Parliamentary questions

Medicinal Products Availability

Bobby Aylward

541. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if he will commence a health technology assessment to assess the benefits and cost-effectiveness through the HSE of FreeStyle Libre, a sensor for measuring blood sugars, with a view to making it available on the General Medical Services, GMS, and long-term illness card, in view of the fact that this technology is available on the Irish market through a website (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37159/16]

Disability Allowance Payments

Bobby Aylward

110. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has had an eight week delay for receipt of a disability allowance back payment having been notified by the social protection appeals office that the appeal was successful on 14 September 2016 and despite the fact that the extenuating circumstances surrounding applicant's finances have been communicated to his Department on more than one occasion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36519/16]

Traveller Community

Bobby Aylward

113. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when formal State recognition will be provided to the Traveller community as an ethnic group, in line with a previous statement by the Attorney General in July 2015 that no impediment exists in respect of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35798/16]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Bobby Aylward

216. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the protocol for allocation of resource teaching hours in respect of students with learning disabilities who have shown general improvements in day-to-day learning and end of term examinations; if a student with a learning disability achieves high scores in their end of term examinations, whether resource teaching hours are likely to be reduced in advance of the following term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36145/16]

Hospital Consultant Recruitment

Bobby Aylward

201. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 529 of 12 July 2016, the status of his commitment that the recruitment of a consultant medical oncologist with a special interest in sarcoma, based in St. Vincent's University Hospital, will be prioritised; the criteria stipulated in the job description to ensure that a specialist with extensive experience in treating this rare disease is being sought by his Department; if he is satisfied that the recruitment process commenced by the director general of the HSE will ensure that a specialist of world class standard will fill this position and that the highest possible standards will be met unequivocally in respect of treating patients with sarcoma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35395/16]

Garda Deployment

Bobby Aylward

88. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda stations and the number of gardaí in each in counties Carlow and Kilkenny on 31 October 2010 and on 31 October 2016; the proportion of the proposed 800 additional recruits in 2017 that are likely to be assigned to counties Carlow and Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34661/16]

Crime Levels

Bobby Aylward

99. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if recorded crime statistics for counties Carlow and Kilkenny are an accurate reflection of the reality of crime in the area; if all Garda stations in counties Carlow and Kilkenny have access to the PULSE system; if not, the details of the stations without access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34660/16]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Bobby Aylward

266. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is any form of funding available to assist a programme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34914/16]

Forestry Sector

Bobby Aylward

622. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will investigate the feasibility and potential benefits of implementing a system by which a private company may purchase carbon credits from private forestry owners for the purpose of reducing their carbon credit rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34497/16]

Salmon Hardship Scheme

Bobby Aylward

664. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider a voluntary buy out scheme for snap net fishermen on the rivers Barrow, Nore, Suir and Slaney, if the fishermen were prepared to relinquish their licences in favour of compensation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34960/16]

Salmon Hardship Scheme

Bobby Aylward

665. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider a voluntary buy out scheme for drift net fisherman on the estuaries to the rivers Barrow, Nore and Suir, if the fisherman were prepared to relinquish their licences in favour of compensation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34961/16]

Local Authority Boundaries Review

Bobby Aylward

76. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount pent to date or the funding approved by his Department for the process by which a three man boundary review commission was established to examine the boundary between Kilkenny and Waterford, from establishment in 2015 to date. [33129/16]

School Transport Appeals

Bobby Aylward

147. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost to the State of running and maintaining the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's school transport appeals office, including total payment to staff and all associated costs per annum for the years 2015 and 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32804/16]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Bobby Aylward

181. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will investigate the possibility of amending the current criteria for the mobility aids housing grant scheme to ensure that applicants with severe arthritis and other such conditions are included under priority 1 status on the medical certificate section of the application form in response to reports that the current criteria is not specific enough to accommodate such conditions and undermines the severity of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32808/16]

Services for People with Disabilities

Bobby Aylward

336. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if he will allocate funding to reinstate a project (details supplied); if he will consider providing funding in the future to reopen the project under SOS in view of the excellent feedback received regarding the benefits of the scheme for those with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32805/16]

Services for People with Disabilities

Bobby Aylward

337. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the procedure for accommodating those who were housed under a project (details supplied) who may have been only one year into a two or three-year lease at the time when funding was not forthcoming and the project disbanded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32806/16]

Services for People with Disabilities

Bobby Aylward

338. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the process for accommodating a person (details supplied) who was actively engaged in a project before it was disbanded; if they will be housed by SOS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32807/16]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Bobby Aylward

360. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); if he will ensure that there will be no further delay and surgery will go ahead as currently scheduled in order that there is no further deterioration in the person's condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32964/16]

School Enrolments Data

Bobby Aylward

74. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of post-primary school places which were available in advance of the commencement of the 2016/2017 academic year in schools within the Kilkenny city district; the number of applications received in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32269/16]

School Costs

Bobby Aylward

211. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the huge disparity in school costs which exist from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents by providing funding for a free primary education system as costed at €103 million by a charity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31767/16]