Dáil Éireann

Written answers

Some recent written answers

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (17 February 2021)

Seán Sherlock:

522. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early childhood education and care facilities that have closed permanently since March 2020. [8170/21]

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 February 2021)

Bernard Durkan:

502. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an appeal in the case of a person (details supplied); if the situation will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8649/21]

Department of Health: Health Services Staff (17 February 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd:

724. To ask the Minister for Health the details of the health budget provision for 2021 to employ 16,000 additional healthcare staff; the details of the positions to be filled and the proposed recruitment process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8176/21]

Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (17 February 2021)

Róisín Shortall:

939. To ask the Minister for Health further to his statement in Dáil Eireann on 11 February 2021, the status of his review of the vaccine priority list for those with very serious underlying medical conditions and transplant patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8845/21]

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (17 February 2021)

Cormac Devlin:

94. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he supports the proposed orbital bus routes which would link towns and villages across Dublin; the status of the roll-out of the services as envisaged in the BusConnects network redesign plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8379/21]

Department of Education and Skills: School Breaks Standardisation (17 February 2021)

Neale Richmond:

462. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to schools minimising their midterm break but opting for extended breaks later in the spring; if this decision is supported by her Department; her views on whether schools should ensure that when children return to the classroom that any additional interruptions should be kept to a minimum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8860/21]

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (17 February 2021)

Seán Sherlock:

1052. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the contracts for public relations advice and consultancy entered into by his Department over the cost of €10,000 since January 2021; the nature of the contract; and the length of the contract in tabular form. [8885/21]

Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (18 February 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan:

184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a review of ASD classrooms in the Dublin 4, 6 and 6W areas will be conducted urgently. [9158/21]

Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (17 February 2021)

Robert Troy:

571. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to direct SUSI to change its guidelines regarding course progression (details supplied). [8374/21]

Department of Health: Health Services Provision (17 February 2021)

John McGuinness:

913. To ask the Minister for Health if a long-term care plan will be expedited for a person (details supplied). [8757/21]

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 February 2021)

Brendan Smith:

245. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will ensure that all areas of the country will receive equal treatment in relation to the roll-out of the outdoor dining scheme and that it will not be confined to the major urban centres alone; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8966/21]

Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 February 2021)

Seán Canney:

4. To ask the Taoiseach if it will be ensured that local newspapers receive their fair share of advertising in national Covid-19 campaigns. [8438/21]

Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 February 2021)

Bernard Durkan:

1072. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which applications under the town and village renewal scheme originating in County Kildare have been submitted to her Department for consideration in 2021; if adequate resources remain available to her to address the subject adequately; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8613/21]

Department of Justice and Equality: Insurance Fraud (17 February 2021)

Pearse Doherty:

630. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of incidents of fraudulent insurance claims reported by the insurance industry to An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021 by the insurance industry. [8932/21]

Department of Finance: Departmental Expenditure (17 February 2021)

Rose Conway-Walsh:

146. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount of financial support provided by the State to private enterprises engaged in the collection of genetic data in Ireland; if the Government will have free access to this data in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8301/21]

Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 February 2021)

Emer Higgins:

276. To ask the Minister for Health if it will be ensured that nuns living in congregated settings are catered for appropriately in the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out plan. [7655/21]

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (18 February 2021)

Paul Donnelly:

64. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the driver licence of a person (details supplied) will be extended. [9087/21]

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (17 February 2021)

Michael Lowry:

491. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will investigate the provision of making free travel passes available to persons with epilepsy who are temporarily barred from driving for one year due to having a breakthrough seizure; if she will consider uncoupling the free travel pass from other qualifying payments to ensure that there is a direct application process for a free travel pass (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8328/21]

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 February 2021)

Michael Ring:

16. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if there is a financial scheme open to taxi drivers to help them with the cost of insurance in view of the fact that their revenue stream has been eradicated due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. [8257/21]

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (18 February 2021)

Duncan Smith:

86. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department proposes to facilitate medically vulnerable persons to renew their driver licence during the Covid-19 pandemic in circumstances in which they do not have a public services card. [9264/21]