Parliamentary questions

Vaccine Damage Compensation Scheme

Paul Murphy

51. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that persons who suffered narcolepsy after receiving the Pandemrix vaccine receive appropriate compensation without the need for expensive court cases. [23676/20]

Paediatric Services

Paul Murphy

86. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure the full reopening of paediatric emergency services at Tallaght Hospital as was promised earlier in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23675/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

386. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her attention and that of NPHET and the HSE have been drawn to the fact that the exchange of teenage school students from other European states continues to be facilitated by secondary schools here despite Covid-19 restrictions on travel and household gatherings; if they have approved that secondary schools should continue such exchange programmes; the number of students associated with the programmes; and the measures her Department, NPHET and the HSE have taken to reduce the risk of travel-related infection from the international exchange programmes. [23546/20]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Paul Murphy

508. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons in receipt of the EWSS are also eligible to apply for the short-time work support (details supplied). [23716/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

704. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if the latest restriction on groups of 15 outdoors will be clarified with regard to caravan parks in which families are only allowed use their own caravans, campers or tents and in which no clubhouse or other group facilities are open and all other public health and distancing advice is observed: and if such caravan parks can open and remain in compliance with current restrictions. [23547/20]

Disability Support Services

Paul Murphy

769. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his policy with regard to the care of persons with special needs, in particular the apparent change in the level of care to be provided under service level agreements between the HSE and care institutions (details supplied); and the steps he will take to ensure that day services reopen five days a week and that there is a full resumption of transport and respite services [23880/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

119. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if arrangements will be made to allow the children of parents who are at high risk of Covid-19 to receive remote schooling rather than having to attend in person, putting their parents at risk (details supplied). [23175/20]

State Examinations

Paul Murphy

120. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the way in which the leaving certificate calculated grades standardisation algorithm works (details supplied). [23184/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

129. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons in receipt of the EWSS are also eligible to apply for the short-time work support (details supplied). [23173/20]

Third Level Admissions

Paul Murphy

150. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if arrangements are being put in place to support CAO reapplicants disadvantaged by the grade inflation due to calculated grades in 2020 (details supplied). [23189/20]

Third Level Fees

Paul Murphy

40. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which the continuation of the full €3,000 student contribution fees can be justified in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the loss of income for many students and their families and in view of the fact that much third-level education will be provided virtually. [22512/20]

Third Level Fees

Paul Murphy

43. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on the abolition of the €3,000 student contribution fees to enable genuinely free education. [22513/20]

Driver Licences

Paul Murphy

206. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if the NDLS will provide a further extension for driver licences for six months or until the current backlog is cleared and more appointments become available in view of the difficulty for persons in renewing licences such as in the case of a person (details supplied); and if documentary applications will be accepted by way of registered post. [21636/20]

Mortgage Lending

Paul Murphy

279. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a bank (details supplied) is discriminating against mortgage applicants who are recipients of the temporary wage subsidy scheme; and if he will engage with the bank to ensure that income from the scheme is treated equivalent to other income. [21300/20]

Hare Coursing

Paul Murphy

374. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht her plans for the issuing of hare coursing licences; and her further plans to fully suspend the issuing of same. [22110/20]

Election Monitoring Missions

Paul Murphy

453. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the members from Ireland on the national election observation roster by the county submitted on the application forms as of 30 March 2020; the country submitted on the application forms of each in cases of overseas observers; the due diligence applied prior to appointment of persons to the roster in tabular form; if his attention has been drawn to allegations that some members on the roster were involved in fake election activities while appointed to the roster; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21205/20]

School Accommodation

Paul Murphy

496. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education her plans to ensure a school (details supplied) has a school building in the area for reopening in September 2020. [21256/20]

School Transport

Paul Murphy

497. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education her views on the decision of Dublin Bus to not renew the contracts for school bus services across Dublin and to cut the school transport services for many schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21257/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

573. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if the necessary support will be provided to allow a school (details supplied) to open safely in view of the issues raised by the board of management. [22033/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

689. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the precise regulations in relation to the pandemic unemployment payment and jobseeker's payments; and if there are self-isolation or quarantine issues with regard to travel overseas either to green list countries or to non-green list countries (details supplied). [21656/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

1032. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will promptly initiate a public inquiry into nursing homes in view of the evident failings in the system of care for older persons contained in the HIQA report entitled, The Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland, of 21 July 2020 and in particular the findings regarding the way in which Covid-19 got into some homes but not others. [21254/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

1033. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the deaths to date due to Covid-19 in the HSE Crooksling and Tymon North nursing homes; the reason residents were moved from one facility to the other; if he will provide the communications with the families of residents; and if he will report on the relevant staffing issues. [21255/20]

Medical Cards

Paul Murphy

1224. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if melatonin will be added to the list of medicines covered by the medical card. [21645/20]

Medical Cards

Paul Murphy

1287. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health when section 2 of the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020, which increases the income limit for the over-70s medical card, will be commenced. [21992/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Paul Murphy

1303. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the public health policy in relation to the testing of patients for Covid-19 prior to surgery; and if the same policy applies to public and private hospitals. [22036/20]

Childcare Services

Paul Murphy

997. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will begin to rationalise the system of childcare and distribute the burden of rearing the next generation across all of society rather than all on the immediate parents by establishing a fully funded public system of childcare similar to Sweden (details supplied) in the context of rising childcare costs and potentially fewer childcare places due to Covid-19. [19957/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

1162. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he or his Department have instructed hospital consultants and or general practitioners and or hospital management instructions not to issue certificates permitting certain persons not to wear face masks for medical reasons on foot of reports received that clinical staff at University Hospital Limerick have been told not to issue certificates permitting certain persons not to wear face masks for medical reasons. [19936/20]

Health Services Provision

Paul Murphy

1167. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to plans by the HSE to sell the 52 acres of publicly-owned land at a nursing home (details supplied) in the near future; if his attention has been further drawn to local public opposition to the proposed sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19963/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

63. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the €350 per week pandemic unemployment payment rate will be maintained rather than reduced. [19015/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

85. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if jobseeker’s benefits will be raised to the €350 per week pandemic unemployment payment rate rather than reducing the pandemic unemployment payment. [19016/20]

Health Services

Paul Murphy

287. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of children under 18 years of age that have an acquired brain injury; the person or body that records data on children with the injury; the national strategy for the rehabilitation of children with the injury; and if such a national strategy exists, the steps being taken to implement the strategy for children with same. [19280/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

289. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the provisions that have been made in the regulations which require persons to wear face masks for those persons that for certifiable medical reasons are unable to wear facemasks. [19339/20]

Direct Provision System

Paul Murphy

812. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will arrange for the transfer of residents of a direct provision centre (details supplied) to different, safe and supportive accommodation in view of letters from residents detailing issues in relation to bullying and inadequate and unsafe food being provided. [18928/20]

Vaccination Programme

Paul Murphy

922. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he has received a full breakdown of the legal costs of fighting court cases in relation to the administration of the Pandemrix vaccine; and his views on whether the State should continue to spend fighting court cases against persons that suffered narcolepsy after receiving the vaccine. [18101/20]

Social and Affordable Housing

Paul Murphy

6. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will use public land for public housing and halt the privatisation of public land banks and public housing. [17643/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

66. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the rent freeze and evictions ban will be extended to 31 January 2021. [17644/20]

Public Sector Pay

Paul Murphy

28. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to adhere to the 2% pay restoration for public sector workers in October 2020 as agreed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020; and his policy approach to public sector pay thereafter. [16866/20]

Election Monitoring Missions

Paul Murphy

342. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the persons on the most recent election observer roster. [16766/20]

Departmental Correspondence

Paul Murphy

490. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a copy of correspondence delivered to a person (details supplied) in relation to the possible prosecution of another person on grounds of animal cruelty or relating to other matters relevant to such a prosecution mentioned in correspondence between his Department and the person will be provided. [16918/20]

Departmental Correspondence

Paul Murphy

514. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if copies of all correspondence will be provided between his officials and a person (details supplied) relating to the possible prosecution of another person for animal cruelty. [16919/20]

Rights of People with Disabilities

Paul Murphy

562. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will speed up the process of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Ireland ratified in March 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17299/20]

Disability Services Provision

Paul Murphy

615. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the action the HSE is taking to support a person (details supplied) who is on the autism spectrum and whose condition has deteriorated significantly in the past year. [16537/20]

Apple Escrow Account

Paul Murphy

2. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the way in which he plans to respond to the ruling of the General Court of the European Union in regard to a case (details supplied) which was due on 15 July 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16606/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

11. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the way in which he plans to ensure that profitable companies do not benefit from significant corporate welfare in the context of supports being made available in the July stimulus. [16314/20]

Commercial Rates

Paul Murphy

15. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if highly profitable companies will be excluded from the suspension of rates. [16310/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

16. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the actions he will take to stop banks charging interest on Covid-19 mortgage breaks. [16311/20]

Tax Code

Paul Murphy

23. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance his plans to introduce a tax on net wealth exceeding €1 million in order to fund public investment. [16312/20]

Legal Costs

Paul Murphy

24. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the amount that has been spent on a case (details supplied) to date. [16313/20]

Child Abuse

Paul Murphy

110. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reopen the redress scheme for survivors of sexual abuse in schools and require it to act in accordance with the recommendations from a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16376/20]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Murphy

29. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the carbon emissions reductions he expects will be achieved annually in this term of Government. [16042/20]