Parliamentary questions

School Enrolments

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

57. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department has failed to cater for the increased demand at a school (details supplied) in County Sligo for places at infants class, when the stated aim of this Government is to promote the active usage of the Irish language; his views on whether such a failure is a missed opportunity to have more Irish persons begin their learning in the medium of Irish rather than English; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23429/14]

Weight of Schoolbags

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

249. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in reference to the report by a working group in 1998, which recommended that no child carry over 10% of his or her body weight, yet children are carrying books and backpacks three times their weight, the reason this is not implemented in practice in all educational institutions here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22658/14]

Cable Licensing

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

496. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if commercial cable companies need a licence to place cables on private property, including private residential properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22753/14]

Arts Funding

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

135. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if a percentage of the funding being made available for the development of water treatment in Castlerea, County Roscommon, is being set aside for the arts (details supplied); and if so, the process for disbursing any such funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22119/14]

Water Services Funding

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

158. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a percentage of the funding being made available for the development of water treatment facilities in Castlerea, County Roscommon, is being set aside for the arts (details supplied); if so, the process for disbursing any such funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22118/14]

Motor Insurance Regulation

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

189. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Finance what part of Government is responsible for regulating car insurance companies; if a financial-insurance company is incorporated in another jurisdiction, what powers the Central Bank or Financial Regulator have in overseeing what they do, in particular accessing their solvency; if any measures have been put in place to prevent another insurance company from collapsing and leaving its clients without insurance cover or a refund of the premium paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21158/14]

School Transport Administration

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

259. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the statement on page 174 of the FGS report (details supplied) and the fact that his answer to Parliamentary Question No. 55 of 10 April 2014 states that the FGS report did not identify any such services where Bus Éireann was paid sums in excess of those amounts, the action he will take in respect of the officials who withheld this information to Dáil Éireann, which gives the wrong impression that no sums were paid in excess by his Department to Bus Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21351/14]

Environmental Regulations

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

450. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an Irish company attempting to develop a concrete sceptic treatment tank has to send their product to Germany for EN standards approval at a cost of over €30,000 for tanks in their range of products; if he will consider setting up an accredited testing facility here as some universities are already in a position to support such a facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20884/14]

Health Services

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

592. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm the number of H1N1 swine flu cases here; the steps his Department have taken to monitor swine flu in our hospitals; if nursing and medical staff have been trained to diagnose swine flu; if he will examine a case admitted to NUIG hospital (details supplied) and the reason the patient spent three and a half hours waiting for an ambulance for transfer to Crumlin hospital; the reason the crèche at which this child attended was not notified of the swine flu diagnosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21070/14]

Prisoner Privacy

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

155. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on alleged interception of prisoners' phone calls; the role the Prison Service played in these alleged interceptions; if he was aware of the alleged interceptions; if so, the actions he took; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20510/14]

Public Sector Staff Recruitment

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

207. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on whether an anomaly has been created by the recent temporary clerical officer 2014 competition, in that it impacts on the already successful candidates from the existing established clerical officer panel created by Civil Service clerical officer competition number 07/089/10; this anomaly arises because of the Government moratorium on public sector appointments which has been compounded now by the insertion of a clause in this year’s term time clerical officer 2014 competition that may allow in certain circumstances some successful candidates to be invited for further assessment to fill a few clerical officer roles on a permanent basis later; furthermore since the old competition has not expired, there could now exist two pools of candidates to fill any of the appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20298/14]

Agriculture Scheme Administration

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

160. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the provisions in place to assist those who suffer from dyslexia when completing paperwork in respect of farm records, grants and so on; his views having the access officers within his Department trained in dealing with those who suffer from dyslexia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19804/14]

Physical Education

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

155. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the procurement and tendering procedures used by the PDST in determining what tablets were to be used on the Department's initiative Points for Life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18927/14]

Physical Education

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

156. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost of tablets used in the Points for Life initiative in his Department; if the Department received any sponsorship of these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18928/14]

Physical Education

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

159. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the usage of iPads is endorsed by the Points for Life initiative which is part of the PDST programme and the reason usage of Microsoft Surface tablets has not been endorsed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18942/14]

Physical Education

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

162. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department does not endorse or promote any product for use in schools as his Points for Life initiative gets schools to sign an acknowledgement that they are using PDST owned iPads for the initiative and that they remain as part of the PDST which is fully funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19010/14]

Climate Change Policy

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

221. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in regard to his recent statement that climate change deniers need to be swept aside, if he is aware that everyone accepts that the climate has been, is and always will be changing, though there are many, including eminent climatologists and scientists, who question whether that change is anthropological, or man-made; the way in which he will sweep these people aside; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19223/14]

Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Administration

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

481. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there are many outstanding moneys to be paid by those owning holiday properties and penalties are accumulating on these charges which have now been abolished; if he will refund those moneys that have been charged to persons who own holiday properties here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19233/14]

Generic Drugs Substitution

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

804. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if the efficacy of generic drugs is as good as the drugs produced under patent by pharmaceutical companies; his views on whether those on medical cards who are forced to accept generic drugs will have the same level of treatment as those using pharmaceutical drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19015/14]

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

962. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the inadequate, short window made for taxi owners to sell their licences, from 1 April 2014 to 4 April 2014; his views on whether the taxi industry was given sufficient notice for members to sell licences; if he will agree to re-opening the window for a month or eight weeks for the sale of taxi licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19645/14]