Parliamentary questions

Summer Economic Statement

Ged Nash

200. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the breakdown of the €3 billion in the Summer Economic Statement related to already taken Budgetary decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38615/22]

Summer Economic Statement

Ged Nash

201. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the specific amount provided for in the in the Summer Economic Statement under budgetary decisions in respect of demographics; the details of the way that figure was arrived at; the breakdown of the projected need across all Departments; the amount that is required by the Department of Social Protection, Department of Health, Department of Education and Department of Housing to meet demographic needs; the underlying evidence for those figures in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38616/22]

Summer Economic Statement

Ged Nash

202. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the breakdown of the amount provided in the Summer Economic Statement under budgetary decisions for the full-year cost of measures announced in Budget 2022; the breakdown of those costs and each individual measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38617/22]

Summer Economic Statement

Ged Nash

203. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the breakdown of the amount provided for in the Summer Economic Statement under budgetary decisions for the cost of the existing public service pay agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38618/22]

Summer Economic Statement

Ged Nash

204. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the breakdown of the amount provided for in the Summer Economic Statement under budgetary decisions for additional capital investment; the breakdown of the amount currently allocated to each Department; the projected increase for 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38619/22]

Budget Process

Ged Nash

205. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the additional resources that are available for the allocation in the Budget if the spending rule of 6.5% was increased to either 7%, 7.5%, 8% or 9% respectively in tabular form; the impact on the Exchequer balance in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38621/22]

Departmental Expenditure

Ged Nash

206. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the breakdown of spending under the non-core expenditure allocation of €7.5 billion in the first six months of 2022; the estimated amount that is expected to be spent on Covid-19 measures in 2022; if €0.5 billion will be spent on the Brexit Adjustment Reserve; the estimated amount that it is expected to spend under the Ukraine Humanitarian Contingency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38622/22]

Budget 2023

Ged Nash

207. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if an equality budgeting statement will be forthcoming in Budget 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38629/22]

Budget 2023

Ged Nash

208. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of progress of a well-being budgeting framework; if the framework is set to be included in budget 2023; if not, the expected timeline for completion and operationalisation of this well-being budget framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38630/22]

Vacant Sites

Ged Nash

224. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated revenue that would be raised from increasing the vacant site levy to 20% based on the most recent valuation data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38686/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Ged Nash

327. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer of an extra month child benefit payment with an increase in 2022 rates by €10, €15 and €20 respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38774/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Ged Nash

332. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will reconsider a decision (details supplied) in relation to the provision of community employment participants engaged in a scheme in County Louth given the ethos and nature of the organisation in question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38207/22]

Social Welfare Payments

Ged Nash

369. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the anticipated cost to the Exchequer in 2023 of a waiver of waiting days on social welfare payments by category of payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38631/22]

Third Level Fees

Ged Nash

415. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated number of students that would be affected by changing the SUSI adjacency rates from 30 km to 25km, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38634/22]

Further and Higher Education

Ged Nash

416. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected yield from a 0.1% increase in 2023 in the national training fund levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38640/22]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Ged Nash

431. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated of cost of reducing apprentice fees by 20%, 50% and 100%, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38632/22]

Third Level Fees

Ged Nash

432. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to decrease the qualifying criteria for the non-adjacent rate of the SUSI grant from 30 km to 24 km; the estimated cost involved in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38633/22]

Further and Higher Education

Ged Nash

433. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the history of increases in the national training fund levy over the past five years in tabular form; the projected yield at budget time of each 0.1% increase in tabular form; the actual yield in the full year following the increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38641/22]

Departmental Funding

Ged Nash

354. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of unspent money contained in the Covid Contingency Fund as of 30 June 2022; the estimated expenditure from the fund on the provision of supports and services to refugees from Ukraine and Covid-19 related expenditure to 31 December 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37875/22]

Protected Disclosures

Ged Nash

357. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the provisions providing protection to volunteers will be formally commenced on enactment of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38033/22]

Wind Energy Generation

Ged Nash

122. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on a policy issue raised by a group (details supplied) regarding the development of offshore wind farms in County Louth; the status of the work of his Department to address such concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36222/22]

Departmental Schemes

Ged Nash

104. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total cost to the Exchequer of the €200 electricity credit; the number of beneficiaries who received the payment; the number of beneficiaries who received two, three or more payments, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35025/22]

Departmental Schemes

Ged Nash

105. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if persons with a second meter for storage heating in the same residence received two €200 electricity credit payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35026/22]

Departmental Schemes

Ged Nash

106. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if any beneficiaries received an additional €200 electricity credit with respect to a holiday home; if so, the number of beneficiaries who received a further payment in respect of one, two or more holiday homes, in tabular form; the number of payments that were made in regard to holiday homes in cases in which the beneficiary lived in Northern Ireland or elsewhere abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35027/22]

Housing Policy

Ged Nash

157. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the grounds on which a local authority may refuse families or individuals seeking emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35168/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Ged Nash

275. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will confirm that contract cleaning staff (details supplied) are eligible for the pandemic special recognition payment subject to the detailed terms of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35024/22]

Rental Sector

Ged Nash

38. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of complaints received by the Residential Tenancies Board relating to the €200 electricity credit payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35028/22]

Homeless Accommodation

Ged Nash

39. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way local authorities determine who is homeless; the powers local authorities have to decide who is homeless and eligible for emergency accommodation; the criteria used by local authorities to decide who is homeless and eligible for emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35167/22]

Hospital Staff

Ged Nash

746. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the reason that a number of staff (details supplied) at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital have not received the pandemic bonus payment given that their direct counterparts in Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady’s Navan did receive the payment; if the HSE plans to rectify this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33563/22]

Planning Issues

Ged Nash

2. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the An Bord Pleanála’s review report published in 2016; his views on each recommendation; the recommendations that have been implemented to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32980/22]

Rental Sector

Ged Nash

65. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding allowing local authorities to purchase a house where there is a tenant in situ; if updated guidance has been issued to the local authorities; the budget that is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32981/22]

Work Permits

Ged Nash

385. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice when she will publish the review of the atypical work permit scheme which is in place for non-EEA migrant fishers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33567/22]

Emergency Departments

Ged Nash

752. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the additional resources that will be made available by the HSE to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to accommodate the additional resource demands that will be placed on the hospital arising from the plans to discontinue the emergency department service at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32055/22]

Tax Code

Ged Nash

29. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he plans to introduce a windfall tax on the super-normal profits of energy companies; if he will provide details of any engagement that he and his officials have had with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, his officials and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31010/22]

Tax Yield

Ged Nash

58. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he is concerned at the warnings from an organisation (details supplied) of an over-reliance on corporation tax receipts; if he will outline his strategy to reduce this over-reliance; the way that he plans to broaden and sustain the tax base; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31011/22]

Departmental Functions

Ged Nash

100. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the details of plans for a new climate division in his Department; if he will confirm its staffing structure; its overall responsibilities and the function it will play in the allocation, implementation and enforcement of sectoral carbon budgets and ceilings across Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31012/22]

Capital Expenditure Programme

Ged Nash

114. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total underspend on capital spending to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31015/22]

National Development Plan

Ged Nash

138. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the impact of rising construction costs on the delivery of the National Development Plan; the total cost to the State in 2022; the estimated cost in 2023 of his Department’s commitment to pay 70% of the construction cost inflation on recently agreed contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31014/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Ged Nash

140. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will review the current 5% spending rule given the cost-of-living crisis; if he agrees that efforts to support households through the crisis combined with the existing Programme for Government’s current spending commitments may see the 5% rule breached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31013/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Ged Nash

399. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing a payment equivalent to illness benefit for the five days medical care leave as proposed in the work life balance and miscellaneous provisions Bill 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31406/22]

Further and Higher Education

Ged Nash

414. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when pension increases due to retired public service workers who were employed by FAS, the ETBs and Solas will receive payment of the increases they are owed; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31402/22]

Tax Yield

Ged Nash

18. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the additional revenue raised from capital gains tax and capital acquisitions tax respectively when the rate increased from 25% to 30% and then to 33% for each year from 2012 to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31051/22]

Electoral Process

Ged Nash

33. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to an issue in relation to a person (details supplied); if his Department has plans to address the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31101/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Ged Nash

195. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering taking steps to invoke sections 61 to 63 of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 with a view to introducing maximum price orders on certain goods and products in the context of the current cost-of-living crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30940/22]

Tax Exemptions

Ged Nash

380. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the estimated annual cost of increasing the small benefit exemption to €2,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29430/22]

Disadvantaged Status

Ged Nash

1067. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education when a decision will be made on schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30920/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ged Nash

1410. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the issues with the HSE national payroll system which caused the delay in the payment of the pandemic bonus payment to eligible HSE staff in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29047/22]

Departmental Correspondence

Ged Nash

1914. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied); the plans, if any, that the HSE has to address the problems outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30831/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Ged Nash

86. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the ways in which energy companies can assist the State and consumers to meet the challenges of escalating energy prices for domestic users; if he will outline the work being undertaken by his Department in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28586/22]

Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement

Gerald Nash

59. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if an investigation is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement into the substance of a complaint submitted to the ODCE by a person (details supplied) in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28212/22]