Parliamentary questions

School Discipline

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

929. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the regulations in place to allow for the expiry of a suspension on a student’s record within the lifetime of attendance at a school. [15495/21]

Special Educational Needs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

124. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to increase resources, teachers and numbers special reading schools for children with severe dyslexia; and her plans to increase resources to established mainstream schools that will allow for the establishment of reading units such as the one in a school (details supplied) which will help children with severe dyslexia. [13823/21]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

125. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if the procedure for sick pay for special needs assistants has changed; if her Department no longer pay SNAs directly; if SNAs are required to apply for illness benefit from social welfare; if so, if same precludes recipients of the widow’s pension from receiving sick pay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13826/21]

Schools Building Projects

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

510. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the amount spent on developing phase 1 of the extension to a school (details supplied) in County Limerick which was scrapped in 2018; the amount that has been spent on developing stage 2 of this project since 2018; the reason for the delay in approving the stage 2(a) submission made by the education and training board, ETB, in November 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12915/21]

General Practitioner Services

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

947. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health when he plans to extend free general practitioner care to six and seven year olds as envisaged under the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020; if children who are now turning six years of age and are becoming ineligible for the scheme will become eligible once the scheme is extended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13386/21]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

166. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average time it is currently taking apprenticeship students to complete their qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12337/21]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

167. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current wait times for each off-the-job training phase; if this in line with the period of time advised by SOLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12338/21]

Roads Maintenance

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

167. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Transport if funding is provided to local authorities for the maintenance and upkeep of all types of roads on the islands; the funding provided by local authorities to the islands for their roads over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12159/21]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

325. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent in 2018, 2019 and 2020 on adapting houses for persons with disabilities by county and by type of ownership, that is, private homes, local authority owned homes and approved housing body homes in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11227/21]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

326. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the analysis conducted to date that compares the costs of adapting houses which have been designed to universal design standards for persons with disabilities to the cost of adapting housing units without universal design standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11228/21]

DEIS Scheme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

417. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that the proposed reduction in class sizes for primary schools will include infant and vertical DEIS schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11223/21]

Special Educational Needs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

462. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will address the absence of provision of SEN units for primary school children in the Howth, Baldoyle and Sutton area of north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11647/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

486. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the advice of a person (details supplied) who suggests that primary school children should wear surgical face masks when they return to the classrooms; and if she will communicate such advice to schools to allow them to implement in circumstances as age and ability of children allows. [11873/21]

State Examinations

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

495. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if it is planned that leaving certificate results will be issued in time for the 30 August 2021 deadline for UCAS in order to ensure that students with a UK third-level offer will be able to take their place; the efforts being made to ensure applicants to UK courses do not lose out on places as a result of any delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11957/21]

Visa Applications

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

688. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice if the automatic visa extensions given to stamp 4 visa holders until the end of April 2021 will count towards the minimum requirements for naturalisation for visa holders whose extended visas have an earlier date on them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11755/21]

Housing Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

128. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority voids returned to stock in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of voids in each local authority; the location of these voids within each local authority; the cost per unit of bringing each unit back in stock in the same period; the average turnaround time per year of bringing each unit back in stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10754/21]

Vacant Sites

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

129. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full-year revenue raised from the vacant sites levy from 2015 to 2020, by local authority in tabular form; the estimated full-year revenue from the vacant sites levy in 2021, by local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10755/21]

Departmental Legal Costs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

130. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expenditure of his Department and An Bord Pleanála in respect of all legal services provided in all appeal and judicial review applications instituted against his Department and-or An Bord Pleanála by case in each of the years since January 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10756/21]

Child and Family Agency

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

201. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the length of the waiting list to access early years supports from Tusla early intervention teams in the north inner city, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10866/21]

Vaccination Programme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

295. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the way and by whom the decision was made to not make a vaccine (details supplied) available to persons over 70 years of age; if a revision of same is planned in view of the WHO statement that the vaccine is suitable for use in this age group; and if he or the relevant body will make the vaccine available to persons over 70 years of age on a voluntary basis so that any person in this cohort who wishes to avail of the vaccine can do so. [10759/21]