Parliamentary questions

Energy Conservation

Carol Nolan

88. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when persons will be able to avail of the SEAI retrofit grants that were announced in February 2022 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31816/22]

Freedom of Information

Carol Nolan

186. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there are plans to amend the Freedom of Information Acts to make the office of President and Áras an Uachtaráin subject to FOI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31813/22]

Social Welfare Schemes

Carol Nolan

611. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address concerns that persons who are in possession of a free travel pass are not being notified that their travel pass is due to expire within three months despite assurances that they would be notified; if she will advise free travel pass users via direct mailing post to their home addresses that the expiration date is approaching in order to save them the inconvenience and cost of having to pay for travel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32767/22]

International Protection

Carol Nolan

622. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will elaborate on his plans for student accommodation to be used to house Ukrainian refugees during the summer months; the legal and contractual basis on which these arrangements will be made with both third-level institutions and the owners of privately owned student accommodation; the locations in which refugees who are housed in such accommodation will be re-housed once third-level education resumes in September; if he will give a commitment that no student accommodation will still be used to house refugees once the college term resumes in view of the shortage of student accommodation in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31905/22]

Religious Discrimination

Carol Nolan

357. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps that Ireland is taking to combat the ongoing religiously motivated persecution of Christians and Catholics in Nigeria; if his attention has been drawn to the massacre that took place recently (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31651/22]

Energy Policy

Carol Nolan

2. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the report on the review of Ireland’s energy security conducted by a consultancy firm (details supplied) will be published; the reason that it has not been published to date; the total cost paid to the firm for its services in compiling the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31029/22]

Climate Action Plan

Carol Nolan

216. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his position on the role of liquified petroleum gas and bio-liquified petroleum gas in delivering a Just Energy Transition for rural homes and businesses off the gas grid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29444/22]

Energy Infrastructure

Carol Nolan

217. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the very considerable savings that would accrue to the Exchequer and consumers if a mixed technology approach was adopted for the Government’s retrofitting scheme, which currently only covers heat pumps, to include lower carbon fuel options such as liquified petroleum gas and bio-liquified petroleum gas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29445/22]

Departmental Data

Carol Nolan

1302. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the number of illegal immigrants who have been detected in transport vehicles such as haulier's trucks at Irish harbours from 2018 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29442/22]

Abortion Services

Carol Nolan

1812. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the reason that his Department has made €60,000 available to a team of researchers based at a non-European Union university to gather the views of abortion providers to inform the abortion law review given that it is apparent from recent publications by the lead researcher in academic journals in May 2022 including SSM - Qualitative Research in Health and SSM - Population Health that these researchers have already conducted interviews with abortion providers and the research is widely available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30460/22]

Abortion Services

Carol Nolan

1813. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of failed medical abortions which required referral to hospitals for surgical abortion in 2019 and 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30461/22]

Turbary Rights

Carol Nolan

1968. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if persons in possession of a folio number for bog plots will not have their turbary rights removed or infringed upon by either the State or any private company or semi-State company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29252/22]

Land Issues

Carol Nolan

1993. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a query regarding the retrieval of land for biodiversity purposes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30935/22]

Defence Forces

Carol Nolan

262. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence if his Department has conducted any assessment of the adverse effects of offshore windfarms on air defence radar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28707/22]

Information and Communications Technology

Carol Nolan

352. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the status of her plans to support the roll-out of facial recognition technology; the analysis that her Department has conducted or has engaged others to conduct with respect to the ethical concerns around such technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28705/22]

Health Services

Carol Nolan

366. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the allocations for counties Laois and Offaly contained in the HSE Capital Plan 2022; if he will address concerns that there is a major disparity in the funding allocated to County Offaly in comparison to other midlands counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28560/22]

Parking Provision

Carol Nolan

77. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport if he will address concerns in relation to disabled parking spaces that are routinely being taken by non-disabled drivers; if he is satisfied that there is sufficient enforcement of the regulations regarding this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28317/22]

Planning Issues

Carol Nolan

244. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason that the Mulcahy Report completed in June 2017 has not been published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27450/22]

Court Accommodation

Carol Nolan

578. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice when funding will become available to complete the new courthouse project at Kylekiproe, Portlaoise, County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27537/22]

EU Directives

Carol Nolan

408. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the implementation of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27217/22]

Tax Code

Carol Nolan

26. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Finance his plans to address concerns that the current rate of stamp duty applicable to a single residential property is acting as a barrier to the building of a home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26703/22]

Tax Data

Carol Nolan

27. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Finance the total revenue generated from stamp duty in each of the years from 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26704/22]

Departmental Contracts

Carol Nolan

178. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details on the number of long leasehold and freehold contract agreements that his Department and the bodies under the aegis of his Department are currently a party to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26369/22]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Carol Nolan

511. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number who have enrolled in the national commis chef apprenticeship programme that was launched by her Department in each of the years 2018 to date in 2022; the numbers who have successfully completed the programme each year to date; if her attention has been drawn to the acute shortage of suitably qualified chefs to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25791/22]

Prison Service

Carol Nolan

534. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the current total capacity of Irish prisons; the number of persons who are currently in prison; the breakdown of all inmates by gender; the number of inmates who are Irish citizens and those who are non-nationals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25766/22]

International Relations

Carol Nolan

261. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise concerns with the Chinese authorities following the recent arrest of a person (details supplied) in Hong Kong under national security laws; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25548/22]

United Nations

Carol Nolan

332. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if Ireland has yet to ratify the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25546/22]

Culture Policy

Carol Nolan

70. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will investigate the possibility of categorising turf-cutting and turf use as protected cultural practices under such instruments as the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, otherwise known as the Faro Convention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24997/22]

Approved Housing Bodies

Carol Nolan

72. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will request the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority to conduct a value-for-money assessment of the approved housing bodies sector, given that there were 495 approved housing bodies listed in his Department’s register as of March 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24995/22]

Approved Housing Bodies

Carol Nolan

73. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding that has been provided to each approved housing body in 2020 and 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24996/22]

Further and Higher Education

Carol Nolan

154. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide the uptake levels and the progress of efforts to address issues involving consent and sexual harassment as referenced in his remarks to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Gender Equality on 5 May 2022 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25001/22]

National Maternity Hospital

Carol Nolan

173. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if he will make available the correspondence that he received from the 52 senior National Maternity Hospital clinicians in February 2022. [25329/22]

Constitutional Convention

Carol Nolan

157. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Taoiseach the amounts paid, either on the basis of a contract or as gratuities or expenses to each of the chairpersons, speakers, facilitators, researchers or other persons in respect of the Constitutional Convention in 2012 and all citizens assemblies that were held from 2012 to date. [23976/22]

Work Permits

Carol Nolan

164. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 71 of 4 May 2022, the number of work permits granted to chefs and to each other category which applies to the restaurant sector in each of the years from 2016 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24142/22]

Bus Services

Carol Nolan

202. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the decision to exclude private bus companies from the 20% fare reduction on State-funded public transport services; if he will address the concern that there is preferential treatment of State services over commercial entities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24244/22]

Teacher Training

Carol Nolan

444. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education her views on the requirement that a minimum requisite base-level gender-knowledge and gender-sensitive teaching methods skillset be mandatory for all educators in order to register as a post-primary teacher with the Teaching Council, regardless of their chosen subject; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24241/22]

Teacher Training

Carol Nolan

445. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education her views on the requirement that a minimum requisite base-level gender-knowledge and gender-sensitive teaching methods skillset be mandatory for all educators in order to register as a post-primary teacher with the Teaching Council, regardless of their chosen subject; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24242/22]

Education Policy

Carol Nolan

446. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the details of her Department’s policy toward single-sex primary and post-primary schools; if it is the intention of her Department to phase out the use of single-sex schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24243/22]

Gender Equality

Carol Nolan

564. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of the higher education bodies that have been awarded funding under the gender equality enhancement fund in 2020-2021 to advance gender equality initiatives in Irish higher education; the amount received by each of these bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24239/22]

Gender Equality

Carol Nolan

565. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the funding that has been provided to date by his Department or any bodies under the aegis of his Department to support the national gender equality dashboard for higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24240/22]

Special Educational Needs

Carol Nolan

248. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education if she will address concerns that the Summer Programme 2022 will not include adequate provision to ensure the widespread participation of children with complex education and care needs in special school settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24049/22]

Trade Missions

Carol Nolan

159. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a list of all trade missions and engagements abroad which both he and his predecessor as Minister have undertaken from 1 January 2018 to date; the dates on which both he and his predecessors were abroad in that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22702/22]

Grant Payments

Carol Nolan

602. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will reconsider the decision to maintain the cap on third level student earnings at €4,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23022/22]

Grant Payments

Carol Nolan

603. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected impact and cost implications to the Exchequer of increasing the third level student earning cap from €4,500 to €5,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23023/22]

Healthcare Policy

Carol Nolan

830. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1722 of 26 April 2022, if the legally binding instrument that emerges from the negotiating process will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas for debate; if a majority vote will be required before the instrument is transposed into Irish law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23406/22]

Work Permits

Carol Nolan

71. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to address labour shortages in the restaurant and hospitality sector; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the sector is currently losing highly skilled staff due to the non-availability of work permits and the refusal by his Department to extend existing work permits; if he will consider a relaxation of the relevant rules governing work permits in view of the acute shortage of skilled staff in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21816/22]

Departmental Funding

Carol Nolan

79. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the use of Just Transition funding to subsidise the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21778/22]

Departmental Funding

Carol Nolan

80. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the use of Just Transition funding to subsidise the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21779/22]

Housing Policy

Carol Nolan

176. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if her Department is considering delimiting the right to private property in response to the accommodation crisis generated by the influx of unprecedented numbers of Ukrainian refugees; if remarks attributed to her in several media sources (details supplied) that the Government would avoid if possible forcing persons or businesses to give up property or to open their homes to Ukrainian refugees accurately reflects her position or that of Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21737/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Carol Nolan

302. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance who have been in receipt of either payment for a continuous period of three years or; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21818/22]