Parliamentary questions

Hospital Services

Seán Canney

565. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if a multidisciplinary medical team can be assembled at University Hospital Galway to assess the case of a 17-year-old (details supplied) who is wheelchair- and bed-bound, seven months after an acute viral illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41280/23]

Hospital Services

Seán Canney

568. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if an interview taken in April 1994 in a hospital setting will be released to the patient involved (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41350/23]

Public Sector Pensions

Seán Canney

206. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when approval will be given to allow communication workers to access pension increases as approved by the Labour Court; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40011/23]

Social Welfare Schemes

Seán Canney

604. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will remove the means test from full time carers, many of whom are providing 24/7 care for a loved one but who cannot access carer's allowance due to the means of a spouse or partner; if she recognises the savings that these people are providing for the State and the valuable social role that they are performing, especially in light of ever-increasing household cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39464/23]

Wind Energy Generation

Seán Canney

91. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the effects of lightning on wind turbines has been investigated; if in particular sulphur hexafluoride can escape into the atmosphere if a turbine is struck by lightning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37726/23]

Taxi Regulations

Seán Canney

315. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Transport if he will allow the NTA to distinguish between a taxi and hackney in relation to rear windows being darkened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38151/23]

National Car Test

Seán Canney

366. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider instructing the NCT to reverse their decision to go cashless only and to accept cash as a legal tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38548/23]

Tax Code

Seán Canney

436. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance the rationale behind the decision not to allow tax relief for land rented to a close relative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37512/23]

Tax Code

Seán Canney

451. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance when the appropriate amendment will be made to the Finance Act to exempt functional farmland from the residential zoned land tax. [38162/23]

Tax Code

Seán Canney

453. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance when the appropriate amendment will be made to the forthcoming finance Act to exempt R2 residential zoned land from the residential zoned land tax, given that this land cannot currently be developed. [38171/23]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

842. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is a recommended cap on the number of social houses a county council can purchase in a private turnkey development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37524/23]

Departmental Data

Seán Canney

899. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications received under the croí cónaithe vacant property grant scheme since its inception to date for each local authority; the number of applications that have been approved in each local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38161/23]

Vacant Properties

Seán Canney

906. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider expanding the vacant property refurbishment grant to include vacant properties that cannot be refurbished and require total demolition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38308/23]

Wildlife Regulations

Seán Canney

945. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will resend S1 421 of 2023 in order to allow for sufficient dialogue with an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38913/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1282. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason woodland on a farm is not recognised in the new acres scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37912/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1294. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what funding was in place for the 2022 BISS scheme; what funding is in place for the 2023 scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38148/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1295. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for the fodder scheme 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38152/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1311. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeframe for approval for applications under TAMS 3 which closed on 30 June 2023; if there are delays in the approval process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38522/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

1314. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a forest owner who fells an ash plantation that has been affected by ash dieback will have to return his forestry payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38621/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1333. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when approval letters will issue in relation to TAMS Tranche 3; if he is aware of the stress that the delay in issuing TAMS approvals is causing to farmers who wished to have sheds in place for the coming winter; what is the cause of the current delay as farmers in Tranche 2 received approval letters within four to six weeks of the closing date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39196/23]

Departmental Offices

Seán Canney

1418. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to set up the office in Tuam of the director in charge of the exhuming of the site in Tuam in order that the director and their staff can be based close to the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38166/23]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Seán Canney

1420. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will include childcare as an appropriate career for an apprenticeship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38215/23]

Medical Qualifications

Seán Canney

1778. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that the HSE is requesting final transcripts of a student's final degree undertaken in Northern Ireland earlier than is possible for the university, which means students studying in Northern Ireland will be unable to apply for internship posts and work as doctors here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38523/23]

Medical Aids and Appliances

Seán Canney

1880. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will fund the purchase of an AED device for a person diagnosed with long-QT syndrome which will be located in the person’s home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39089/23]

Third Level Education

Seán Canney

2044. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider providing support for student physiotherapists studying in Lithuania due to the shortage of physiotherapists in this country and places to train; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37513/23]

Third Level Fees

Seán Canney

2065. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the one-off payment of €1,000 towards the student contribution will be made available to a student (details supplied) who did Year 1 of a course in 2019/2020 and received the Free Fees Initiative and who then did Year 1 of a different course in a different college in 2022/2023, but who was precluded from the payment as they did not get the free fees in the first year of their current course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38698/23]

Rural Schemes

Seán Canney

2089. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she is considering a review of the amount of LEADER funding allocated to County Galway, with a view to increasing the allocation to bridge the shortfall in funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38164/23]

Wind Energy Generation

Seán Canney

74. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the use of sulphur hexafluoride also known as SF6, in the switch gears of wind turbines; if he is aware of its description as one of the world's most potent greenhouse gases; if he plans to ban the use of this greenhouse gas in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35859/23]

Tribunals of Inquiry

Seán Canney

152. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will consider changing the nature of the inquiry into the Defence Forces to establish a tribunal of inquiry as opposed to a private commission of inquiry and amend the terms of reference so that the inquiry will have the necessary buy-in from important stakeholders and victims' representative bodies and not be an exercise in self-investigation by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35628/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

909. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will be approved and commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35862/23]

Immigration Policy

Seán Canney

980. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will set up a skills database of all people entering this country who can access the labour market in an effort to deal with the skills shortage facing this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35670/23]

Cancer Services

Seán Canney

1101. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide sustainable funding to an organisation (details supplied), as the funding is vital to ensure the viability of these centres, which are recognised as having a significant role in the patient pathway of cancer patients in the HSE National Service Plan 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35625/23]

Health Services

Seán Canney

1119. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the number of neo-natal deaths that have been registered which included premature delivery or termination of pregnancy as a cause of death and in cases in which a condition was present affecting the foetus that was likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth. [35758/23]

Health Services

Seán Canney

1164. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when public ADHD services will be available in the Tuam area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35911/23]

Abortion Services

Seán Canney

682. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 615 of 4 July 2023, the reason for the disparity in his reply where he stated there had been approximately 8,844 second consultation claims made in 2022 under the PCRS for termination of pregnancy, whilst in Parliamentary Question No. 172 of 10 May 2023, the HSE stated there had been 8,876 claims under the PCRS for termination of pregnancy in 2022; and if he will clearly clarify, the exact number of claims paid out under the PCRS for combined termination of pregnancy procedure and aftercare in 2022. [34991/23]

Abortion Services

Seán Canney

683. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health to provide a list of all informal and formal meetings or engagements held with groups or individuals by him or his Department on the subject of abortion exclusion zones from 2022 to date in 2023, in tabular form. [34992/23]

Work Permits

Seán Canney

184. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice if she will expedite the application process for persons seeking a visa to enter this country for work purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34682/23]

An Garda Síochána

Seán Canney

185. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice if she is satisfied with the number of gardaí in the force presently; the number of gardaí who will be retiring in the next 12 months; the number of gardaí who will be recruited in the same time; the number of gardaí who have retired early in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34683/23]

Environmental Investigations

Seán Canney

568. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many soil testing labs are approved by his Department, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33672/23]

Employment Rights

Seán Canney

640. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when the remaining provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 will be commenced; if she is aware of the difficulties that this is causing for workers across rural Ireland, who are now being forced to make long and unnecessary commutes to large urban centres to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34269/23]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

641. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on a matter (details supplied). [34273/23]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

642. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will support a matter (details supplied). [34274/23]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

643. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on a matter (details supplied). [34275/23]

Housing Schemes

Seán Canney

4. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will review and publish the income thresholds and the level of grants payable under the housing aid for older people, housing adaptation grants and mobility grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33199/23]

Housing Provision

Seán Canney

7. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has a plan and budget to manage and maintain the social housing stock over time to ensure that the housing stock is kept in good condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33200/23]

Planning Issues

Seán Canney

14. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects to publish the review of the guidelines in relation to the construction of rural houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33201/23]

Housing Schemes

Seán Canney

66. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide additional resources to the local authority to deal with and manage the demand for the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33203/23]

Insurance Industry

Seán Canney

187. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that insurance companies are using the issue of the differential price walking as set out by the Central Bank as a reason to increase insurance premiums for car insurance and house insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33213/23]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

190. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance his views on the impact of the introduction of the concrete levy on the cost of house building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33202/23]

Departmental Bodies

Seán Canney

223. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education the band a school (details supplied) is on the Pobal HP deprivation index; what data was used to decide this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33386/23]