Parliamentary questions

Bus Services

Bríd Smith

31. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has been notified of ongoing difficulties and the failure to deliver the promised levels of service on the bus routes recently handed over to a company (details supplied) in Dublin; if the service failures are a result of revised and shortened travelling time allocated by the company on these routes; if the ability to operate these routes with reduced running times formed part of the winning bid by the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52104/18]

Public Transport Fares

Bríd Smith

36. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the decision of the NTA to sanction a fare increase in public transport; his views in relation to same; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that cash fares have risen in some cases by 87% since 2011; and the way in which this decision is in line with measures to tackle climate change. [52103/18]

HSE Governance

Bríd Smith

276. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the actions he has taken in relation to a protected disclosure from persons at a hospice (details supplied). [51526/18]

HSE Governance

Bríd Smith

277. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to reports regarding governance issues at a hospice (details supplied), specifically in regard to bullying and harassment of staff; and the steps he will take to address concerns regarding recent audits of finances at the hospice. [51527/18]

HSE Governance

Bríd Smith

278. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person involved in making a protected disclosure at a hospice (details supplied) was subsequently dismissed by the hospice following disciplinary procedures; and if he will investigate governance at the hospice to ensure such breaches are not occurring and that public funding is not inappropriately used. [51528/18]

Public Transport Fares

Bríd Smith

442. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details of increases and changes in Dublin Bus cash and card including Leap fares each year since 2008, in tabular form; and the details of increases and changes in Luas cash and card including Leap card fares since 2008, in tabular form. [51770/18]

Public Sector Pay

Bríd Smith

94. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the changes made as a result of sick leave to the manner in which public servants avail of incremental pay increases since 2010; and the changes to rules governing sick leave and their impact on scheduled incremental pay increases in recent years. [51256/18]

Public Sector Pay

Bríd Smith

95. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the changes, as a result of FEMPI or the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, regarding the impact that sick leave may have on the projected incremental pay levels of public servants. [51257/18]

Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Administration

Bríd Smith

126. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on whether the delays in processing applications from migrant workers to work here are justifiable (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51298/18]

Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Administration

Bríd Smith

127. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if delays and ongoing technical difficulties in receiving documentation and processing applications as experienced by migrant workers coming here could be eased by the use of online applications without the need for visits to GNIB offices especially in cases of workers already resident here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51299/18]

Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Administration

Bríd Smith

128. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans for extra resources to be deployed in the INIS and GNIB in view of delays facing migrants who need to apply for visas or for renewal of residency permits, and in further view of the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU and the added pressure this may place on the system in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51300/18]

State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility

Bríd Smith

256. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; the reason her Department does not inform persons in the years prior to their retirement age that they may fail to qualify for a pension without additional contributions, paid or voluntary; if such advanced warning will be provided in the future; the reason credited contributions and discounted years in the homemaker's scheme do not count towards or are credited when calculating the minimum 520 contributions; and her plans to allow applicants use credited contributions or receive some credits for their homemaker years in future changes to the contributory scheme. [51253/18]

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Bríd Smith

273. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applicants for a State contributory pension since 2012 who have been refused a a contributory pension due to the fact that they did not have 520 contributions; and the number who had over 260 contributions. [51471/18]

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Bríd Smith

274. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applicants for the State contributory pension who failed to qualify due to the fact they did not have 520 contributions but over 260 and failed to qualify for a non-contributory pension due to a means test. [51472/18]

Maternity Services Provision

Bríd Smith

36. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the way in which he will ensure that women have access to healthcare, including the right to abortion services, at the proposed maternity hospital on the grounds of St. Vincent’s Hospital in view of concerns in relation to the possible influence of a religious ethos on the provision of these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50770/18]

Disabilities Assessments

Bríd Smith

45. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that parents of children who are in one community healthcare organisation or CHO area with regard to gaining access to assessments of needs lose their place in the queue if they move home and are placed in a different CHO area; and if, in view of the housing crisis, the way in which access to these services is impacted by such a move, which is often forced on parents, will be examined. [50773/18]

Hospital Services

Bríd Smith

77. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans in the event of a strike by nurses in public hospitals to deal with extended waiting lists and access to emergency department services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50772/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

84. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that future CervicalCheck screening can be carried out in publicly run facilities here to the highest standards; if the requirements needed in terms of suitably qualified graduates and university programmes have been examined to ensure such a programme can operate effectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50775/18]

Nursing Staff Recruitment

Bríd Smith

100. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the measures he plans to take to address the crisis in the retention and recruitment of nursing and specialised nursing staff in various departments of the public hospital system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50774/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

128. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of the 221 cases of false negatives given to women under the CervicalCheck screening programme by laboratory. [50771/18]

Defence Forces Properties

Bríd Smith

104. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason he has withdrawn from a promised arrangement to allow persons (details supplied) to purchase their homes; the arrangements he plans to put in place to secure the homes of these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50214/18]

Disability Services Provision

Bríd Smith

335. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he or his officials will meet with representatives of a group (details supplied) to discuss its concerns about the resources available to meet its needs and the allocation of resources specifically by an organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50243/18]

Health Services Staff Recruitment

Bríd Smith

491. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to allocate extra resources to aid in the retention and recruitment of nursing and other front-line staff in public facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43950/18]

Nursing Staff Data

Bríd Smith

492. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if future pay deals with nurses in the public sector health service have been costed; if he will meet with nursing union representatives to discuss such proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49211/18]

Garda Misconduct Allegations

Bríd Smith

13. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider new legislation or new regulations to prevent members of An Garda Síochána from retiring when they are subject to an ongoing investigation into their conduct in view of recent cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49789/18]

Commissions of Inquiry

Bríd Smith

15. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will commission a public inquiry into a case (details supplied) in view of the fact that the GSOC report on the tragic case has failed to provide answers to the family or the public that are needed to restore confidence in the state criminal justice system and the rule of law. [49788/18]

Offshore Exploration Licences

Bríd Smith

192. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the recent findings of the ObSERVE Programme into marine life will inform his policy on issuing licences for the exploration of oil and gas in view of the fact that such activity is known to destroy plankton, damage breeding grounds for many species and cause disorientation to many whale species listed in the ObSERVE study; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49955/18]

Planning Data

Bríd Smith

242. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of planning applications for the development of social housing by local authorities and approved housing bodies in each of the years 2010 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [49915/18]

Local Authority Housing Data

Bríd Smith

243. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number on social housing waiting lists nationally; the number of applicants (details supplied); and the number of cases in which the applicant is applying for a family; and the size of families on the waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49916/18]

Schools Building Projects Administration

Bríd Smith

108. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost relating to the operation of the various competitive tendering models or public procurement models used in education to build schools at primary and secondary levels since 2008, that is, the costs involved in selecting a winner to build schools not the actual cost of the building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49214/18]

Public Sector Pay

Bríd Smith

109. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional agreements with teachers in primary and secondary levels in order to deal with outstanding issues on equal pay and cuts made in past years have been costed; the figures for meeting such outstanding issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49212/18]

Public Procurement Regulations

Bríd Smith

83. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the policy in relation to the delivery of public infrastructure to examine the long-term costs and benefits of the present reliance on private sector providers will be reviewed in view of recent issues with competitive tendering and public procurement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49215/18]

Public Service Stability Agreement

Bríd Smith

87. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way in which he plans to use FEMPI legislation to deal with unions and workers that do not sign up to proposed pay deals; if he has received legal advice on targeting workers of a particular union in the same workplace as other workers who have agreed to such a deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49213/18]

Defence Forces Personnel

Bríd Smith

62. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the measures he is taking to deal with the crisis in the Defence Forces in respect of the retention and recruitment of staff, for example, the basic operations of the Naval Service in its fishery protection role; and if he will review the policy in respect of recognition of representative associations in the Defence Forces as a mechanism to deal with some aspects of this crisis. [48587/18]

Defence Forces Expenditure

Bríd Smith

70. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount of the budget in 2018 which will be taken by additional costs associated with PESCO related activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48393/18]

Ministerial Meetings

Bríd Smith

89. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he or his officials have met with representatives of a group (details supplied); the progress he has made in addressing the issues it has raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48390/18]

Defence Forces Expenditure

Bríd Smith

91. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way in which the increase in the budget for his Department will be allocated; if this increase will deal with the working conditions and poor pay of members of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48392/18]

Defence Forces Representative Organisations

Bríd Smith

94. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to recommend that the Defence Forces representative associations have access to the industrial relations machinery of the State, including the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and Labour Court; his views on whether such access will assist with the crisis in staff retention and numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48394/18]

Defence Forces Operations

Bríd Smith

96. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if Ireland's participation in PESCO is a breach of Ireland's neutrality in view of recent comments by EU leaders; if the view of other EU leaders that it is a step toward an EU army is shared by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48391/18]

Home Loan Scheme

Bríd Smith

121. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of successful applications for home loans under the Rebuilding Ireland scheme for first-time buyers; and the number that have applied for mortgages under this scheme to date. [47156/18]

Homeless Persons Data

Bríd Smith

134. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the details of recent changes in the calculation of homeless numbers; the rationale behind all such changes; and his additional plans and schemes to deal with vulnerable homeless persons during the winter months. [47157/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

181. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the reason a reply has not issued from the HSE regarding the number of reviews per laboratory (details supplied) in view of evidence provided to the Committee of Public Accounts on 10 November 2018. [47254/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

229. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the details of the requests from women for their slides from the cervical screening process by laboratory (details supplied). [47361/18]

Homemakers Scheme

Bríd Smith

76. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the women affected by the gaps in the homemaker's scheme can expect to see the changes that will bring them in line with post-1994 women; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46890/18]

Employment Rights

Bríd Smith

90. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the legislative measures she plans to prioritise to deal with bogus self-employment and related denials of workers' rights; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46847/18]

Pension Provisions

Bríd Smith

110. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures she will take to ensure equality in the State pension (contributory) scheme; when pensioners affected by current rules can expect to see those measures enacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46846/18]

Pensions Reform

Bríd Smith

113. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans for legislation that will offer CIÉ workers and other semi-State workers protection on their pension schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46892/18]

Pensions Reform

Bríd Smith

115. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when she will introduce measures to offer workers in defined benefit pension schemes adequate protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46891/18]

Mining Industry

Bríd Smith

181. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if a figure (details supplied) in revenue from corporation taxes comes from the four commercial gas fields in Irish waters or from the entire category of mining and utilities sector. [46837/18]

Mining Industry

Bríd Smith

182. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance the companies and geographic sites involved in the category of mining and utilities sector that are liable to pay corporation tax; and if he will itemise the contribution to the overall figure from each of these companies. [46838/18]