Written answers
Wednesday, 15 November 2023
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Shannon Airport Facilities
15. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to give a complete overview of the process that the US military must follow when moving personnel through Irish Airports on US Military...
- Irish Aid
17. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Irish Aid has provided any funding to human rights and or rule-of-law NGOs in Georgia in the past 12 months; and if he will make a...
- Middle East
19. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what engagement he has had at EU level with a view to securing a ceasefire in Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50121/23]
- Diplomatic Representation
21. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has proposals to expand Ireland’s diplomatic presence in Central and South America; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Foreign Conflicts
22. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagements he has had with his European counterparts in relation to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic...
- Ukraine War
24. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his response to reports that European Union officials have broached the ceding of Ukrainian territory to the Russian Federation; and if he...
- Official Travel
25. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of the meetings and events that he attended during his visit to China; and the outcome of each engagement. [50155/23]
- European Union
26. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of a request by the Spanish government that Basque, Catalan and Galician be recognised as official languages of the European...
- Official Engagements
27. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on discussions related to the Colombian peace process during a bilateral meeting with the Colombian President at the United...
- Emigrant Support Services
28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what measures he is taking to prioritise the Emigrant Support Programme, ensuring that the most vulnerable members of our overseas...
- Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
- Waste Management
29. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if an allocation of funding has been made to Waterford County Council for the clean-up of plastic on a property (details...
- Environmental Policy
30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there will be an extension of the timeframe for the granting of controlled burning permits beyond the current date of...
- Renewable Energy Generation
31. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on the need for the Government to carry out an assessment of the existing barriers and potential of...
- Electricity Grid
32. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to report on the three grid studies to support communities to identify sites in their locality that are most likely to...
- Department of Defence
- Defence Forces
33. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence what plans for procurement of new equipment and capabilities are in place for 2024; and if he will outline the plan for the purchase of new ships...
- Ukraine War
34. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 125 of 3 October 2023, for an update on Ireland's involvement in the EU Military Assistance Mission in...
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
- Departmental Data
35. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide a record of all exemptions provided to carry weapons and munitions of war through Irish ports and airports since January 2022....
- Greenways Provision
36. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport what measures are being taken to promote the old N22 Macroom-to-Ballyvourney road on advancing greenways and cycleways for the area now...
- Pension Provisions
37. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he can provide details of the legislative basis on which authority for the Irish Aviation Authority's staff superannuation scheme 1996...
- Road Projects
38. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the failure to allocate funds in Budget 2024 for the next phase of the N24 means the route selection will not now proceed as planned...
- Public Transport
39. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount that Transport Infrastructure Ireland spent on security personnel on the Luas in the years of 2022 and to date in 2023, in...
- Road Projects
43. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the proposals, if any, his Department is considering for funding of the TII for improvements on the N22 between Macroom and Ballincollig;...
- Military Aircraft
44. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to give a complete overview of the process that the US military must follow when moving personnel through Irish Airports on US Military...
- Coast Guard Service
46. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50109/23]
- Rail Network
48. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason there is not a commuter train service from Kilkenny to Waterford to get people to Waterford city for 9am; and if he will make a...
- Driver Licences
49. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport what the holdup is on issuing a certificate (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50227/23]
- Department of Finance
- Financial Services
50. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of vacant WTE staff, by job title, in the Office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman as of 8 November 2023; the estimated full-year...
- EU Directives
51. To ask the Minister for Finance to explain the reasons for delays in transposing EU Directive 2167 of 2021 into Irish law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50174/23]
- Interest Rates
57. To ask the Minister for Finance if anything will be done to control interest rates charged by financial institutions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50193/23]
- Housing Schemes
58. To ask the Minister for Finance to review concerns raised by a person in respect of the situation of single applicants (details supplied) and their struggles accessing the help to buy scheme;...
- Revenue Commissioners
59. To ask the Minister for Finance to resolve a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50220/23]
- Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
- Pension Provisions
60. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is aware of the issue of Government employment contracts for Garda, fire services, and prison officers, that mandate retirement at...
- Office of Public Works
62. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the OPW heritage sites that currently have a restaurant/cafe service onsite; the number of these restaurants/cafés that are staffed...
- Flood Risk Management
63. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the planned flood gate in Portumna; the timeline for its installation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50126/23]
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Regional Development
64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, his Department has to implement the recommendations from the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report pertaining...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
65. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he would consider additional mitigation measures to ensure that small and medium sized business are able to absorb some of the...
- State Bodies
66. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of vacant full-time staff, by grade, currently in the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court; the estimated...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
67. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what plans or strategies he has to support the SMEs of Ireland to prevent hours from being cut, job layoffs, or businesses shutting...
- Industrial Development
68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the masterplan for the IDA land bank in Killally, Dundalk; when he expects to see progress on this project and...
- Department of Education and Skills
- Schools Administration
69. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) submitted an application for change of status to coeducation; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Departmental Correspondence
71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review correspondence (details supplied); if she can provide an update on the issues raised and the report mentioned in the email and provide...
- Schools Building Projects
74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to indicate the current status of an application for an extension to a school (details supplied) which was originally sanctioned for an extension...
- National Educational Psychological Service
75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline, in tabular form, the NEPS areas across the country, and the number of psychologists appointed to each. [50043/23]
- School Transport
76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in providing transport to a pupil attending an ASD unit (details supplied); if she will expedite this transport...
- School Accommodation
77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has received an application for additional accommodation at a school (details supplied); when a decision can be expected on this...
- Schools Building Projects
78. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a review being undertaken by her Department in respect of a Stage 2B submission will be finalised and the school (details supplied) contacted...
- School Transport
81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average number of buses in the Bus Éireann school transport fleet for Kildare specifically for 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [50086/23]
- School Funding
84. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to confirm the status of the ancillary grant for a school (details supplied). [50125/23]
- Educational Disadvantage
85. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review the application for DEIS status for a school (details supplied) that was unsuccessful in 2022, if the reasons for the refusal could be...
- Schools Building Projects
88. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a school building project in County Cork (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50145/23]
- School Funding
89. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to confirm if there are any proposals currently to provide a bilingual French/English primary school in North Dublin; if there would be any...
- Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
- Traveller Accommodation
90. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to summarise his Department`s actions on exploring difficulties Travellers might have in opening and retaining social housing...
- Planning Issues
91. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government in relation to his Department`s circular (Housing 09/2023 - PL 01/2023) to all local authorities regarding his mandatory...
- Departmental Correspondence
92. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when a person (details supplied) will receive a substantive reply to correspondence with his office of 11 September 2023; and...
- Housing Provision
93. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 602 of 7 November 2023, to detail the 68 cases that have been referred to the Housing...
- Departmental Expenditure
94. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount paid by his Department to date in 2023 on outside or third party reports of a technical nature or qualitative...
- Housing Schemes
95. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the budget allocation for refurbishing social housing voids for each year since 2020, broken down by local authority, in...
- Water Services
96. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if, with regard to the water main in Allen, County Kildare, which is continually bursting, he can enquire what can be done to...
- Defective Building Materials
97. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are any current plans to expand the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme to include County Meath; and if he...
- Mortgage Interest Rates
98. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); if he can provide advice on the best way forward; and if he...
- Planning Issues
100. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government regarding his Department’s circular (Housing 09/2023 - PL 01/2023) to all local authorities regarding the moratorium on...
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- Social Welfare Benefits
101. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full-year cost to increase carer's allowance by €6.50 per week. [50083/23]
- Pension Provisions
103. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection how exemptions, granted under regulations made under Section 37(1) of the Pensions Act 1990, from the pension preservation...
- Social Welfare Benefits
104. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a domiciliary care allowance appeal for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the...
- Pension Provisions
105. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider allowing people on partial pensions the benefit of a full budget increase, as opposed to a pro-rata...
- Department of Justice and Equality
- An Garda Síochána
106. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of intoxilyzer machines allocated to each Garda division, in tabular form. [50081/23]
- Prison Service
107. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the additional accommodation capacity currently undergoing construction in each of the prisons in Ireland; when each of these...
- Courts Staff
108. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware of any plans for the appointment of a county registrar to Sligo (details supplied); and if she will make a...
- Prison Service
109. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 599 of 1 March 2022, if her Department can provide the figures for 2023. [50101/23]
- Visa Agreements
110. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in the determination of the appeals for visas in the case of the family of a person (details supplied);...
- Wards of Court
111. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of minors who have been made wards of court in 2022 and 2023 to date following application by the Family Support...
- An Garda Síochána
112. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to concerns of members of An Garda Síochána regarding the inability to enforce noise...
- Family Law Cases
113. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will outline her plans for the reform of the family courts to improve access and streamline the processes for balancing...
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Food Industry
114. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of proposals by the Italian Agriculture Minister to ban synthetic food including the production, import and marketing...
- Horse Racing Industry
115. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, in relation to the publication on e-tenders of a call from Horse Sport Ireland for the provision, implementation and support of...
- Agriculture Schemes
121. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what his Department can do to remedy the situation for our young farmers who will be locked out of the acres scheme (details...
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Rights of the Child
122. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there is a commitment that the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will...
- Disability Services
123. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when appropriate supports will be provided to the son of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a...
- Care Services
124. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated full-year cost to increase the number of State residential care units for children in care by 33%....
- Disability Services
125. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of respite beds available for people with a disability in CHO7 in 2022 and to date in 2023, in...
- Early Childhood Care and Education
126. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are any plans to allow small early years services to furnish the Department with financial records from...
- Departmental Funding
127. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what measures he can take to prevent the closure and loss of an important resource (details supplied), or what...
- International Protection
128. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm if officials from his Department or from the international protection service have engaged with...
- Disabilities Assessments
129. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an appointment for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Community Welfare Services
130. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what organisations submitted applications for community services funding, including both strand A and strand B,...
- Children in Care
131. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 28 June 2023; to provide an update on the work engaged in by his...
- Department of Health
- Prescriptions Charges
132. To ask the Minister for Health the reason monthly prescriptions are not given out to patients based on the number of days in each month, rather than the notional month of 28 days, of which...
- Addiction Treatment Services
133. To ask the Minister for Health given the protective notice that the staff at a Clondalkin-based support centre for drugs and alcohol intervention programme have been issued (details...
- General Practitioner Services
134. To ask the Minister for Health the progress to date in making a permanent appointment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50033/23]
- Disease Management
135. To ask the Minister for Health if support will be provided to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50037/23]
- Hospital Appointments Status
136. To ask the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) will receive a date for surgery; the reason for the delay in adding her to the waiting list; the reason for the delay in...
- Hospital Waiting Lists
138. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the waiting times for DEXA bone scans in Tipperary University Hospital and across all hospitals in the country; the numbers waiting for such scans;...
- Primary Care Services
139. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on primary healthcare nurse staffing levels in Rathcoole, County Dublin; how parents can access their child's three-month primary healthcare...
- General Practitioner Services
140. To ask the Minister for Health what advice is being provided to a person (details supplied) whose family do not possess a medical card but have approached eight different GPs in their local...
- Hospital Waiting Lists
141. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting to see each of the consultant paediatric neurologists at CHI, Temple Street. [50074/23]
- Health Service Executive
142. To ask the Minister for Health the number of WTE HSE staff, by grade, working in the HSE national medical card unit. [50075/23]
- Home Care Packages
143. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost in 2024 to provide an additional 20,000 intensive homecare packages. [50076/23]
- Mental Health Services
144. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on CAMHS services in the State; if he will outline his engagement with an organisation (details supplied) following its submission...
- Hospital Waiting Lists
145. To ask the Minister for Health if an ICU bed could be ringfenced for a specific purpose (details supplied) in light of the number of children currently waiting for a procedure; and if he...
- Health Services Staff
146. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1229 of 7 November 2023, if there is an estimated timeframe for when pay parity will be delivered for medical scientists;...
- Primary Medical Certificates
147. To ask the Minister for Health if persons (details supplied) can be provided with an assessment for a primary medical certificate on a certain date; when the next round of assessments are...
- Departmental Inquiries
148. To ask the Minister for Health for an update regarding the appointment of an independent chairperson to the sodium valproate inquiry; the reason why a chairperson has not been appointed to...
- Disease Management
149. To ask the Minister for Health the reason why epilepsy is not listed under the HSE Chronic Disease Management Programme; the process required to have the condition recognised under the...
- Health Service Executive
150. To ask the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive pensions section in Manorhamilton is now fully staffed and in a position to process all pension matters for retired HSE workers...
- Hospital Appointments Status
151. To ask the Minister for Health f he will expedite an appointment for surgery for a person (details supplied). [50196/23]
- Medical Cards
152. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1328 of 7 November 2023, if treatment for retrograde cricophalyngeas dysfunction (R-CPD) will be made available on the...
- Insurance Coverage
153. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons availing of private health insurance, by age group (details supplied). [50229/23]
- General Practitioner Services
154. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the long-term sustainability of GP services in County Clare in view of an ageing population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50283/23]
- Department of Education and Skills
- Building Regulations
156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, in relation to the Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023, which is partly intended to replace the current accredited training model...
- Department of Rural and Community Development
- Departmental Bodies
157. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development what appointment procedure she is using for the new stakeholder group on dog ownership in Ireland; and the measures she is putting in...
