Parliamentary questions

Further Education and Training Programmes

Thomas Pringle

801. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the difficulties presented to lone parents in rural Donegal who wish to avail of education and training opportunities, but who are encountering the high cost of travelling from rural areas to centres of interest; the reduced availability of places covered by the training and employment child care scheme, and other child care programmes, due to the lone parent's location, and the lack of available broadband or a sufficient Internet connection for online training; her plans to introduce an education policy specific to rural Ireland to address issues of equal access to education and training opportunities for persons living in more remote parts of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28873/15]

Register of Electors

Thomas Pringle

866. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the closure of many rural Garda Síochána stations, if he will consider amending the requirements for inclusion on the supplement to the register of electors, to allow an official of a local authority to witness an applicant's form for inclusion on the register; if he will amend or delete an applicant's need to establish in writing that the applicant is unable to progress the registration process in the presence of a member of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28861/15]

Election Management System

Thomas Pringle

867. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason it continues to be necessary to use primary school buildings as polling booths; if he will consider allowing other buildings to which the public have access to be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28862/15]

Renewable Energy Generation

Thomas Pringle

905. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of EirGrid's All-Island Generation Capacity Statement 2015-2024, which stated that between 3,200 and 3,800 megawatts of wind generating capacity will be required to allow Ireland to achieve 40% renewable electricity, if this figure includes Northern Ireland; the reason this increased power capacity is focused only on wind energy and not across other sectors, such as biomass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28879/15]

Údarás na Gaeltachta Expenditure

Thomas Pringle

956. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide in tabular form a list of the Údarás na Gaeltachta-supported companies in County Donegal that are in receipt of employment grants; the number of employees supported in each company; the cost to the Údarás of the support for each of the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28889/15]

EU-IMF Programme of Support Drawdowns

Thomas Pringle

74. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance the amount of money that has been lent to Ireland by the International Monetary Fund; the interest rate payable; the total amount of interest paid; the maturation date of the loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27915/15]

Departmental Agencies

Thomas Pringle

14. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the purpose of a meeting, attended by the reception and integration agency of her Department, with over 40 participants from direct provision centres, managers and owners, at a centre in Knockalisheen in County Clare on 3 June 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26908/15]

Asylum Applications

Thomas Pringle

15. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the circumstances around claims of a recent influx of immigrants to Ireland in the space of one month; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26907/15]

Northern Ireland

Thomas Pringle

448. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the request by the coroner in the inquest of persons (details supplied) in September 1992, and into the linked murders and attempted murders of 28 persons in Northern Ireland, for a public inquiry to be held into the killings, given that the coroner believes that the inquest is not equipped to deal with the issues involved, including the issue of collusion; if he will support the coroner's call; if he will contact the British Government in relation to the important issues involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27504/15]

Fishing Industry Development

Thomas Pringle

36. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that Ireland has never made a request in support of a recreational bluefin tuna fishery either to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas or to the European Union Commission; the reason the Government has not made such a case to the European Union for a catch and release recreational fishery programme to be based here, despite the fact that other countries have done so successfully such as Norway, in 2014 which was granted a 27 ton quota on application to the international commission; if Ireland may be treated differently on application for such a quota, even with our history of fishing in the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26050/15]

Fish Discards

Thomas Pringle

46. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the European Union Commission's proposals to implement the ban on discarding white fish catches from January 2016; the position he plans to take on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26051/15]

Migration Data

Thomas Pringle

150. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will clarify, of the 700 migrants her Department claims are coming to Ireland in a recent spike in immigration numbers, the number who are seeking asylum, and of those seeking asylum, their nationalities; the number of persons who were refused permission to enter the country and turned away; the reason this is putting pressure on public and immigration services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26515/15]

Direct Provision System

Thomas Pringle

157. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware of an increase in communications from the Reception and Integration Agency of her Department and management of direct provision centres to persons who have obtained permission to stay here informing them that they must move out of such centres within a short period, regardless of the availability of housing; the supports put in place to enable such persons to make the transition from direct provision into the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26548/15]

Schools Building Projects Applications

Thomas Pringle

109. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will meet representatives from a school (details supplied) in County Donegal, given that the school is in urgent need of a new building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25808/15]

Education and Training Provision

Thomas Pringle

118. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will be pushing for greater supports for lone parents from rural areas to access educational opportunities, including online courses, access to child care, supports for travelling to the place of education and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25807/15]

Commencement of Legislation

Thomas Pringle

382. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the provisions on adoption, guardianship and custody will commence under the terms of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26320/15]

Infectious Disease Epidemics

Thomas Pringle

400. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the actions his Department has taken in response to the increasing global health threat presented by emerging zoonotic diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and which, although it is more limited than the previous SARS-CoV, has a much higher mortality rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25908/15]

Vaccination Programme

Thomas Pringle

459. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the reason there is a shortage in supply of tuberculosis, BCG, vaccines; the issues with the supplier; the reason enough vaccines were not acquired ahead of the next supply which is due in July 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26231/15]

Foreign Conflicts

Thomas Pringle

494. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to organise an event in July 2015 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in view of the European Parliament's resolution passed in 2009 which called on European Union member states to commemorate the event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25916/15]

Broadband Service Provision

Thomas Pringle

661. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is aware of the ongoing problems small businesses are experiencing with slow debit and credit card transactions due to a lack of broadband access in County Donegal, despite being near urban centres such as Letterkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26256/15]

Broadband Service Provision

Thomas Pringle

662. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will prioritise the roll-out of high speed broadband to the most disadvantaged areas, including rural areas in County Donegal, as County Donegal is considered one of the most disadvantaged counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26257/15]

Energy Policy

Thomas Pringle

663. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources given that there is approximately 7,400 megawatt capacity of electricity in power stations and that EirGrid has predicted demand will remain more or less the same as levels in 2007, the reason policy is directed towards constructing wind farms to generate 3,000 additional megawatts of energy by 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26323/15]

Social Welfare Benefits

Thomas Pringle

23. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost implications in increasing the maximum income limit of subsidiary employment from €12.70 per day to €25 per day; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24788/15]

Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility

Thomas Pringle

36. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the way a person's jobseeker status is determined when the person signs on for jobseeker's benefit, for example, the way her Department determines and who within the social welfare system determines if a person is a pay-as-you-earn unemployed jobseeker, a self-employed but currently unemployed jobseeker, a casual worker, or an unemployed jobseeker with no previous work experience; the mechanisms available to the person, if that person believes that the status assigned to him or her is incorrect, for example a person designated as previously self-employed may not be offered available training opportunities or a person designated as unemployed but who was in fact self-employed, may be expected to engage in training opportunities not useful to that person; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24787/15]

IBRC Mortgage Loan Book

Thomas Pringle

105. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 299 of 9 June 2015, in the case of a company not under the regulation of the Central Bank of Ireland but that has voluntarily adhered to the Central Bank's code of conduct on mortgage arrears, if its subsidiary company is also subject to the code; if not, how the subsidiary's activity is regulated; the measures in place to monitor the rate of voluntary adherence to the code and the such companies' actual application of the code; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24592/15]

Legislative Measures

Thomas Pringle

111. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance the retrospective nature of the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2015; if the Bill will cover current ongoing situations, involving borrowers receiving warnings from banks in relation to their loans, including mortgages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24593/15]

Government Deficit

Thomas Pringle

231. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance the reason Irish Water was included in the Government balance sheet for the spring economic statement; the extent to which the inclusion of Irish Water affected the figures provided, in relation to the finances available for Government expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18270/15]

Vaccination Programme

Thomas Pringle

451. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if he will consider meeting with a support group (details supplied) which includes concerned parents whose children were affected by the human papilloma virus vaccination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24866/15]

Vaccination Programme

Thomas Pringle

467. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the reason for the temporary shortage of supplies of the tuberculosis (BCG) vaccine in Letterkenny Hospital in County Donegal, and in the monthly clinics in Buncrana, Dungloe, and Donegal town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24932/15]

Armenian Genocide

Thomas Pringle

510. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the Government will recognise the Armenian genocide in view of the fact that more countries have officially recognised the genocide such as Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Brazil, as well as Scotland and Wales; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24996/15]

Special Areas of Conservation Criteria

Thomas Pringle

37. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the consideration her Department can give to mitigation measures for activities that may have an impact on special areas of conservation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23905/15]

Departmental Funding

Thomas Pringle

41. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is in support of the Heritage Council's call for an increase in funding for local heritage projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23906/15]

Marine Tourism Promotion

Thomas Pringle

21. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his role in developing the nautical tourism sector, and specifically in the context of County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23471/15]

Road Safety

Thomas Pringle

30. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the issue of dangerous traffic at a school crossroads (details supplied) in County Donegal; his plans in the event that the issue is not addressed at a local level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23469/15]

Rent Supplement Scheme Administration

Thomas Pringle

62. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she envisages the roll-out of the tenancy sustainment protocol to County Donegal; if so, when she envisages this will take place; if not, if she will be extending increased supports to those on rent allowance who are struggling to find appropriate accommodation due to the limited cap per month in counties like Donegal which are also struggling with housing supply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24073/15]

Direct Provision System

Thomas Pringle

136. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if there will be an opportunity to make submissions to her on the recommendations put forward by the working group to report to Government on improvements to the protection process, including direct provision and supports to asylum seekers and the direct provision system, before the recommendations are considered by her and brought before the Cabinet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24105/15]

Direct Provision System

Thomas Pringle

137. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the report of the working group to report to the Government on improvements to the protection process, including direct provision and supports to asylum seekers, will be published before it is debated in Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24106/15]

Air Pollution

Thomas Pringle

218. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has carried out any research into the effect of chemtrails or contrails, and their effect on the environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23993/15]

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Thomas Pringle

249. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 1114 of 9 June 2015, if he will expand on the point made in his reply as to the potential role communities can play in aggregating demand for broadband services in their areas, which can lead to acceleration of the deployment and adoption of such services; the way he expects communities will aggregate demand if high speed broadband services are not available in certain communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24096/15]

Fisheries Protection

Thomas Pringle

106. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the scientific investigations that are being carried out, or will be carried out, on wild salmon stock; if the Government will consider a limited reintroduction of drift-netting to assist the collection of scientific data on wild salmon stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23127/15]

Sea Angling Sector

Thomas Pringle

128. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if plans exist to develop sea angling in the west of Ireland, in view of its potential for tourism; the support currently available to new entrants in the sea angling sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16523/15]

Vaccination Programme

Thomas Pringle

643. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health his plans to address the concerns of parents over the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil; the level of his Department's engagement in an information campaign for parents, schools and children undergoing HPV vaccination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23781/15]

Social and Affordable Housing Maintenance

Thomas Pringle

760. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount County Donegal will be allocated out of the €91 million investment in refurbishing, energy efficiency and housing adaptations for older persons and persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23197/15]

Broadband Service Provision

Thomas Pringle

817. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to what extent eircom's roll-out of end-to-end fibre-to-home broadband to the areas of Churchill, Fintown, Gleneely, Rossnowlagh and Tamney in County Donegal meets the requirements of the Government's national broadband plan; if he envisages State intervention will be reduced as a result; if so, if the capital savings from such a reduction will be reserved for other areas in County Donegal where State intervention will be needed, and where the roll-out of broadband will be challenging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23125/15]

Broadband Service Provision

Thomas Pringle

838. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is aware of the concern of the north-west regional executive committee of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation regarding access for business to high-speed broadband that despite substantial investment by the private sector, some 53% of premises in that region do not have access to high-speed broadband, which is a barrier to job creation, social inclusion and to balanced regional growth, and which goes against businesses' ability to compete online where an estimated €5.9 billion is spent annually online by consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23719/15]

Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears

Thomas Pringle

299. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance if a company (details supplied) has stated it will commit to the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21413/15]

Legislative Measures

Thomas Pringle

300. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Finance if the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2015 will be applied retrospectively for customers in current mortgage arrears; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21414/15]

Deportation Orders

Thomas Pringle

582. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the fact that the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service only lists seven deportations on 11 March 2015, when the remaining 118 persons were deported and what method of transport was used for same; if Frontex or the United Kingdom Border Agency were used; if these persons were deported on regular flights; the reason there is no mention of these 118 deportations on the service's website; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22231/15]

Visa Applications

Thomas Pringle

583. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reasons some 3,003 persons were refused entry into the country; the nationalities of those refused entry; if she will provide a breakdown of the number refused entry at each port of entry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22232/15]

Garda Operations

Thomas Pringle

584. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware that a number of protesters were held against their will, unable to exit a small enclosure sealed by An Garda Síochána, during the unveiling of the statue in Ballymote, County Sligo, on 9 May 2015 dedicated to Irish men who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War, despite there being co-operation up until that moment between the protesters, An Garda Síochána and attendees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22233/15]