Parliamentary questions

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]

Protected Disclosures

Bríd Smith

78. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a protected disclosure is not being enacted (details supplied). [46293/18]

State Pension (Contributory)

Bríd Smith

264. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when correspondence will issue to pensioners who have the State pension (contributory) to inform them of proposed changes; and if this will be expedited within the original timeframe [46170/18]

Protected Disclosures

Bríd Smith

83. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a protected disclosure regarding Waterford and Wexford Education Training Board; and the steps he will take to ensure the person is protected in this case (details supplied). [46079/18]

Patient Safety

Bríd Smith

137. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 180 to 182, inclusive, of 3 October 2018, if clarification will be provided and the specific questions asked answered (details supplied). [46099/18]

Schools Building Contractors

Bríd Smith

304. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the process under which a company (details supplied) received contracts to build schools from his Department; the procurement process used; the criteria for awarding the contracts; the officials within his Department who oversaw the process; if his Department was involved in the decision to award the contracts; if not, if the process was conducted by an external agency; and if so, the name of the agency and the process under which the agency was given oversight of the tendering process and awarding of contracts. [45070/18]

Schools Site Acquisitions

Bríd Smith

315. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the site visits to building sites for school projects conducted by his Department or by other agents on his behalf, specifically all visits to sites operated by a company (details supplied) since 2008; and the reports and or observations submitted as a result of these visits. [45129/18]

Bord na Móna

Bríd Smith

837. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the source and amount of biomass that Bord na Móna will import to co-fire the affected power stations that use peat production; the plans Bord na Móna has to source biomass in the period ahead to replace its ceased peat production; and the studies carried out on the projected CO2 emissions of this sourced biomass. [45402/18]

Film Industry Tax Reliefs

Bríd Smith

19. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if the granting of section 481 status for film productions and his Department's role in sanctioning such production will be examined in view of concerns that budgets have been overestimated to avail of the scheme; the safeguards in place to ensure this does not happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39808/18]

Public Sector Pay

Bríd Smith

91. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if recent comments concerning circumstances in which some nursing staff may not be awarded the same increases offered to other public sector staff under the agreement to deal with pay inequality are accurate; the legislation under which such measures could be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43951/18]

General Practitioner Services

Bríd Smith

71. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to improve general practitioner coverage nationally in view of the strain that the proposed legislation on abortion rights will put on general practitioners and access for women nationally. [43626/18]

Protected Disclosures

Bríd Smith

106. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a protected disclosure by staff at Harold's Cross Hospice; his role in such cases; and if the governance and management of the hospice in relation to public funding and industrial relations with staff will be examined. [43624/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

108. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the location of the laboratories that conducted the tests on the 221 women identified to date (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43623/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

124. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if the laboratories in which the 221 cases of women given false negative results conducted by CervicalCheck are known to him, the HSE and CervicalCheck management; and if so, the reason this information has not been provided to this Deputy in view of numerous requests for same. [43627/18]

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Bríd Smith

142. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if the situation at Linn Dara CAMHS in Cherry Orchard in relation to the operation of the service, reported staff shortages and reductions in bed capacity will be clarified. [43625/18]

Tribunals of Inquiry Reports

Bríd Smith

4. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the actions he plans to take to ensure accountability and transparency in An Garda Síochána on foot of the Charleton report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42707/18]

Direct Provision System

Bríd Smith

10. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he plans to take to end the direct provision system; and his views on recent reports regarding the number of children in the direct provision system. [42443/18]

Garda Misconduct Allegations

Bríd Smith

52. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason no public inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied) has commenced; his plans to commission one; and when he expects a GSOC report on this case to be completed. [42446/18]

Direct Provision System

Bríd Smith

63. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if an investigation into the death in direct provision of a person (details supplied) will be commissioned; the circumstances in which the person was accommodated; if the reason the person was placed in a male provision centre will be determined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42444/18]

Northern Ireland

Bríd Smith

66. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if a meeting between a group (details supplied) and the new Garda Commissioner will be facilitated to discuss disclosure of all relevant information on the deaths of their loved ones. [42447/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

157. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the laboratories involved in testing the smear tests of the 221 women involved in the audit. [42620/18]

Cancer Screening Programmes

Bríd Smith

387. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will ask HIQA to investigate the misdiagnosed slides of the 221 women involved in the CervicalCheck scandal; and if this investigation will identify the laboratories involved and the cause of the errors committed in these laboratories. [41940/18]

Control of Dogs

Bríd Smith

523. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 959 of 7 September 2018, if he will expand on the term "available evidence" which he stated in his reply indicates a very high level of compliance with the microchip legislation; if his attention has been drawn to the feedback from rescue groups that there is an extremely low level of compliance with microchipping legislation; and if he will clarify the source and the extent of the available evidence. [41897/18]

Control of Dogs

Bríd Smith

524. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 959 of 7 September 2018, if there is a legal aspect of the microchip legislation under review; if so, the detail of same; and the cause, possible implications and proposed timeframe involved until the issue is resolved. [41898/18]

National Broadband Plan

Bríd Smith

22. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the procurement team will announce its decision on the remaining bid for the national broadband plan, NBP; the way in which this procurement process can have competitive tension with just one bidder; if it remains open to the team to reject this bid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41215/18]

National Broadband Plan

Bríd Smith

34. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the formal or informal discussions he has had with representatives of the remaining consortium competing for the national broadband plan. [41214/18]

National Broadband Plan

Bríd Smith

187. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the contingency plans in the event that the remaining bid for the national broadband plan is deemed untenable by the procurement team or otherwise becomes inoperable; the estimated costs of the NBP; the cost to date of the tendering process undertaking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41487/18]

Foster Care Supports

Bríd Smith

240. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the payments or supports available for a foster parent who fosters young children and who as a consequence is not available to seek full-time work and thus will not qualify for jobseeker's allowance. [41445/18]