Written Answers Nos. 402-415
402. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Monaghan and Cavan who currently hold a medical card or a general practitioner visit card; the number of these cards that have been renewed or granted since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7132/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
404. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an urgent appointment regarding treatment for prostate cancer in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7149/15]
View answerThe Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him.
If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
405. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7156/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
406. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will reverse his decision to withdraw a service whereby a person presenting voluntarily at South Tipperary General Hospital for access to the mental health services could avail of a transport facility to the mental health services in County Kilkenny. [7161/15]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my private office and they will follow up the matter with them.
407. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Health the projected cost to his Department to convert to using Eircode; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7608/15]
View answerMy Department does not anticipate significant costs associated with converting to using Eircode because it does not have large client databases or systems. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
408. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of certificates of Irish heritage issued in each calendar year since the introduction of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6661/15]
View answerSince the Certificate of Irish Heritage was introduced in September 2011, 3,029 Certificates have been issued – 149 in 2011, 1,317 in 2012, 1,172 in 2013 and 391 in 2014. This overall figure includes 283 promotional Certificates presented to various individuals since 2011.
With the vast majority of the global diaspora not eligible for Irish citizenship, the Certificate of Irish Heritage was introduced to recognise descendants of previous generations of Irish citizens in an official way and to give greater practical expression to the sense of Irish identity felt by many around the world. It is very clear from the positive reaction of those who have received a Certificate how much their heritage means to them.
My Department will continue to work with Fexco, who operate the programme on our behalf, to promote the Certificate of Irish Heritage around the world.
409. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number Irish citizens who are living in the United States of America on long-term visas. [6698/15]
View answerThe issuing of visas is a sovereign matter for the US authorities. However officials in my Department are making enquiries to obtain current figures from their US counterparts and will endeavour to provide the Deputy with an accurate figure once these have been received.
410. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a report on the work of his Department in relation to the case of a person (details supplied) who is detained in Egypt following the release of other detainees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6746/15]
View answerI remain deeply concerned at this individual's continued detention as well as the recent further postponement of his trial. From my first day in office, I have taken an active role in this case and indeed in my first week in office I spoke to Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry setting out my concerns.
I have spoken to FM Shoukry on a number of further occasions, stressing that the individual was only 17 at the time of the alleged offences and asking for the case to be reviewed, so that he may be released so that he can return to his studies and his family. I have also raised the matter with HRVP Mogherini who assured me of the ongoing assistance which the EU institutions can provide. I have met this individual's family on a number of occasions, most recently on 12 February.
We are monitoring all developments closely. This is a difficult case involving a foreign legal system and the judicial processes of another state in which we cannot interfere. However, I wish to assure the deputy of my ongoing commitment to the welfare of this young Irish citizen. I wish also to assure the deputy that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, both in Dublin and in Cairo, are in ongoing contact with this individual and his family, and with the Egyptian authorities and will continue to work actively towards the achievement of a positive outcome to this case.
411. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the current situation in eastern Ukraine; and if he supports military assistance to the Ukrainian Government. [6747/15]
View answerThe conflict in eastern Ukraine has escalated rapidly in recent weeks. The upsurge in violence and the increasing number of casualties, in particular innocent civilians caught up in the fighting, has been deeply troubling.
I welcome the agreement reached in Minsk on 12 February, following all-night talks involving Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, President Poroshenko and President Putin. The package of measures signed by the parties to the conflict offers hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed over 5,300 lives and forced almost a million people to flee their homes. The agreement provides for a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons in eastern Ukraine. It also provides a timetable for the implementation of key parts of the September Minsk Agreements, including those relating to elections, border control and prisoner exchange.
It is vital that the ceasefire is respected and that the parties to the agreement take immediate, concrete steps to implement the provisions of the Minsk Agreement. It is deeds not words that will provide assurance that all sides are genuinely committed to ending the fighting and restoring peace in eastern Ukraine.
At the informal European Council held on 12 February, Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande briefed EU leaders on the outcome of the Minsk talks. President Poroshenko also addressed the meeting and provided a realistic assessment of what was agreed. Leaders assured President Poroshenko of the EU's full backing for his efforts to restore peace and to maintain Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also considered practical ways of supporting implementation of the agreement, including through further humanitarian assistance and strengthening of the OSCE Mission.
Unity and consistency has characterised the EU's actions in response of the Ukrainian crisis to date. It is crucial that this unity is maintained as it is key to our influence and our effectiveness.
We have consistently stated that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Ukraine. The initiative undertaken by Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande's was aimed at reviving the September Minsk Agreements and bringing an end to the current spiral of violence. Providing lethal military equipment to Ukraine risks undermining these and other diplomatic efforts to find a political resolution to the crisis.
412. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6779/15]
View answerThe Passports Act, 2008 provides, among other things, that only Irish citizens are entitled to be issued with Irish passports. Therefore for the person in question to be issued an Irish passport she must first become an Irish citizen. Citizenship is a matter for the Minister of Justice Equality and Law Reform.
413. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will confirm that he has approved a grant of €250,000 to a sports club (details supplied) in New York; the terms of this grant; if it is funded from current or capital expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6912/15]
View answer416. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a legal charge will be required on a sports club (details supplied) in New York, to safeguard the taxpayers' grant aid of €250,000, as would be required for a similar grant award to a sports club here; and the way this might be registered and enforced, if required. [6915/15]
View answer417. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the verification and inspection process he has put in place to ensure the integrity of the grant award of €250,000 to a sports club (details supplied) in New York. [6916/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 416 and 417 together.
On 12 January the Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan T.D., announced that the Government was providing funding of €250,000 to the GAA for Shannon Gaels GAA Club in New York to develop the underage playing field in Frank Golden Park, Queens.
This funding marked a contribution towards the capital costs associated with the redevelopment of the facilities at Shannon Gaels, one of the fastest growing GAA clubs in the United States which has 600 members, half of whom are children. Funding for the redevelopment has also been secured from New York City and GAA HQ.
The funding was provided from the Emigrant Support Programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which supports Irish communities overseas and facilitates the development of more strategic links between Ireland and the global Irish. This project achieves an important objective in engaging the next generation in strengthening their ties to Ireland.
This grant was provided on a once-off, 12 month basis. In line with existing procedures associated with grants for capital projects, additional conditions were attached to this grant, most notably restricting the disposal of assets funded for a number of years. In addition all grant recipients agree to provide both narrative and financial reports detailing how the grant has contributed to the achieving the key objectives of the Emigrant Support Programme.
As part of the Emigrant Support Programme, a planned programme of audits is in place to ensure the continued quality of the projects and programmes funded.
414. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount of funds available to his Department in 2014 and allocated for 2015, to grant aid sports clubs based outside Ireland. [6913/15]
View answer415. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if advertisements were placed inviting sporting clubs based outside Ireland to apply for grant aid for the development of their sporting facilities; if he will confirm where these advertisements were placed; the number of applications received; the criteria used to adjudicate on these applications; the total number of successful applicants; and the total amount of money allocated. [6914/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 414 and 415 together.
The Emigrant Support Programme (ESP), which is administered by my Department, provides funding to not-for-profit organisations and projects to support Irish communities overseas. The focus of the Emigrant Support Programme is on initiatives that address the needs of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable Irish emigrants; enhance access for Irish emigrants and Irish community organisations to local statutory and voluntary services; foster a more vibrant sense of community and Irish identity amongst the Irish abroad; and encourage closer links between Irish communities abroad and Ireland, to the benefit of both.
In 2014 the budget for the ESP was €11,595,000. Some applications for funding from sporting clubs and organisations are received under the Capital and Heritage headings. All funding applications are made through an online process on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.
In advance of the 2014 grant round, advertisements were placed in a number of Irish community newspapers abroad, in the UK, Australia and Canada. In the United States, our Embassy in Washington DC and network of Consulates, as well as the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centres, were used to promote awareness of the grant round. Social media and other means were also used by our Embassies and Consulates to advertise the opening of the grant round.
Fourteen applications were received during the 2014 ESP grant round in respect of sporting clubs/organisations based outside Ireland. The 2015 grant round is currently open so details for 2015 are unavailable as yet. The overall ESP budget for 2015 remains at €11,595,000.
The following is the breakdown of funding allocated in 2014:
|
Organisation |
Application |
Amount |
|
Football Association of Ireland |
UK Welfare Officer Programme |
€42,844 |
|
Gaelic Athletic Association |
Overseas Games Development- Britain |
€225,000 |
|
- |
Overseas Games Development – North America County Board |
€44,000 |
|
- |
Overseas Games Development – New York Board |
€37,000 |
|
- |
Global Games Development |
€65,000 |
|
- |
Shannon Gaels GAA Club, Frank Golden Park, Queens, New York towards the development of the Underage Playing Field |
€250,000 |
|
London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club |
Annual Mini Rugby Festival |
Stg £7,200 |
|
Milton Keynes Irish Centre |
Irish Centre Football Pitch Development |
Stg £20,000 |
|
- |
Total |
€698,124 |
Grant applications are evaluated in line with established criteria for the ESP. Full details are available on my Department's website (www.dfat.ie)
A funding arrangement with the GAA has been in place, on a partnership basis, since 2007 and facilitates ESP support for the GAA's Community Development Administrators in the US and Britain. A Global Games Development Fund was established in 2012, on a matched funding basis with the GAA, to support GAA projects abroad, outside of Britain and the US, which deliver and promote meaningful developmental games opportunities and which also further the aims and objectives of the ESP. An open call for the Global Games Fund is made through the GAA's international structures.
