Parliamentary questions

Data Protection

Catherine Murphy

109. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied that information which schools are requested to collect on parents, medical card status, social welfare status and then forward to the NCSE in accordance with the latest allocation model for resources for children with special needs is done in full compliance with data protection legislation; if she will indicate the use made of this information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46452/14]

Wind Energy Guidelines

Catherine Murphy

97. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the revised wind farm planning guidelines will be available; the number of submission received; if it is unfair for local communities and planning authorities to be operating in the dark with large-scale proposed developments in advance of the publication of the new guidelines; if it is within his power to initiate a moratorium on decisions in this area until the guidelines are published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40945/14]

Water Meters

Catherine Murphy

103. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the cost of water meters installation has had to be revised upwards significantly; if he will make available the precise terms of the final contracts with all agents contracted to install meters; if it is anticipated that, as a result of the changed timetable for water metering to commence, there will be any financial implications for the State under the terms of these contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45850/14]

Health Services Access

Catherine Murphy

394. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the range of supports which are available for sufferers of fibromyalgia; if his Department is monitoring reported rates; the cases which have been reported in each of the past five years; if there is a strategy in place to try and tackle the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46038/14]

National Parks Projects

Catherine Murphy

621. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps taken by her Department towards the creation of a Liffey Valley national park in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46167/14]

Gaelscoil Issues

Catherine Murphy

26. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the significant demand for a new Gaelcholáiste in the north Kildare area with parents of over 200 children seeking access to such an educational environment as their first choice; her views that at this point An Aonad does not come close to recognising this need; if she will revise earlier statements that it will take up to five years to determine need in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45228/14]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Catherine Murphy

44. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact that class sizes here are the second highest of EU members; to set out her views on the fact that class sizes in County Kildare are among the highest here; her plans to tackle this in view of the fact that the increases in her Department's funding is only sufficient to maintain present pupil-teacher ratios given the changing demographics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45229/14]

Local Government Fund

Catherine Murphy

71. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide all occasions where he has requested a payment from the Local Government Fund under the provisions of S6 (2C) of the Local Government Act 1998 as amended, indicating the dates the request(s) were made; the amounts requested; the dates such moneys transferred; his plans to seek further funds in this manner before the end of 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45622/14]

Irish Water

Catherine Murphy

200. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of money paid out of the local government fund to Irish Water under the provision of section 6(2CA) of the Local Government Act 1998 (as amended), indicating the amounts paid, the dates moneys transferred; the purpose of the transfer in each case; his plans to transfer further funds in 2014 or 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45621/14]

Tax Clearance Certificates

Catherine Murphy

54. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the processes by which a company may apply for a tax clearance certificate; the timeframe such a process takes; the diligence the Revenue Commissioners have to conduct in order to issue a certificate; the number of tax clearance certificates that were sought in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and of those the number awarded; if his attention has been drawn to any companies receiving a tax clearance certificate within one or two days of application; if so, the number of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45491/14]

Foreign Policy

Catherine Murphy

101. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions in which he is involved at European level regarding the growing movement towards recognition of Palestinian statehood; if Irish policy is developing in this regard towards offering recognition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44955/14]

Foreign Policy

Catherine Murphy

102. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to seek Cabinet approval to begin the process of offering Irish recognition of Palestine as a nation State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45050/14]

Water Meters Installation

Catherine Murphy

151. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the eligibility criteria for applying for the contract to install water meters; the number of bids received; if he is satisfied that all bidders were fully tax-compliant at the time of making their bids; the timeline by which the tendering process was conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45489/14]

Industrial Relations

Catherine Murphy

133. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on bringing forward legislation to provide for the right of former employees and pension beneficiaries to be represented and negotiate on their own behalf within the industrial relations architecture of the State; the reason such a measure has not been considered up to now; if he will confirm that there is a precedence for such a measure going back to the 1970s; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44334/14]

State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility

Catherine Murphy

150. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her Department has encountered any unforeseen difficulties arising from the phasing out of the State pension transition payment; if in particular her Department has had difficulties reported to it of persons being forced to retire at 65 and move to a jobseeker's payment; if a particular cohort of persons have been adversely affected by the change; and if she is considering either re-introducing the payment or devising a compensatory payment for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44858/14]

Rent Supplement Scheme Administration

Catherine Murphy

174. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the services of the tenancy protection unit to the areas surrounding Dublin which are suffering a severe housing and homelessness crisis but who have far less resources to deal with the problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45138/14]

Pension Provisions

Catherine Murphy

373. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that a person (details supplied) was inadvertently and incorrectly not provided with an adequate pension following 30 years working as a home help provider with the Health Service Executive and its predecessors; the reason they were informed that they were too old to avail of the pensions scheme at the time of their retirement in January 2014; if he will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45292/14]

Teachers' Remuneration

Catherine Murphy

438. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she plans to action the directive contained in circular 0053/2014 where it was announced that teachers who began their service after January 2011 were to have their pay restored to the pre-cut scales so as to alleviate some of the disparity between teachers’ pay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45139/14]

Electromagnetic Fields Studies

Catherine Murphy

485. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the policy that is relied upon to define acceptable levels of electromagnetic fields associated with high-tension power lines; if the policy is to be reviewed to take account of updated expert research in both the engineering and medical disciplines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45304/14]

Electromagnetic Fields Studies

Catherine Murphy

522. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the policy that defines acceptable levels of electromagnetic fields associated with high-tension power lines when planning for the proximity of such power lines to residences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45248/14]