Parliamentary questions

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

208. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for an update on the publication of the detailed implementation plan in relation to the 130 recommendations arising from the Defence Forces High Level Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37506/23]

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

209. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 169 of 4 July 2023, for a breakdown, by rank, of the number of people leaving the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, by month, over the past five years, in tabular form, and indicating whether those individuals had completed their agreed contract or if they had paid to exit their contract early; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37554/23]

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

210. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 169 of 4 July 2023, for a breakdown of the numbers of people joining the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, by month, over the past five years, in tabular form, and indicating whether they are joining at an officer or enlisted level and if they are entering through direct hire or general service recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37555/23]

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

211. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 169 of 4 July 2023, for a breakdown of the numbers of former Defence Forces personnel re-enlisting, and at what rank, with either the Army, Naval Service or Air Corps, by month, over the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37556/23]

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

218. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of applications made to join either the general service or cadet ranks of the Army, Naval Service or Air Corps over each of the past five years; how many of these applicants were invited to take part in training; how many of these trainees completed their training; the rank at which they were commissioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38401/23]

Defence Forces

Patrick Costello

219. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of Defence Forces personnel, and their rank, who have been assigned to teaching in the Military College, Air Corps College or Naval College over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38402/23]

Road Safety

Patrick Costello

261. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the plans to introduce average speed camera systems fitted with automatic number plate recognition, such as those operational in the Dublin Port Tunnel, across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37552/23]

Legislative Measures

Patrick Costello

388. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport when the relevant part of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 will be enacted which allows gardaí to seize e-scooters. [38731/23]

Tax Code

Patrick Costello

429. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance the reason that alcohol-free beverages cost the same as their alcoholic counterparts given that no excise duty applies; if he will take appropriate steps to ensure that there is a price differential to encourage more persons to switch to alcohol-free drinks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37399/23]

Tax Code

Patrick Costello

430. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance if he will reduce alcohol-free beverages VAT rate from 23% to 13.5% which is in line with the rate charged to other non-alcoholic beverages in the hospitality sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37401/23]

Tax Data

Patrick Costello

441. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance the number of workers in the State who pay taxes at the 40% tax bracket level. [37697/23]

Interest Rates

Patrick Costello

458. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance if, in light of the ongoing refusal of Irish banks to pass on ECB interest rates to Irish customers, he will establish a State savings system (separate to the existing bonds) which matches the variable ECB interest rates. [38372/23]

Tax Reliefs

Patrick Costello

477. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance given the rent-a-room scheme promotes a mechanism of tax relief, the measures the Government will introduce to ensure that such relief is only made available to homeowners who act in good faith when promoting a vacancy and attracting tenants. [38797/23]

Tax Reliefs

Patrick Costello

478. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Finance if his Department is conducting any performance review for the rent-a-room relief scheme to outline the effectiveness of the scheme, issues arising from its implementation and exploring whether there is any benefit from the scheme to the wider issue of student accommodation. [38818/23]

Ethics in Public Office

Patrick Costello

516. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on the implementation of the recommendations outlined by the Review of Ireland's Statutory Framework for Ethics in Public Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37455/23]

Ethics in Public Office

Patrick Costello

517. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the measures he is taking to “strengthen the Standards in Public Office Commission”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37456/23]

Ethics in Public Office

Patrick Costello

518. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the timeline on the introduction of the general scheme for legislative reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37457/23]

Ethics in Public Office

Patrick Costello

519. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform his views on whether the Standards in Public Office Commission should be given powers to initiate investigations without the need for an official complaint to be submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37460/23]

Public Sector Staff

Patrick Costello

520. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for a breakdown of the number of secretariat staff provided, on either a full-time or part-time basis, to each of the different programme areas under the Office of the Ombudsman in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37461/23]

Public Appointments Service

Patrick Costello

521. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the average time it takes for a recruitment process by the Commission for Public Service Appointments to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37462/23]

Traffic Management

Patrick Costello

544. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 213 of 20 October 2022, if he will provide an update as An Garda Síochána remains unable to enforce the 30 kph speed limit introduced in February 2022 and is also unable to prosecute drivers for 'crossing the continuous white line' on Chesterfield Avenue to overtake cars, because the line was installed by OPW and not a council; and if he will ensure the correct legislation in place so An Garda Síochána is able to prosecute such traffic offences. [39083/23]

Consumer Protection

Patrick Costello

564. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has consulted with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission around the issue of the de facto monopoly Ticketmaster/Live Nation have on the online ticket sales market and measures he is introducing to ensure fair competition in the market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37809/23]

Business Regulation

Patrick Costello

575. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made by the Companies Registration Office in implementing the Commission Implementing Regulation 2023/138 including which documents will be freely available, and what the current timeline for full implementation is; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38546/23]

School Enrolments

Patrick Costello

601. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if she or her officials will meet the ‘D8 New School’ group of parents in relation to the provision of secondary education in Dublin 8. [37397/23]

School Enrolments

Patrick Costello

602. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education the intake ratio at secondary level for all school planning areas, broken down by individual school planning area, in each of the years 2015-2019, or by two-year period, in tabular form; and to clarify if such figures include fee paying schools. [37417/23]

Special Educational Needs

Patrick Costello

607. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education for an update in relation to commencement of the autism class in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37531/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

608. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education for an itemised list of all capital works projects for schools, both primary and secondary, in the D6W/D8/D10/D12 areas, with a breakdown of current status, projected timeline until completion and the capital expenditure committed to each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37532/23]

Special Educational Needs

Patrick Costello

609. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education for an itemised list of all autistic spectrum disorder units for schools, both primary and secondary, in the D6W/D8/D10/D12 areas, with a breakdown of the number of children attending each unit, the number of teachers allocated to each unit (part-time and full-time) and facilities custom-designed for them, such as sensory rooms and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37533/23]

Schools Building Projects

Patrick Costello

610. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education for an update in relation to the current status and timeline for completion of the 'lot 6' school works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37534/23]

Disadvantaged Status

Patrick Costello

623. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education when the OECD review of Ireland's Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) resource allocation policy will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37853/23]

Special Educational Needs

Patrick Costello

710. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education when her Department will give approval to a submitted report for the building of an ASD suite in a school (details supplied), given it has been with her Department for ten months and the appointed contractor cannot proceed without this approval in place. [38770/23]

Schools Refurbishment

Patrick Costello

711. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education when her Department will give approval for the works to be carried out to a school (details supplied), given the appointed contractor cannot proceed without this approval in place. [38771/23]

School Funding

Patrick Costello

712. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if her Department has received written correspondence dated 18 August 2023 from a school (details supplied) regarding the need for additional funding; and if she will make this funding available. [38772/23]

Education Policy

Patrick Costello

724. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 367 of 13 July 2023 (details supplied), if she will provide the relevant maps for Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. [38816/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

725. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if any of the 314 school planning area boundaries have changed since 2010; and if so, if she will provide maps of those SPAs before and after any such changes. [38817/23]

Departmental Functions

Patrick Costello

833. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether there should be penalties introduced for political parties that do not submit annual accounts; if so, how these should be enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37458/23]

Fire Safety

Patrick Costello

834. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the introduction of emergency funding for interim fire safety works in buildings with fire safety and other defects, including the amount of funding that will be made available this year, how it will be accessed and when the funding scheme will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37467/23]

Fire Safety

Patrick Costello

835. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the portal within the Housing Agency for people with defective homes to access information and funding for remedial works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37468/23]

Fire Safety

Patrick Costello

843. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update in relation to the provision of interim funding to allow for the commencement of emergency fire safety works in buildings with identified fire safety defects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37553/23]

Heritage Sites

Patrick Costello

865. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if her Department has or will consider the purchase of the old Parliament from the Bank of Ireland for use as a civic and/or museum site given its importance to Irish history and the underutilised nature of the building in its current form, especially considering the proposed pedestrianisation of the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37744/23]

Homeless Persons Supports

Patrick Costello

867. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of investigations of homeless hostels carried out by local authorities, by county, by month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37758/23]

Housing Policy

Patrick Costello

868. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the Finnish model of ending homelessness; if he plans to implement a similar model here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37759/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

869. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider creating additional positions within each of the local authorities' vacant homes office teams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37760/23]

Housing Schemes

Patrick Costello

870. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount each local authority has received from the croí cónaithe towns fund, by month and by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37761/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

871. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many vacant property reimbursement grants have been issued by local authority, by month, since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37762/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

872. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many derelict property top-up grants have been issued by local authority, by month, since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37763/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

873. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant sites on the local authorities vacant site register for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37764/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

874. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a breakdown of the unpaid vacant site levies due to each local authority over the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37765/23]

Derelict Sites

Patrick Costello

875. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of derelict sites on the local authorities derelict site register for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37766/23]

Derelict Sites

Patrick Costello

876. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the unpaid derelict site levies due to each local authority over the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37767/23]