
- Medical Cards
Question 176: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that dentists are refusing to treat long standing patients who are medical card holders...
- Services for People with Disabilities
Question 177: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding delays and waiting lists for personal assistants services for disabled persons; if her attention has been drawn...
- Hospital Services
Question 178: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of risks that have been addressed in full of the 80 risks identified by the Health Service Executive in its hygiene services...
- Health Services
Question 179: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will report on the Health Information and Quality Authority inspection of the special care unit at Ballydowd, County Cork; the...
- Organ Donation
Question 180: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to establish a National Transplant Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40876/09]
- Infectious Diseases
Question 184: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the use of close coupled field technology devices to control swine flu and other airborne viruses in hospitals and other...
- Health Services
Question 186: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will ensure that the pilot project which administers intravenous antibiotics to patients in their own homes under the direction...
- Medical Cards
Question 188: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [41001/09]
- Departmental Staff
Question 189: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of applications for sick leave payment for more than 12 months since 1 January 2005; the number she approved; and if she will...
- Hospital Accommodation
Question 190: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of beds closed nationally at end October 2009; the location of same; the number closed due to cost containment measures,...
- Medical Cards
Question 191: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a medical card will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41042/09]
- Vaccination Programme
Question 192: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will assist in having the immunisation record in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork issued in view of the...
- Department of Transport
- Cycle Facilities
Question 193: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to establish a national standard of cycling, similar to the standards that apply in Britain; his views on an accredited cycling standard...
- Road Network
Question 194: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of funding approved to a local authority (details supplied) since May 2007 to date in 2009 which has not been drawn down; the projects...
- Aviation Industry
Question 196: To ask the Minister for Transport if he is preparing a White Paper on the future of Irish Aviation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41133/09]
- Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
- Garda Complaints Procedures
Question 197: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of complaints received by the Garda Ombudsman Commission to date in 2009; the broad categories of these...
- Garda Operations
Question 198: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the protocols for the gardaí when a person on the sex offenders register comes to live in a neighbourhood and in...
- Garda Recruitment
Question 199: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the recruitment process for Garda recruits in respect of the first 400 placed in order of merit following the aptitude...
- Citizenship Applications
Question 200: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the naturalisation process for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 18 has been with his Department for more...
- Departmental Official Functions
Question 201: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the protocol followed by his office in respect of inviting local public representatives to official functions, such as the...
- Garda Deployment
Question 202: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí at each Garda station in County Galway for each of the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009;...
- Citizenship Applications
Question 203: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for a certificate of naturalisation by a person (details supplied); if their...
- Garda Recruitment
Question 204: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí recruited into the force in each year from 1997 to date in 2009; the number of retirements from each...
- Garda Stations
Question 205: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position on a building (details supplied); the stage the proposed building is at; the stages it has to go through...
- Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
- Swimming Pool Projects
Question 206: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the status of the application for funding from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for the swimming pool refurbishment at...
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
- Decentralisation Programme
Question 207: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a decision has been reached in the relocation of the offices of his Department to Charlestown, County Mayo; and if...
- Community Development
Question 208: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will support a group (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40868/09]
- Dormant Accounts Fund
Question 209: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the Dormant Account fund was established; the amount of money his Department has received from this fund in each...
- Department of Social and Family Affairs
- Social Welfare Fraud
Question 210: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the savings made to date in 2009 by her Department as a result of fraud detection; if she will achieve her Departmental target by...
- Money Advice and Budgeting Service
Question 214: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to an upsurge in attendance at Money Advice and Budgeting Service offices; the consequences of the...
- Social Welfare Appeals
Question 215: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding an illness benefit appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [40776/09]
- Social Insurance
Question 216: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the revenue to date in 2009 from social insurance, distinguishing the contributions from the self-employed, from employers and...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 217: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of recipients of a payment in each social welfare payment category; the cost in each category for the year 2008; the...
- Live Register
Question 218: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons on the live register at the various employment exchanges in County Kildare at 31 October 2009; the...
- Social Welfare Code
Question 219: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she proposes to take to improve eligibility for respite grants with particular reference to easing the guidelines having...
- International Agreements
Question 220: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which bilateral social welfare agreements with other jurisdictions have been reviewed; if same will be reviewed...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 222: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will ensure that child benefit is not interfered with in the course of budgetary reviews within her Department; and if she...
- Social Welfare Code
Question 223: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the range of back to work incentives available through her Department at the present time; the extent to which she proposes to...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 225: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will ensure that dental and optical entitlements are not interfered with in the course of budgetary reviews in her...
- Departmental Offices
Question 229: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has carried out a review in her Department to determine the extent to which the services she has in place are adequate to...
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 230: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the options available to persons (details supplied) in County Kildare to allow them to legitimately take up periodic employment...
- Department of Defence
- Army Barracks
Question 231: To ask the Minister for Defence the cost of purchasing and the fitting out of the containers which were procured for living accommodation at Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin 6 in...
- Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
- Tax Code
Question 232: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a person who is a homeowner is liable to pay non-principal private residence tax on that property if they...
- Legislative Programme
Question 233: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to introduce legislation in relation to the licensing of septic tanks; if so, his views on the cost...
- Local Authority Housing
Question 234: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will sanction Mayo County Council to proceed to tender for a project (details supplied) in County...
- Tax Code
Question 235: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will allow extra time for persons to pay the residential property tax on second homes in view of the...
- Water and Sewerage Schemes
Question 236: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when approval will be granted to proceed to contract for the Tullow waste water treatment plant in County...
- Private Rented Accommodation
Question 239: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of landlords which have registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board; the compliance...
- Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
- Departmental Agencies
Question 240: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when a decision will be made regarding the location of the headquarters of Inland Fisheries for the western...
- Department of Agriculture and Food
- Sheepmeat Sector
Question 241: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is undertaking an investigation in relation to sheep movements and lamb imports, the claiming of flat rate VAT refund...
- Animal Identification Scheme
Question 242: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on compulsory electronic sheep tagging; the action he has taken and the progress he is making at European level to...
- Rural Environment Protection Scheme
Question 243: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a revised scheme to replace the REP scheme will be finalised; if discussions with the European Commission have been...
- Fishing Industry Development
Question 244: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ensure the opening of the operational programme for fisheries in order to ensure funding for the aquaculture...
- Grant Payments
Question 245: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be awarded their forestry payments; and if he will make a statement on...
- Fishing Industry Development
Question 248: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will honour the commitments made in the Crawley Report; if funding for the operational programme will be made...
- Beef Industry
Question 249: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of cattle slaughtered for each of the past six months at each of the meat factories in County Galway; if he will...
- Grant Payments
Question 250: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding a REP scheme 3 payment due to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry since August 2009; when...
- Installation Aid Scheme
Question 251: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when payment of installation aid will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [41002/09]
- Department of Education and Science
- Higher Education Grants
Question 252: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Question No. 115 of 20 October 2009, the person from whom did he received the legal opinion that a sworn affidavit does not...
- EU Directives
Question 253: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights which has outlawed the use of crucifixes in...
- Schools Building Projects
Question 254: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in the view of the fact that outline planning permission has been granted for the building at a new school (details supplied) in...
- School Transport
Question 255: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the review of the school transport scheme and the reconfiguration of school catchment boundaries; when the...
- Higher Education Grants
Question 258: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the delay in approving grant applications by vocational educational committees; if a grant application in respect of a...
- School Accommodation
Question 259: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the names of post primary schools in County Mayo that are renting prefab accommodation which have made an application to the building...
- School Enrolments
Question 261: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of full-time second level students enrolled at a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; the anticipated future...
- Schools Refurbishment
Question 262: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the delay in granting permission for the refurbishment of the school hall at a school (details supplied) in Dublin 16;...
- Special Educational Needs
Question 263: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 1675 of 24 September 2008, the status of a project (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he...
- Schools Building Projects
Question 264: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the names of post-primary schools in County Mayo that have made an application to the building unit of his Department for construction...
- Stádas Scoile
Question 268: To ask the Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta an bhfuil stádas scoile Gaeltachta ag scoil (sonraí tugtha), cad í teanga teagaisc na scoile mar a chuirtear ar fáil go bliantúil...
- Schools Building Projects
Question 269: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools which are at the stage of advanced architectural planning; the aggregate value of completing projects in that...
- Teaching Qualifications
Question 271: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to support and recognise the nominational training colleges for primary teachers; his views on whether the training colleges...
- Higher Education Reform
Question 272: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of times the review committee on higher education has met in 2009; and when he expects to receive its report. [41006/09]
