Written answers
Thursday, 17 June 2004
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- National Irish Bank Investigations
Question 12: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the report of the High Court inspectors into the affairs of banks (details supplied) will be published....
- Job Creation
Question 13: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of new jobs announced during 2003 from new investments or expansion of IDA backed plants; the...
- Job Losses
Question 14: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of redundancies notified to her Department from 2000 to date; the projected numbers for 2004; and...
- Radon Gas Levels
Question 15: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention was drawn to the potentially serious danger posed to workers from the presence of radon gas in...
- Research and Development
Question 16: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the need to maintain investment in research and development; her views on the present state of...
- Corporate Investigations
Question 17: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the further investigations that have taken place following the publication of the report of the inspectors...
- Health and Safety Regulations
Question 18: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the role her Department has in monitoring health and safety conditions for workers in national car testing...
- Proposed Legislation
Question 19: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has considered the proposal to introduce legislation to provide for a new offence of corporate killing...
- Motor Insurance
Question 20: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department analysed the system of motor insurance in New Zealand where a special insurance levy is added...
- Arms Trade
Question 21: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention was drawn to the recent report published by Amnesty International on the manufacture here of...
- Job Creation
Question 22: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures that are being taken to find replacement jobs for the Rathdrum area of County Wicklow following...
- Employment Schemes
Question 23: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of persons employed on JI schemes in each of the past three years; and the numbers expected to be...
- Corporate Investigations
Question 24: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on the recent report of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. [18046/04]
- Community Employment Schemes
Question 25: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment about the analysis of community employment schemes commissioned or undertaken by her Department; their...
- Drink Prices
Question 26: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention was drawn to the decision of a firm (details supplied) to impose price increases that are...
- Price Regulations
Question 27: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when she intends to make the promised order under the Consumer Affairs Act to require doctors, dentists and...
- WTO Negotiations
Question 28: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department contacted the EU Trade Commissioner and the World Trade Organisation on the resumption of the...
- EU Directives
Question 29: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of EU directives for which her Department has responsibility that have yet to be implemented; the...
- Oil Prices
Question 30: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department has carried out a review of the implications for industrial policy here of the doubling of...
- EU Directives
Question 31: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the main features of the new consumer initiative agreed among member states on 18 May. [18049/04]
- Groceries Order
Question 32: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when she will publish the results of her review of the 1987 Groceries Order that forbids below cost selling....
- Job Losses
Question 33: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of industrial jobs her Department expects will be lost here in 2004; the reasons for the losses; and...
- Insurance Industry
Question 34: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which motor and public liability insurance here is higher than in most other EU countries; the...
- Work Permits
Question 35: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the recent report published by the Migrant Rights Centre, Ireland regarding...
- Departmental Investigations
Question 36: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total costs incurred by the State, at the latest date for which figures are available, arising from the...
- Price Inflation
Question 37: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures that her Department is taking to monitor prices and report excessive price increases in light of...
- Work Permits
Question 38: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of work permits issued to date under the new arrangements to give access to employment to the...
- Job Creation
Question 39: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the concerns of Enterprise Ireland concerning the effect that the suspension of the business...
- Trade Union Recognition
Question 40: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if IBEC, or representatives of IBEC, have raised the issue if trade union recognition with her since 1997; and...
- Health and Safety Regulations
Question 41: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position with regard to her consultation with the social partners on proposals to increase penalties for...
- Partnership Agreements
Question 42: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will commission a study of the numbers of workers who have not benefited fully from each national pay...
- Economic Competitiveness
Question 43: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made by the monitoring process established to consider and track progress in implementing the...
- Industrial Relations
Question 44: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the call from the trade union Mandate for action to outlaw trading by major...
- Industrial Development
Question 45: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans the Government has to find a replacement industry to locate in the former plant of a company (details...
- Departmental Investigations
Question 46: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received a preliminary report from the Director of Corporate Enforcement into reports of improper...
- Consumer Protection
Question 48: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will consider amending the Pyramid Selling Act 1980 to outlaw so-called gifting schemes specifically;...
- Job Protection
Question 49: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, further to the commitment in the programme for Government to review the ways in which older persons can be...
- Job Losses
Question 50: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the claim made by the Small Firms' Association that the country was on track...
- Research Funding
Question 51: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress which has been made in finalising the European Union's sixth framework programme for research and...
- European Council Meetings
Question 52: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the outcome of the most recent meeting of the Employment Council which was held in Luxembourg; the...
- Work Permits
Question 56: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the promised legislation to put the employment permit regime on a comprehensive and sound statutory...
- Personal Injuries Assessment Board
Question 57: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position with regard to the operation of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board; the number of staff...
- County Enterprise Boards
Question 60: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will provide additional funding to efficient county enterprise boards; and if she will make a statement...
- Decentralisation Programme
Question 61: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department has yet carried out a risk assessment of the decentralisation plans announced on budget day...
- EU Directives
Question 62: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on whether the new EU regulations designed to cut the price of spare car parts introduced as part of...
- Interdepartmental Committees
Question 64: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the interdepartmental committees her Department is engaged in with regard to energy policy issues here; the...
- Decentralisation Programme
Question 65: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the details of any survey that has been undertaken in regard to proposals for decentralisation to establish the...
- Employment Support Services
Question 66: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the serious concern expressed by trade unions, commercial firms in the...
- Criminal Prosecutions
Question 67: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Questions Nos. 128, 129 and 130 of 18 May 2004, her views on whether allegations of fraud...
- Insurance Industry
Question 68: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the urgent consultations on making employers liability insurance compulsory, promised in the Joint...
- Unemployment Levels
Question 71: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the initiatives she proposes in order to address the incidence of unemployment in north Monaghan, particularly...
- Flexible Work Practices
Question 72: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the efforts her Department has made to encourage employers to allow employees extended career breaks to look...
- Chemicals Regulation
Question 73: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if, of the 30,000 chemicals in current use here and in the EU generally; she will list those that are and are...
- Insurance Industry
Question 74: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has plans to tackle the huge cost of public liability insurance, which is inhibiting plans to increase...
- Work Permits
Question 75: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the Government's policy in regard to the grant of work permits to persons already married to work permit...
- Economic Competitiveness
Question 76: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on whether the economic growth model for the economy here is unduly dependent on foreign direct...
- Research Funding
Question 77: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the percentage of their outlay devoted to research and development by firms here by comparison with the...
- National Minimum Wage
Question 78: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the minimum wage per hour and the equivalent hourly minimum wage in each other OECD country. [18207/04]
- Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
Question 79: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on Ireland's ranking in the global entrepreneurship monitor report 2001. [18211/04]
- Health and Safety Regulations
Question 80: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the inspections which have been carried out by the Health and Safety Authority on the national car testing...
- Services Sector
Question 81: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps she has taken or proposes to take to counter rip-off price increases; and if she will make a...
- Economic Competitiveness
Question 82: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her proposals to address the issue of increased lack of competitiveness in the economy; and if she will make a...
- Insurance Industry
Question 85: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she or her Department has investigated the negative impact of high insurance costs here; and if she will...
- Industrial Development
Question 88: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the new markets that have been opened up to exporters; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18226/04]
- Work Permits
Question 89: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of work permits applied for in each of the past six months; the number approved, rejected or...
- Department of Agriculture and Food
- Departmental Staff
Question 90: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position on the 1/97 agreement which provided for supervisory agricultural officers in potato, poultry and eggs and seed production...
- Grant Payments
Question 94: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Limerick has accrued an overpayment from his Department in respect of the early...
- Department of Finance
- Consumer Price Index
Question 96: To ask the Minister for Finance the action he proposes to take to address the issue of price increases above and beyond those reflected in the inflation rate through the consumer...
- Tax Code
Question 97: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has plans to abolish taxation of all charities. [18158/04]
- State Properties
Question 98: To ask the Minister for Finance the location of each coast guard station in the State under the responsibility of the Office of Public Works; the stations that are due to be replaced...
- Tax Code
Question 99: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has studied the introduction of a flat rate of VAT and income tax, as introduced in Slovakia, in terms of its attractiveness to domestic and...
- State Properties
Question 100: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans for the disposal of State-owned assets over the next five years. [18199/04]
- Tax Collection
Question 101: To ask the Minister for Finance the position of the case of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if the tax can be refunded as speedily as possible; and if he will make a...
- Personal Savings Ratio
Question 102: To ask the Minister for Finance the savings rate in the economy here by comparison with the average OECD rate as a whole, and each OECD country. [18201/04]
- Industrial Development
Question 103: To ask the Minister for Finance if agglomeration factors arising from geographic proximity of firms to one another in complementary economic sectors contribute positively to their...
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- EU Presidency
Question 104: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the Government did not comply with the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Kofi Annan, in providing relevant information to enable...
- EU Funding
Question 105: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether funding is now essential for the European Youth Parliament; if such funding will be forthcoming; and if he will make a...
- Department of Education and Science
- Special Educational Needs
Question 106: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in County Offaly has only been sanctioned two and a half hours resource teaching and no special...
- Literacy Levels
Question 109: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which rates of functional literacy and numeracy for Irish persons in the 25 to 35 year old age group, or similar age groups,...
- Teachers' Remuneration
Question 110: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he proposes to introduce performance pay or bonuses for teachers who display exceptional talent and application in classroom work;...
- Early School Leavers
Question 111: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the proportion of children leaving school here with junior certificate standard education or less; and if comparable figures are...
- School Staffing
Question 112: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if it is his intention to provide the services of a learning support teacher exclusively to a school (details supplied) in County...
- Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Question 113: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he has plans to reduce the primary pupil-teacher ratio, in view of the commitment in the programme for Government to reduce the...
- School Staffing
Question 114: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the pledge given by his predecessor to abolish all one-teacher schools still stands; if it is his intention to ensure that no...
- Pension Provisions
Question 115: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason regulations which have been changed to allow service by teachers and administrative staff employed by vocational education...
- Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
- Harbours and Piers
Question 116: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the funding available to enable the development of Ballycotton Harbour in County Cork to proceed; the expected...
- Port Safety
Question 117: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the concerns regarding safety in relation to operations at Waterford and New...
- Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
- Departmental Staff
Question 118: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism , further to Question No. 164 of 2 June 2004, if consideration can be given to allowing the person to transfer to the Department of...
- Department of Health and Children
- Health Board Services
Question 119: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the contacts he has had during the past month with the Adelaide and Meath and National Children's Hospital, the ERHA and the South...
- Hospital Services
Question 120: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called to see an orthopaedic consultant in Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar,...
- Health Board Services
Question 123: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if urgent assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3 with the maximum support and advice; and if assistance with...
- National Lottery Funding
Question 126: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if consideration will be given to the lottery application by the Charleville Sheltered Housing Services for essential equipment for their...
- Health Board Services
Question 127: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if changes have been made to the arrangements for palliative care administered in Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, County Mayo; if so,...
- Health Board Allowances
Question 129: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason the domiciliary care allowance and respite grant ceases when a person with a disability is 16 years of age; and if a person...
- Public Health Expenditure
Question 130: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the percentage of the health budget here spent on prevention programmes; and the way in which this compares with the OECD average. [18181/04]
- Hospital Accommodation
Question 132: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the way in which the ratio of hospital beds per thousand persons here compares with the OECD average. [18183/04]
- Mortality Rates
Question 133: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason Ireland has the lowest life expectancy for both males and females amongst the former 15 EU countries. [18184/04]
- Hospital Services
Question 134: To ask the Minister for Health and Children, further to Question No. 243 of 1 June 2004, when a deal was signed on behalf of his Department using money from the Limerick Trust Fund...
- Medical Cards
Question 137: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason young travellers in the 16 to 18 year old age group, who are not in full-time education, training or employment, are not...
- Services for People with Disabilities
Question 138: To ask the Minister for Health and Children his proposals to provide funding to finance two projects (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18238/04]
- Health Board Services
Question 139: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to a recent letter issued to private orthodontists by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, which...
- Hospital Services
Question 140: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a person, details supplied, in County Roscommon will be called for a hip replacement in Galway; and if he will make a statement on...
- Department of Transport
- Light Rail Project
Question 141: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding the policy on free travel for pensioners and the disabled on the new Luas project. [18162/04]
- Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
- Crime Prevention
Question 142: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on efforts to deal with crime in the Garda division covering Tallaght, Dublin 24; and if he will make a...
- Legal Aid Service
Question 143: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the contacts he has had with the Legal Aid Board in respect of its services in Tallaght, Dublin 24; and if he will make a...
- Refugee Status
Question 144: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a person, details supplied, in County Louth will be granted permission to remain here. [18159/04]
- Visa Applications
Question 145: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider the application from a person, details supplied, to come to live here with her daughter who is working...
- Immigration Policy
Question 146: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Government's policy on immigration. [18188/04]
- Legal Costs
Question 147: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way in which the legal costs associated with dispute resolution here compare with those in other Organisation for...
- Garda Retirement
Question 148: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans he has to increase the retirement age for existing gardaí, sergeants, superintendents and chief superintendents;...
- Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
- Services for People with Disabilities
Question 149: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if special funding will be provided for footpath adaptation to provide crossings and dish kerbs for wheelchair...
- Water and Sewerage Schemes
Question 150: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the widespread concern in consumer, food retailing and many farming sectors...
- Local Authority Funding
Question 151: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the review of local government funding will be complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Department of Social and Family Affairs
- Government Policy
Question 153: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the Government's policy in regard to the promotion and definition of marriage. [18206/04]
- Social Welfare Benefits
Question 154: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the assistance that can be offered in the case of a person, details supplied, in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement...
