Parliamentary questions

Primary Care Centres

Clare Daly

196. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to reports that no new staff are to be allocated to the primary care centre in Balbriggan in view of the fact that his predecessor made a number of promises regarding jobs and health services that would come on stream with the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27830/16]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Clare Daly

197. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has to wait up to 14 months for an assessment by a psychologist, occupational therapist and physiotherapist when this assessment should be completed within six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27838/16]

Aviation Industry Regulations

Clare Daly

266. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the timeframe and process that will be undertaken for the establishment of a separate unit within the IAA to deal with airport noise; and the way it will operate as the competent authority in relation to EU Regulation No. 598/2014 in the interim. [27919/16]

Aviation Industry Regulations

Clare Daly

267. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the arrangements that exist in other EU countries regarding the competent authority designated to deal with EU Regulation No. 598/2014; and the analysis he made of the practice in other jurisdictions, prior to awarding this function to the IAA. [27920/16]

Aviation Industry Regulations

Clare Daly

268. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which he proposes to deal with the collaborative working and public consultation arrangements that he has acknowledged have to be applied in implementing EU Regulation No. 598/2014; and the way residents' views will be taken into consideration in the establishment of such arrangements. [27921/16]

Aviation Industry Regulations

Clare Daly

269. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the process he intends to undertake in relation to the establishment on an appeal mechanism to independently examine, where required, the application of the competent authority's legal responsibility in adhering to the ICAO balanced approach in implementing EU Regulation No. 598/2014; and if such a body must be in place prior to the commencement of the implementation of the regulation. [27922/16]

Appointments to State Boards

Clare Daly

274. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the process undertaken in the appointment of the chief executive of Sport Ireland, from the original ministerial statements that the position would be filled by public competition, to the filling of the position for a year with a commitment that it would be advertised at the end of that period, to the appointment being made on a permanent basis by the board without any competition. [27954/16]

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations

Clare Daly

63. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to strengthen the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission's ability to deal with complaints against gardaí, particularly the problems being experienced in it dealing with protected disclosures; the difficulties being experienced in having claims effectively investigated; and the rights of the whistleblowing gardaí protected during the process. [27371/16]

Prisoner Welfare

Clare Daly

64. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the fact that a person (details supplied) is being held in continuous solitary confinement in violation of their human rights and that the advice of medical professionals regarding their custody plan has not been implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27370/16]

Military Neutrality

Clare Daly

33. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the practical implications for his Department and the Defence Forces of the accelerated practical co-operation between the EU and NATO agreed to in a joint communiqué from EU leaders in July 2016 following an EU leaders summit; and the discussions he has had regarding the role his Department will play in ensuring that such practical co-operation will not compromise Ireland's neutrality. [27097/16]

Military Aircraft Landings

Clare Daly

41. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 831 of 16 September 2016, if the Defence Forces were called upon to perform aid to civil power duties for US military aircraft landing at Shannon and en route to or returning from Romania in June 2016; and the total cost to the State of the Defence Forces performing these duties for these aircraft. [27096/16]

Overseas Missions

Clare Daly

45. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of members of the Defence Forces who will be deployed to the Golan Heights in the coming weeks, following the announcement on 19 September 2016 that a new contingent of troops would be joining the UNDOF mission in the near future; and his views on whether this deployment is a good use of Defence Forces capability. [27098/16]

Defence Forces Medicinal Products

Clare Daly

46. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will remove Lariam from the Defence Forces' formulary and cease its use as a first-line anti-malarial by the Defence Forces at least until such time as he has had time to review the report of the malaria chemoprophylaxis working group, both in order to safeguard Irish troops and to protect the State against future litigation. [27094/16]

Irish Prison Service

Clare Daly

110. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 77 of 16 September 2016, if, in the last round of recruitment for chief officer 2 - work and training in the Irish Prison Service, every person awarded a mark of at least five out of ten for each competency following assessment of their application forms by the interview board was automatically offered an interview. [26952/16]

Irish Prison Service

Clare Daly

111. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 77 of 16 September 2016, if some individuals who scored a mark of at least five out of ten for each competency following assessment of their application forms by the interview board in the last round of recruitment for chief officer 2 - work and training in the Irish Prison Service, were offered an interview for the role only after email correspondence with the Irish Prison Service in which those individuals pointed out that they had not been offered interviews despite having the necessary scores. [26953/16]

Irish Prison Service

Clare Daly

112. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 77 of 16 September 2016, if written records are kept of the scores awarded at interview for the chief officer 2 - work and training in the Irish Prison Service, including evidence of the way in which cumulative scores for each competency are arrived at. [26954/16]

Departmental Bodies

Clare Daly

116. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the basis upon which, on whose authority and the process by which a person (details supplied) was assigned to work full time for the newly established Adoption Board in 1953; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27005/16]

Garda Misconduct Allegations

Clare Daly

132. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the delay in the commencement of the statutory inquiry related to a case (details supplied); and when it will be convened and the likely timeframe for completion. [27452/16]

Prison Discipline

Clare Daly

136. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to eliminate the use of solitary confinement in Irish prisons, which has been consistently been criticised by international human rights periodic reviews. [27528/16]

Departmental Properties

Clare Daly

189. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Finance if a company (details supplied) which will in the near future be leasing office property to his Department at a cost to the State of €9 million per year is availing of a section 110 exemption. [26912/16]

Property Tax Data

Clare Daly

193. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 210 and 226 of 16 September 2016, the number of persons who own properties, respectively, in ranges (details supplied); and the number of multiple property owners in each of the ranges for each of the years 2013 to 2015, inclusive. [26961/16]

Property Tax Data

Clare Daly

194. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 210 and 226 of 16 September 2016, the number of the 50 persons who own 201 or more properties who are natural persons; the number which are companies or investment vehicles; and the number of those companies which fit the definition of vulture fund. [26962/16]

Housing Data

Clare Daly

195. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Finance if his Department, the Revenue Commissioners or NAMA collect and collate data on those entities which purchase multiple residential properties from NAMA and which subsequently let those properties to local authority tenants through any of the local authority rental schemes available (details supplied); the number of local authority tenants to which each entity rents units; the cost to the Exchequer per entity; and the number of units as a percentage of the total number of rental units available in any given time period, quarterly, yearly and so on. [26963/16]

Schools Building Projects

Clare Daly

257. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if commencement of phase 2 of the construction of a school (details supplied) can be brought forward to ensure that students will not be sitting for exams in an overcrowded school building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26781/16]

Labour Court Recommendations

Clare Daly

344. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will investigate his Department's failure to intervene in relation to the fact that the Wexford Local Development Company refused to honour Labour Court recommendation LCR 19755 26/3/2010 on the grounds that it was a private matter between the company and its employees, when it later emerged that the company, which has consistently been funded by his Department, stated that it was a former Minister (details supplied) who advised it not to do so. [27039/16]

Pyrite Remediation Programme

Clare Daly

345. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of properties that have been remediated under the pyrite remediation scheme; the number accepted into the scheme awaiting commencement; the number of applications pending, refused acceptance onto the scheme, appeals made and appeals upheld; the number of properties with a DCR of 1 or 1 with progression that have been included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27044/16]

Back to Education Allowance

Clare Daly

368. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will reverse the new policy changes to the back to education allowance scheme which were introduced in April 2016, which will reduce any income for students working part time during the academic year and have not been publicised to the local social protection officers or students on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26457/16]

JobPath Implementation

Clare Daly

402. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, if the 60 minutes maximum travel time for JobPath participants is the totality of a round trip to attend at JobPath offices or 60 minutes each way. [26945/16]

JobPath Implementation

Clare Daly

403. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, the number of on-site inspections of JobPath providers which have taken place since the scheme was established; the nature of the on-site inspection; and if the inspection is a one off or involves repeat visits by inspectors to a provider. [26947/16]

JobPath Implementation

Clare Daly

404. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, the safeguards which are in place to prevent private JobPath providers from using valuable data acquired in the course of delivering the scheme, for example, information on persons responsible for recruitment in a given organisation, particularly in view of the fact that one service provider (details supplied) is a private recruitment company with an interest in gaining and using this data in the delivery of its recruitment services to private entities. [26948/16]

Rent Supplement Scheme

Clare Daly

407. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the total expenditure by his Department for each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date on rent supplement payments (details supplied) to landlords being paid rent through one or other of these schemes for, respectively, 50 to 100 units, 100 to 200 units and 200 plus units. [26964/16]

Rent Supplement Scheme

Clare Daly

414. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the total expenditure by his Department for each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date, inclusive, in tabular form of rent supplement payments inclusive of HAP, RAS and all other local authority private rental schemes to private landlords being paid rent through one or other of these schemes for ten or more properties. [26981/16]

Diplomatic Representation

Clare Daly

465. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the diplomatic efforts in place to secure the release of a person (details supplied). [26467/16]

Military Aircraft Landings

Clare Daly

473. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 831 of 16 September 2016, the purpose of those flights listed as originating in and destined for Romania; and if those flights had a connection to the activation of a missile defence station in Romania by the United States in May 2016. [26979/16]

Military Aircraft Landings

Clare Daly

474. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to his response to Parliamentary Question No. 832 of 16 September 2016 (details supplied), which indicates that the pilots in question are engaged in a military exercise, if he will make a statement in this regard, given that it is forbidden for foreign military aircraft to engage in military exercises while here, as per his Department's own rules. [26980/16]

Office of Public Works Properties

Clare Daly

505. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if, in regard to the proposed move of his Department to Miesian Plaza, where it will pay approximately €9 million per year to lease space from a private entity, any examination of whether NAMA could supply property at a lower cost to his Department was made prior to this decision being made. [26910/16]

EU Directives

Clare Daly

530. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 171 and 172 of 13 July 2016 (details supplied), if she will name the competent authority in matters of public health involved in making decisions on which bird species should come under a derogation from the birds directive. [27028/16]

EU Directives

Clare Daly

531. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to outline the research which has been conducted by her Department into methods of control used elsewhere in Europe to deal with seagulls in urban settings; and her plans to deal with the issue. [27041/16]

Hospital Appointments Delays

Clare Daly

549. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the case of a person (details supplied), particularly in view of Government statements regarding its commitment to reduce waiting times for patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26475/16]

Maternity Services

Clare Daly

608. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he will commission a fully independent hospital wide review of vaginal birth after caesarean section, VBAC, counselling at Lourdes hospital, rather than the HSE managed review of an individual case with no start or completion date and no review of any of the other cases, despite the fact that its own limited audit of 2011 cases highlighted over 50% of cases had no documentation of the risks of VBAC being discussed. [26670/16]

Maternity Services

Clare Daly

609. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the HSE's apparent widespread failure to counsel on the risks of vaginal birth after caesarean section, VBAC, to enable persons to make an informed birthing choice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26671/16]

HSE Correspondence

Clare Daly

660. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a public representative made a written submission (details supplied); if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that, despite a reminder being sent, to date there has been no acknowledgement of or response to the submission; if he will consider introducing legislation to ensure that the HSE responds to correspondence promptly and within a reasonable timescale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26930/16]

Maternity Services

Clare Daly

662. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that in the week of 6 June 2016 a total of four qualified midwives and a student midwife were covering nine delivery rooms, working 13-hour shifts, in the Rotunda Hospital; the steps he has taken to deal with staffing problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26935/16]

Maternity Services

Clare Daly

663. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on how he proposes to deal with problems in our maternity services, with particular reference to the fact that eight maternity units are under investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26936/16]

Hospital Procedures

Clare Daly

680. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied) and determine if a procedure can be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27009/16]

Hospitals Funding

Clare Daly

681. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his plans to reverse budget cuts to the chronic pain management clinic at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin. [27010/16]

Greyhound Industry

Clare Daly

767. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the Morris report into doping in the greyhound industry was not published as promised; if he will make it publicly available without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26672/16]

Live Exports

Clare Daly

782. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the first shipment of animals from Ireland to Turkey will take place; the time of the shipment; and the locations from which will they depart. [26623/16]

Animal Welfare

Clare Daly

809. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine , further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 335 of 12 July 2016 and 560 of 16 September 2016, if dogs seized on welfare rather than control grounds become the responsibility of the local authority, the authorised officers, the ISPCA or the welfare group carrying out the seizure. [26898/16]

Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff Scheme

Clare Daly

855. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the situation with regard to feed-in tariffs for renewable sources of energy; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the small-scale solar and wind industry here has ground to a halt due to the lack of a feed-in tariff for domestic scale investments; if he will direct the Commission for Energy Regulation to provide for small-scale producers a clear system whereby they will know that they are going to get a return for their investment; if he will ensure that his Department delivers on providing a REFIT rate for the solar energy industry within the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26886/16]