Results 461-480 of 2,030 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Medically supervised injecting facilities exist in a number of other countries, and have been proposed as a response to the problem of street injecting in this country. According to a recent report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, drug consumption facilities can be effective for difficult-to-reach populations of drug users and have resulted in immediate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Labour Activation Measures (14 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together. The Employment Equality Act 1998 protects employees against discrimination on any of nine grounds (age, civil status, family status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, race, or membership of the Traveller community). Claims under the legislation can be taken for assessment and adjudication to the Equality Tribunal and a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Funding (14 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug and Alcohol Task Forces (14 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Funding from the Department of Health's Drugs Initiative Fund is allocated to the Local and Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces to support community based drugs initiatives. Applications for funding for the organisation concerned should be made directly to the relevant Local or Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff Data (15 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Equality Legislation (16 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Employment Equality Act 1998 protects employees against discrimination on any of nine grounds (age, civil status, family status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, race, or membership of the Traveller community). Claims under the legislation can be taken for assessment and adjudication to the Equality Tribunal and a person who considers that he or she has been...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes (16 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days he should contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave Policy (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Under the Maternity Protection Acts, a mother of a newborn child is entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave, and a benefit is payable under the Social Welfare Acts in respect of that period of leave. A further, optional, period of unpaid leave is also available. Similar arrangements apply in the case of adoption. Under the Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) both parents are entitled to 18...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Disability Services Provision (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The existing Disability Strategy Implementation Plan covers the period up to end-2015 and we have commenced a consultation process with all relevant stakeholders with a view to putting a revised National Disability Inclusion Strategy in place as from early 2016. This is a 3 phase consultation process. Phase 1 - which focussed on identification of key themes - has recently been completed and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The existing Disability Strategy Implementation Plan covers the period up to end-2015 and we have commenced a consultation process with all relevant stakeholders with a view to putting a revised National Disability Inclusion Strategy in place as from early 2016. This is a 3 phase consultation process. Phase 1 - which focussed on identification of key themes - has recently been completed and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave Policy (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Under the Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) both parents are entitled to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave on the birth or adoption of a child. Such leave may be taken until the child has reached the age of eight years with certain extensions allowed in the case of adoptees and children with a disability or long-term illness.The leave may be taken as a continuous block of 18 weeks, or, if the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Equality Legislation (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Equality legislation is kept under continuous review. Amendments to this body of legislation are currently being progressed in the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 which has passed all stages in the Seanad and is awaiting debate in the Dáil with a view to its early enactment. The Bill proposes to amend section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 - in line with a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Income Inequality (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Figures published by Eurostat indicate that the gender pay gap (defined as the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of male and female paid employees as a percentage of average gross hourly earnings of male paid employees) in Ireland was 14.4% in 2012, below the EU average of 16.4%. This is the most recent data available on the gender pay gap in Ireland. The gender pay gap...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Availability (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am advised by the Health Service Executive that at the end of July 2015 there were 77 people in receipt of buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) for opioid dependence. Suboxone is being provided to this cohort under an initial feasibility study to evaluate the use of Suboxone in Ireland. I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly in relation to the comparative costs and risk...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Availability (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Deputy’s question refers to the use of cannabis plants for medical treatment. Under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, 1977 to 2015 and the Regulations made thereunder, the manufacture, production, preparation, sale, supply, distribution and possession of cannabis is currently unlawful except for the purposes of research. My Department is aware that cannabis for medicinal use has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Expenditure (22 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I have no plans to fund whole plant medical cannabis.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Funding (24 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am informed that, further to discussions between the Deputy and the relevant Division of my Department, I have not received a request for funding from the organisation referred to by the Deputy. Any funding requested that is received would be carefully considered in the light of the priorities in the Traveller and Roma policy area and the funds available.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug and Alcohol Task Forces (24 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Deputy for his question and note that I have met the organisation to which he refers on a number of occasions. The organisation referred to by the Deputy submitted a proposal to Dublin North East Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force earlier this year for a Family Support Programme to provide a specific service for at risk families in the Task Force area. On the basis of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Funding (29 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 357 together. My Department has been very supportive of the work of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and has consistently provided core funding for its activities that correspond with the aims of the National Women’s Strategy and EU gender equality policy. Ongoing and regular dialogue between the NWCI and the Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights Issues (29 Sep 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Our human rights and equality infrastructure has been strengthened by the establishment in November 2014 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. A significant innovation in the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 was the introduction of a positive duty on public bodies to have due regard to human rights and equality in their work and conduct their business in a...