Results 5,661-5,680 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 503. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of making the entitlement to fuel allowance automatic upon receipt of the State pension (contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11054/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 504. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total amount spent in social protection benefits and allowances, by programme and by year in County Cork from 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11058/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 505. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to increasing the threshold for means for persons applying for the carer’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11064/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 562. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that are available for older persons that wish to retrain in information technology in order to return to the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11063/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 563. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of the Munster Technological University since its inception; the level of funding provided to same in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11065/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Cards (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 656. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to increasing the income threshold for the medical card for those aged under 70 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11055/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Cards (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 657. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to increasing the income threshold for the medical card for those persons aged over 70 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11056/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 775. To ask the Minister for Health if he has arranged for the Department to establish a high-level working group as proposed by a group (details supplied) which would include all of the relevant stakeholders in order to develop a clear programme of action for the expansion of primary healthcare and community care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11628/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 860. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if her Department is on target in its promise to issue a 107% increase of afforestation licences for 2022 in view of the percentage of afforestation licences issued year to date at 13% of the total which is similar to figures of afforestation licences issued in the same timeframe in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 861. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that a consistent number of licences have been issued to Coillte each week from week ending 21 January to week ending 18 February 2022 with the number of licences issued to the private sector declining in the same period in view of the number of licences issued declining overall from 143 to 99 during this time; and if he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I am concerned about the figure that states that we have moved from 23% to 37%. We are also moving in that the number of young people smoking has gone up again. There is a connection between the two. While Mr. Dunne is talking about legislation, something is still driving it in terms of making it attractive for young people to move to electronic cigarettes. As well as not being able to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: As for warnings regarding e-cigarettes, does Mr. Dunne accept, for instance, there are now studies from the United States showing that a far higher number of those who use e-cigarettes suffer from asthma than people who have never smoked or who have never used e-cigarettes? My point is there also health risks in using e-cigarettes. While I accept it is a step down from smoking, health risks...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: In relation to health risks, there is a study that shows a raft of warnings over the use of e-cigarettes. There was a recent finding that electronic cigarettes might increase the odds of erectile dysfunction and of stroke at middle age. That is now showing up in studies. There is also a study on eye conditions, which looks at people who suffer from eye problems. There are a higher number...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: The eye study shows that there is a substantial difference and that there is a greater risk. There are a greater number of people who have eye difficulties as a result of electronic cigarettes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank our guests for their contributions. Let me start with the figure they have given for the number of deaths as a direct result of smoking. Obviously, this is spread over a period of time. Is there any indication the level of smoking has reduced in this country and that the number of deaths will come down likewise? I ask this because most recent studies show the greater the number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: One of the problems is that, during the lockdown, people were not travelling abroad and, therefore, the opportunity to bring in cigarettes by people travelling abroad reduced substantially and, in fact, the sale of cigarette products here went up dramatically during the Covid lockdown. Is the number of people smoking far higher than what the figures are showing in real terms?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: The point I am making is that the huge increase in the sale of tobacco products during the lockdown gives an indication of the number of cigarettes coming in from abroad when people are travelling back and forth, whether to Spain, Portugal, Greece or otherwise. Is there now a need to tighten up the regulations on the number of cigarettes people can bring in when travelling from abroad? For...