Parliamentary questions

Human Rights Investigations

Seán Crowe

153. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in January 2017 at least 13 human rights defenders were killed in Colombia (details supplied); and if he will raise this issue with his Colombian counterpart. [6528/17]

EU Issues

Seán Crowe

181. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to a decree that was passed by the Romanian Parliament that could free dozens of officials jailed for corruption (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6239/17]

Human Rights

Seán Crowe

182. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has read a report from the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) which states that a person (details supplied) and thousands of other peaceful protesters are being illegally imprisoned under the colonial era Assembly Law (Law 10/1914), that CIHRS has discovered was repealed on 30 January 1928; his views on the fact that this law is being illegally implemented 89 years after its formal repeal to the imprisoned person; and if he will formally raise this issue with his Egyptian counterpart and demand the immediate release of the person. [6240/17]

Disability Allowance Applications

Seán Crowe

303. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied). [5534/17]

Northern Ireland

Seán Crowe

340. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the comments of the British Secretary of State, Mr James Brokenshire, on the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when he intensified the British Government's public opposition to properly dealing with the past and that the British Government is trying to write itself out of its responsibility for the conflict and to obscure its central role in the conflict; and his views on whether Mr Brokenshire should cease making such offensive remarks and instead release the funds for legacy inquests, lift the British Government veto on maximum information disclosure and allow the legacy mechanisms to be established immediately. [5535/17]

Human Rights

Seán Crowe

341. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to a series of deaths at the Moria asylum camp on the Greek island of Lesbos and that aid agencies have long complained regarding the poor conditions at the camps; and if his Department will provide assistance to improve conditions in the camp. [5606/17]

Israeli Settlements

Seán Crowe

342. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to media reports that the EU Ambassadors to Palestine 2016 annual report said that the number of illegal Israeli settlers moving to occupied East Jerusalem is growing by 3% a year and that it blamed Israel for violence in occupied East Jerusalem; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the report stated that EU countries should impose immigration regulations or visa bans on known violent settlers and those calling for violence; and his views on imposing these sanctions against illegal Israeli settlers. [5607/17]

Immigration Controls

Seán Crowe

343. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the executive order signed by US President, Donald Trump, which bans citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the USA; his further views on whether this order may violate the USA's obligations to accept persons seeking asylum on humanitarian grounds under the Geneva Convention; if he will examine the consequence of President Trump’s executive order for persons with dual citizenship of one of these seven countries and Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5635/17]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Seán Crowe

470. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for a child to see an ophthalmologist in the National Children's Hospital; the longest time a child has had to wait; if some parents have been informed that it may take up to two years or longer; and the steps he proposes to introduce to reduce this long waiting list. [6022/17]

HSE Expenditure

Seán Crowe

33. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the total subventions paid from the public HSE budget to general practitioners by supplement for employment of staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4570/17]

Nursing Staff Recruitment

Seán Crowe

122. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health to set down the total cost of recruitment for nurses and midwives recruited between December 2007 and December 2016; if he will provide this information in respect of recruitment from EU and non-EU countries, including the costs of any recruitment agency; the cost of HSE staff or voluntary hospital staff who travelled to conduct interviews and adaptation costs for those recruited upon arrival here; the cost of accommodation and subsistence during that period; the cost of HSE and voluntary staff engaged to precept the non-Irish-trained nurses and midwives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4569/17]

Education Grants

Seán Crowe

181. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, in view of the difficulty being experienced by many parents hoping to access funding from the secondary education committee, which is means tested, he will outline the guidelines for the scheme; the level of a grant available to aid a person whose parents are on a certain income; the threshold for that income; the level of the grant to that person; the way in which funds are dispensed; the amount involved; the number of persons accessing the scheme; and the guidelines used to determine if a child is in need of the funds. [3964/17]

Departmental Reports

Seán Crowe

351. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has read the report by an organisation (details supplied), commissioned by his Department, to examine Irish Aid's programme in Uganda in 2010-2014, which was recently publicly released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4021/17]

Departmental Expenditure

Seán Crowe

352. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department spent more than €70,000 moving works of art between embassies and ambassadors' residences in 2016; if his Department paid the National Gallery €25,504 to move paintings between the old ambassador's residence in Vienna to a new one, a distance of 8 km, in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4022/17]

Israeli Settlements

Seán Crowe

353. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the fact that the Israeli Government has stated its intention to build 566 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem; his further views on the fact that the Israeli Government has also stated its intention to build 2,500 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank; if his attention has been drawn to reports that the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, informed members of his inner security cabinet that he has decided to lift all restrictions on Israeli construction in East Jerusalem; and the measures he will take to oppose these construction plans. [4023/17]

Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla

Seán Crowe

359. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Seán Crowe den Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála ós rud é go bhfuil sé ráite aige féin gur mhaith leis gach mír de Chomhaontú Chill Rímhinn a bheith curtha i bhfeidhm, agus ós rud é gur mír thábhachtach den Chomhaontú sin Acht Teanga a rith ó thuaidh, an bhfuil sé ar intinn aige brú a chur ar na páirtithe leasmhara ar fad ó thuaidh Acht Teanga a chur i gcrích. [4344/17]

Northern Ireland

Seán Crowe

44. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether the allegations of deep-seated corruption by the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, in respect of the renewable heat incentive, RHI, scheme have undermined the political institutions in Belfast (details supplied); and the steps and actions his Department is undertaking to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement and the other agreements are implemented in full. [3263/17]

Foreign Conflicts

Seán Crowe

62. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Saudi Arabian Government has confirmed that it has used cluster bombs in its aerial bombardments of Yemen (details supplied); and if he has raised the issue with his British and Saudi counterparts. [3049/17]

Human Rights

Seán Crowe

63. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the execution of three prisoners in Bahrain on 15 January 2017 and claims concerning same (details supplied); and if he will raise the execution of these prisoners with his Bahraini counterparts. [3047/17]

Foreign Conflicts

Seán Crowe

64. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the arrest of five persons by the French police, with the co-operation of the Spanish police, in the Basque town of Luhuso (details supplied); his views on whether the arrests are a blow to efforts to promote the Basque peace process; and his further views on whether the French and Spanish Governments should instead promote and support a process of dialogue to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Basque Country. [3046/17]