Written answers
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
- Department of An Taoiseach
- Census of Population
1. To ask the Taoiseach the position regarding, and reason for, the new requirements on census enumerators having to scan in barcodes on census forms; the impact this has on their workload; and...
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Work Permits
3. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider the work permit application issues raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a...
- Covid-19 Pandemic
4. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the Government’s position on the proposed TRIPS waiver on mRNA Covid-19 vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
- Climate Action Plan
5. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the proposed carbon budgets will be discussed in Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Electricity Generation
6. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there are any plans from within Government to pay for electricity that is returned to the grid by domestic solar units...
- National Oil Reserves Agency
8. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the National Oil Reserves Agency will be requested to maintain a reserve supply of AdBlue for hauliers in the event of...
- Climate Action Plan
9. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide a full list of the names of the persons that comprise the membership of the first national climate...
- Departmental Budgets
10. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a breakdown of the current and capital budget allocations for each programme under each subhead of the Revised...
- Departmental Strategies
13. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on his Department’s efforts to develop and publish a national green hydrogen strategy; and if...
- Recycling Policy
14. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on the commitment to introduce a plastic bottle deposit return scheme; and if he will make...
- Climate Action Plan
15. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will develop and fund a specific carbon removal strategy for Irish hotels as per suggestions (details supplied);...
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
- Public Transport
16. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address a matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) regarding provision of transport for refugees from...
- Tax Code
17. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will re-examine an issue regarding motor tax (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16810/22]
- Driver Licences
18. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will facilitate the early renewal of driver licenses that have been extended due to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the...
- National Car Test
19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current average waiting list for NCT appointments in each test centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16826/22]
- Traffic Management
20. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a pedestrian crossing will be provided in Castlemaine village in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16832/22]
- Bus Services
21. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider liaising with Bus Éireann to issue free travel passes to Ukrainian refugees for a set period of time in order to...
- Energy Prices
22. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the rapid increase in the price of AdBlue for hauliers in recent weeks and if steps can be taken to...
- Driver Licences
23. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a medical report is valid for five years, the reason this cannot be accepted by the National Driver Licence Service when applying for a...
- Public Transport
24. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to improve public transport links for an area (details supplied) on the north side of Dublin; and if he will make a statement on...
- Antisocial Behaviour
25. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of antisocial incidents on Dublin Bus, by individual bus routes and by month in each of the past two years, that resulted in...
- Public Transport
26. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has engaged with a group (details supplied) which commissioned a study into the way that every village and town can be serviced by...
- Department of Finance
- Tax Code
27. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason that ESB customers are being charged VAT on the PSO levy on their bills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16886/22]
- Insurance Industry
29. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to implement reforms in view of the increasing cost of insurance premiums; the latest discussions his Department has had on this issue; the bodies or...
- Primary Medical Certificates
30. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of primary medical certificate appeals that are waiting to be assessed, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Tax Data
31. To ask the Minister for Finance the percentage and amount of tax paid by each category of apprentice during off-the-job training for each phase of their apprenticeship, in tabular form; and...
- Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
- Flood Risk Management
33. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the CFRAM programme proposed for the east County Meath area to address some of the additional flood risks that have been...
- Expenditure Reviews
34. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide an update on the work that is being undertaken to assess the expenditure impact from taking in up to 200,000 Ukrainian...
- Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
- Housing Policy
35. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if social housing tenants with spare rooms will be permitted to house Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on...
- Local Authorities
36. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason that local authority audits are published with such a time lag; and if he plans to improve the speed at which these...
- Defective Building Materials
37. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department offers support or advice to the residents of a multi-unit development built in 2008 that experience...
- Capital Expenditure Programme
38. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will confirm the voted expenditure for the Capital Assistance Scheme for 2022; the number of units of accommodation to be...
- Housing Schemes
39. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to improve the inter-county transfer process for social housing tenants; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Housing Provision
40. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department will conduct a review of the housing needs demand assessment following census 2022 in view of the fact that...
- Local Authorities
41. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if funding will urgently be made available to Cork City Council to repair a heating system for a local authority housing estate...
- Rental Sector
43. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has plans to regulate the renting out of garden sheds as accommodation at market rents; and if he will make a statement...
- Housing Schemes
44. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of HAP applications that have been rejected or not processed due to the quality of the accommodation being at an...
- Defective Building Materials
45. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will ensure that the relevant officials in his Department will view the recording of the recent European Parliament...
- Water Services
48. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he is taking to address the issue of legacy debt in rural group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Passport Services
51. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of a passport renewal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16736/22]
- Irish Aid
66. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts Ireland is undertaking to address rising hunger levels in east African countries reliant on Ukraine and Russia for wheat imports;...
- Department of Defence
- Civil Defence
67. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there is an available 4x4 vehicle and van to aid in the transportation of equipment which would be in a position to be donated to Tipperary...
- Department of Education and Skills
- School Staff
68. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the transfer of school secretaries to public service clerical officer grades will be implemented; the date from which holiday entitlements...
- Educational Disadvantage
69. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the appeal mechanisms that are in place for those schools not allocated DEIS status in her recent announcement. [16750/22]
- Schools Building Projects
70. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when her Department expects Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to make a decision on the planning permission for the school building at a...
- School Accommodation
71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will consider relocating a school (details supplied) to a location in Dún Laoghaire until its permanent home is ready; and...
- Special Educational Needs
72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will fund a placement at Middletown autism centre for a person (details supplied); the protocol for such placements; the role of the...
- School Staff
74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way that a fourth year student avails of the temporary amendment to regulation 7 of the Education Act 1998 (Unregistered Persons) Regulations...
- Legislative Reviews
75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an update will be provided on the review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; and the timeline for completion...
- Educational Disadvantage
76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if information on the appeals process for schools that did not receive DEIS status in the recent announcement will be provided. [16911/22]
- Covid-19 Pandemic
77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional supports that are in place to assist school principals to deal with the current wave of Covid-19 in circumstances in which there...
- Teaching Council of Ireland
78. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to the responsibility for registering teachers being devolved to An Chomhairle Muinteoireachta, the steps she or her Department are taking...
- Covid-19 Pandemic
79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if discussions are expected to implement the return of mask wearing in schools due to the increase of the virus in the community; and if she will...
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- Civil Registration Service
80. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide details regarding registering with the HSE to become a celebrant (details supplied); and if she will make...
- Child Poverty
81. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the efforts that are being taken to protect children from entering poverty in view of inflation; and if she will make a...
- Social Welfare Benefits
82. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will approve the payment of fuel allowance via lump sum for community employment scheme participants; and if she will...
- Social Welfare Code
83. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration has been given to extending social welfare supports to retired civil servants who have received their...
- State Pensions
84. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the queries regarding the pension entitlements of a person (details supplied) are now fully resolved and if the payments...
- Social Welfare Benefits
85. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a review of the decision to refuse the back to education allowance will be facilitated in the case of a person (details...
- Citizens Information Services
86. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the recent closure of the Wicklow Citizens Information Office in Wicklow town; if funding will be secured for...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
87. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration has been given to extending the age for qualification for the domiciliary care allowance from 16 to 18 years...
- Social Welfare Benefits
88. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a disability allowance has been approved for a person (details supplied). [16802/22]
- Social Welfare Offices
91. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the long-term future plans for an Intreo centre and social welfare office (details supplied); and if she will make a statement...
- Social Welfare Payments
92. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the diet supplementary allowance has not been paid in recent months to a person (details supplied); if their...
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Refugee Resettlement Programme
93. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of Ukrainian refugees that have arrived in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Capital Expenditure Programme
94. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was provided by his Department specifically for children's playgrounds in the past...
- International Agreements
95. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when Ireland will ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [16753/22]
- Department of Education and Skills
- International Protection
96. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if non-European Union students who had been studying in Ukraine will be facilitated to continue their studies in Ireland; if this service is...
- Apprenticeship Programmes
97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the terms of reference in terms and actions to be progressed by the National Apprenticeship Alliance following its first meeting on 24 March 2022;...
- Qualifications Recognition
98. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he anticipates the work on the Learner Protection Fund and the International Education Mark to be completed; and if he will make a statement...
- Apprenticeship Programmes
99. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total expenditure each year since 2011 on travel allowances, accommodation allowance and meal allowance for apprentices, in tabular form; the...
- Capital Expenditure Programme
100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding his Department has ring-fenced for a new campus for a facility (details supplied); and the stage the plans are at. [16924/22]
- International Protection
101. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the anticipated number of Ukrainian refugees that will need to be accommodated within both the further and higher education systems; and if he...
- Apprenticeship Programmes
104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of consortia-led and craft apprentices currently waiting to access off-the-job training; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Department of Justice and Equality
- Student Visas
106. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of education providers in Ireland that recruit non-EEA students listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes...
- Antisocial Behaviour
107. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that are in place to tackle underage drinking in towns and cities; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Victim Support Services
108. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will ring-fence a portion of moneys confiscated by the Criminal Assets Bureau to help victims of crime; and if she will...
- Departmental Data
109. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of house and farm burglaries carried out in each county in each of the past five years; the number of convictions...
- An Garda Síochána
110. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in the country in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16903/22]
- Departmental Schemes
111. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she is satisfied with the level of support her Department is providing to the community alert scheme; and if she will make a...
- An Garda Síochána
112. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí trained in Templemore in each of the past five years; the number of gardaí allocated to each...
- Legal Aid
113. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will establish a legal aid body which specialises in employment law, recognising the critical need for this service...
- Court Procedures
114. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will transition justice system terminology to a more modern English equivalent which would replace Latin terminology and...
- Courts Service
115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will establish in the area of environmental law a specialist planning and environmental law court; and if, given the...
- Legal Aid
117. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide specific funding to FLAC to expand its Traveller legal service which currently only has one solicitor,...
- International Protection
118. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will reform the current legal process relating to cases concerning international protection, moving to a model of early...
- Citizenship Applications
119. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department is in receipt of an application for residency status and citizenship in the case of a person (details...
- Department of Health
- Health Services
121. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 786 of 15 February 2022, his plans to restore respite provision in Galway city and county to pre-Covid levels; the...
- National Maternity Hospital
122. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 784 of 15 February 2022, the status of plans for the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital; and if he will make a...
- Primary Care Centres
123. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 785 of 15 February 2022, the status of the development of a primary care centre on Inisbofin; the status of the...
- Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
124. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 789 of 15 February 2022, the status of the construction of the two orthopaedic theatres with ancillary accommodation for...
- Health Services Staff
125. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the issues facing registered nurses in intellectual disability who wish to work in different clinical areas; the action that...
- Vaccination Programme
126. To ask the Minister for Health if persons who are not classed as immunocompromised but have complex medical needs will qualify for a third Covid-19 booster within three months and become...
- Disability Services
127. To ask the Minister for Health the proposals to improve access to services and reduce waiting times for appointments for members of a centre (details supplied) for persons with Down's...
- Abortion Services
128. To ask the Minister for Health the details of the blended approach of telemedicine and in-person consultation for abortion, which he acknowledged his Department is considering. [16745/22]
- Hospital Appointments Status
129. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive an appointment. [16755/22]
- Mental Health Services
131. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to restore the psychological support services for children (details supplied) in the Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal area; and if he will make a statement...
- Health Strategies
132. To ask the Minister for Health the measures being taken under the women's health action plan. [16806/22]
- Health Services Staff
134. To ask the Minister for Health the grades of employment or posts as designated by order of the Minister that are excluded from contesting a local election. [16822/22]
- Health Service Executive
135. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to an issue in relation to a HSE service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16827/22]
- Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
136. To ask the Minister for Health the progress that has been made by his Department in approving the report that identifies the site of the proposed new elective hospital for Cork, if the...
- Health Services
138. To ask the Minister for Health the number of addiction recovery housing beds intended for use for Ukrainian refugees. [16842/22]
- Irish Blood Transfusion Service
141. To ask the Minister for Health his plans for a new public awareness campaign in order to increase blood donations given that the health system is currently experiencing a shortage of blood...
- Mental Health Services
142. To ask the Minister for Health the rationale for the decision by the HSE mid-west division to transfer three residents who are suffering with serious mental health issues and residing at a...
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
143. To ask the Minister for Health the reason that edited minutes of Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland board meetings have not been publicly available since January 2021 in view of...
- Protected Disclosures
145. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a report on a protected disclosure has not yet been finalised (details supplied); when the report with findings will be made available relating to...
- Healthcare Policy
146. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to establish a new national public health emergency team; if he plans to ensure a proper gender balance on the new group; and if he will make a...
- Tobacco Control Measures
147. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made to date in reducing smoking rates in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16907/22]
- Primary Care Centres
148. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made to date to provide a primary care centre to serve the four district areas of Saggart, Rathcoole, Newcastle and Brittas; and if he will make a...
- Home Care Packages
149. To ask the Minister for Health when a home support package will be processed and in place for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Disabilities Assessments
150. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of the €7.8 million allocated to the assessment of needs service that was allocated to Fingal; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Mental Health Services
151. To ask the Minister for Health if a child with a diagnosis of autism can be referred to CAMHS for mental health assessment and treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16947/22]
- Disabilities Assessments
154. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children who have been provided with a service statement since the implementation of the revised assessment of needs policy in January 2020; and...
- Departmental Bodies
155. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 696 of 1 March 2022, if he will provide details on the membership of the Clinical Advisory Forum established under the...
- Ambulance Service
156. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether it is time to examine regionalising ambulance controls again and ceasing the centralised model to help ensure that ambulances are kept in...
- Disability Services
157. To ask the Minister for Health the status of funding for a residential care place for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17044/22]
- Hospital Appointments Status
158. To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm when a person (details supplied) will be provided with an orthopaedic appointment. [17050/22]
- Medicinal Products
159. To ask the Minister for Health the policies that are in place for a person (details supplied) needing to take extra medication abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17051/22]
- Hospital Charges
160. To ask the Minister for Health the amount recovered through the use of debt collectors and-or debt collection agencies in respect of the collection of fees and charges from patients...
- Abortion Services
164. To ask the Minister for Health the proposals he intends to bring forward to deal with the ongoing intimidation of women and medical professionals outside health facilities by those opposing...
- Hospital Charges
168. To ask the Minister for Health the amount recovered through the use of debt collectors and-or debt collection agencies in respect of the collection of fees and charges from patients...
- Vaccination Programme
170. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to establish a programme to provide Covid-19 vaccinations in schools for students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17073/22]
- Hospital Charges
173. To ask the Minister for Health the amount recovered through the use of debt collectors and-or debt collection agencies in respect of the collection of fees and charges from patients...
- Medical Cards
189. To ask the Minister for Health if discussions are expected with the HSE to review the criteria required to access a medical card due to the increase in the cost of living; and if he will...
- Hospital Waiting Lists
190. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the waiting times that women are experiencing in University Hospital Limerick for a gynaecology appointment after being...
- Hospital Appointments Status
191. To ask the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17096/22]
- Hospital Waiting Lists
192. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure the targets set in the 2022 waiting list action plan are met in view of rising Covid-19 cases and their impact on elective...
- Mental Health Services
193. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children who presented to emergency departments in Children’s Health Ireland with mental health issues; the number of referrals to liaison...
- Abortion Services
194. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the current review as to whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be...
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Agriculture Schemes
195. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if existing tillage farmers will be included in some way in the new scheme announced by the Department; if financial supports will be...
- Pigmeat Sector
196. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered the submission made by those in the pig industry for financial and other supports; his views on the submission...
- Climate Action Plan
197. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the research that has been carried out by his Department with regard to marine carbon sinks in Irish waters; and if he will make a...
- Agriculture Schemes
198. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the balance of a TAMS grant payment for a mower will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a...
- Forestry Sector
199. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of felling licence applications delayed with the current backlog; the measures that are being taken to progress these...
