Parliamentary questions

Housing Provision

Patricia Ryan

434. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he or the Government have plans or intentions, given our increasing ageing population, to establish a distinct unit to operate together across both his Department and the Department of Health to provide for a joint plan to ensure the provision of age-friendly independent and supported-living environments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26359/23]

Housing Provision

Patricia Ryan

435. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable homes that have been delivered, per county, in the years 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26361/23]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Patricia Ryan

441. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Government has plans to review the criteria for home care workers' entitlement to DSP payments (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25551/23]

Departmental Data

Patricia Ryan

784. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of dementia advisors there are for each CHO area, for the years 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [26360/23]

Home Care Packages

Patricia Ryan

785. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 371 of 20 April 2023, the number of hours that were provided in 2022 on intensive home care packages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26363/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Patricia Ryan

786. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently waiting for an eye-specialist/optician appointment for each CHO area, in tabular form; the reason there is a delay in such appointments being allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26364/23]

School Transport

Patricia Ryan

139. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education if school transport can be provided to a child (details supplied) from their home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25331/23]

Rental Sector

Patricia Ryan

176. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people on the social housing lists currently subject to notices-to-quit in County Kildare; the likelihood of those people/families being socially housed before the expiration of their notice, or what other alternatives in terms of emergency accommodation are available to them to prevent their falling into homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25334/23]

Departmental Programmes

Patricia Ryan

246. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health with regard to the healthy age friendly homes programme, the amount of resources under the programme that have been allocated; and the number of older people that have benefitted from the scheme. [25475/23]

Nursing Homes

Patricia Ryan

248. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health with regard to the recent withdrawal of a nursing home (details supplied) in Cork from the fair deal scheme due to the difference between the amounts paid per resident in private nursing homes compared with HSE public ones, if he can clarify the parameters around which the amounts are based for each payment; the measures the Government will consider putting in place to prevent further exodus of private nursing homes from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25332/23]

Home Care Packages

Patricia Ryan

249. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of intensive home support packages that have been delivered to date; the number of intensive home care hours that have been delivered to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25333/23]

Health Services

Patricia Ryan

250. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the current status of the new national safeguarding policy for the health and social care sector, as promised in budget 2023, with particular emphasis on the safeguarding of adults and older people, if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25335/23]

Health Services

Patricia Ryan

251. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of additional adult day care places for older people and dementia/Alzheimer's sufferers provided in CHO7 since Budget 2023, in tabular form; and the locations and accessibility for service users of those places, as such centres play a vital role in enabling older people and others with disabilities to live independently at home, while being able to access social and health services in their communities. [25336/23]

Meals-on-Wheels Services

Patricia Ryan

291. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of the 170,000 additional meals on wheels allocated to CHO 7 in budget 2023, covering 34 services, which have been drawn down in the intervening time, in tabular form. [25474/23]

Health Services Staff

Patricia Ryan

292. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has developed and-or instituted a medium three-to-five-year-term recruitment plan aimed at increasing direct provision of home care support and to ensure the HSE has a minimum capacity in each CHO or RHA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25540/23]

Fire Service

Patricia Ryan

95. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on actions that are to be taken to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the retained fire service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23639/23]

Special Educational Needs

Patricia Ryan

102. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education given the shortage of special needs and ASD school places in Kildare South, when he anticipates the ASD unit in a school (details supplied) will be ready to accept pupils; the timeframe surrounding it; if he has plans in place to cater for the parents children needing places, should the opening of the unit be delayed who have nowhere else to send their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23694/23]

Water Services

Patricia Ryan

153. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Government have a date for the proposed referendum for the transfer of the employment contracts of local authority workers, currently working for Irish Water/Uisce Éireann, from the local authorities to Irish Water. [23691/23]

Mental Health Services

Patricia Ryan

253. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health further to your reply to my previous question confirming there are no mental health services for lorry drivers whose mental health has been badly affected by other drivers committing suicide by crashing into them, if he envisages any future grants or resources being put in place to assist the Irish Road Haulage Association in helping their members who have been so affected to safeguard and promote their mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23689/23]

Home Care Packages

Patricia Ryan

254. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the expected date for completion of the homecare tender 2023 process; the reason behind the delay in its publication to date; whether or not it contains provisions for funding a new rate to account for the increased costs of care , and to allow homecare providers to provide living wages to their employees, taking into consideration travel time and fuel costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23692/23]