Parliamentary questions

Preschool Services

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

138. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide Dáil Éireann with details regarding the extension of the free preschool year; if a cost analysis of such a proposal has been completed, if she will provide this to Dáil Éireann on the record; if not, if she will commit that such an analysis will take place; if she will provide a timeline to Dáil Éireann on the length of time it would take to roll out such an additional free preschool year; and her plans for same. [16015/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

376. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason there has been a removal of resource teaching hours for schoolgoing children suffering from Down's syndrome who are classed as mild even though they suffer from a variety of other problems including difficulties with their speech; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16048/13]

Urban Trees and Hedges

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

802. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there are laws on the size and height of trees and hedges in urban areas; and if there is a complaints process for citizens who feel their light and stability of walled structures are threatened by trees owned by neighbours. [16766/13]

Penalty Points System

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

917. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a specific legal statutory or regulatory basis that allows Garda Superintendents to cancel penalty points after fixed penalty notices have issued to members of the public; his views on whether such a practice has a legal basis; if he will cite the section of an Act of the Oireachtas or Statutory Instrument which provides for same; if this is a legitimate approach for members of the public to take when they are served with fixed penalty notices; the reason there is no mention of it on the websites of statutory bodies such as the Road Safety Authority (details supplied); if this practice of writing to Superintendents to request cancellation has a legal basis; if the advice on the RSA website will be updated to include this third option open to motorists and ensure that all members of the public are aware of same instead of a select few; and if this practice has a legal basis, where and how members of the public have been made aware of it to date. [17013/13]

Foreign Adoptions

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

442. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will clarify the situation whereby couples who commenced their international adoption of children prior to the ratification of the Hague Convention by Ireland cannot register their children with the Adoption Authority of Ireland despite being the de facto parent and legal guardian to said child; and if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are 20 such couples in this situation and that the Adoption Authority of Ireland was originally meant to bring High Court action on this issue to have it resolved but has now decided not so. [13622/13]

School Curriculum

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

238. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to the social, personal and health education programme currently run in second level schools as a compulsory part of the curriculum, his plans to maintain this as a mandatory subject; and if he has any plans to reform the said programme. [12931/13]

Health Services Staff Remuneration

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

243. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the reason six trainee medical scientists in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, who are close to the completion of their five month clinical placement which is a compulsory part of their training, have yet to receive their monthly trainee allowance of €903.98 despite the Health Service Executive memo dated 6 February 2013 outlining that all trainees were entitled to such an allowance; and if he will give an assurance that this allowance will be paid prior to the completion of these trainees' placements [12086/13]

Third Level Staff Remuneration

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

105. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a cost analysis has been carried out on the decision to amend the Trinity tutorial allowance preventing payment to new applicants for providing the service, under direction of his Department, in view of the fact that such a move is feared to lead to the abolition of the service which is instrumental in the provision of student welfare; and if not, if such an analysis will be completed to highlight the savings and or costs of amending this scheme while also keeping in mind student welfare and provision for such. [11915/13]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

510. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if he will advise on the average waiting time to see a consultant ophthalmologist in Beaumont Hospital and if he will provide an update on the position on a waiting list in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who has been on the list since September 2012. [11218/13]

Visa Applications

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

228. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the application for a partnership visa in respect of a person (details supplied); the average timeframe for a review to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10668/13]

Exchequer Revenue

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

266. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Finance the potential earnings for the Exchequer of the introduction of a 1% income tax increase for all earners over €100,000. [8408/13]

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

698. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of recorded cases of the eleven sexually transmitted infections that are currently legally notifiable here; ano-genital warts, chancroid, chlamydia trachomatis, genital herpes simplex, gonorrhoea, granuloma inguinale, infectious hepatitis B, lymphogranuloma venereum, non-specific urethritis, syphilis and trichomoniasis from 2002 to date in 2013; and if he will provide a breakdown based on age, gender and location. [8331/13]

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

699. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a full list, in tabular form, of all locations nationwide which provide screenings for sexually transmitted infections; and if he will list the criteria for screening in each location based on gender and sexual orientation, that is, the number of screening centres for men, women and gay men and so on. [8332/13]

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

700. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if we are in compliance with all EU Directives on sexual health in terms of provision of publicly funded treatment and testing centres for sexually transmitted infections. [8333/13]

Irish Blood Transfusion Service

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

701. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if his Department has issued an instruction to the Irish Blood Transfusion service to conduct a review of its MSM Blood Ban, which bars sexually active gay men from donating blood; and, if not, if he has any intention to review this practice in view of ongoing blood stock depletion. [8334/13]

Hospital Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

702. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that due to the increased number of medical school graduates this year it is anticipated that there will be a shortage of intern places for the graduating classes and that completing the internship is a legal requirement to practise medicine; and if his Department is putting in place the necessary structures to ensure that all qualifying students are facilitated with an internship year. [8335/13]

Railway Stations Upgrade

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

774. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the issue of the lack of availability of electronic ramps in Irish rail stations can be addressed; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty it is causing for persons with disabilities particularly in the DART stations in Clontarf and Killester which are in the vicinity of the Central Remedial Clinic which accommodates a significant number of wheelchair users who require public transport. [8409/13]

Garda Vetting of Personnel

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

269. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that are taken by the Reception and Integration Agency to ensure that staff in accommodation centres for asylum seekers are Garda vetted and trained to work with children and vulnerable adults in view of the fact that this is not included on the standard form employed by the contracted inspectors (details supplied). [7814/13]

Prison Accommodation Provision

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

20. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason there are only nine detoxification beds in a 4,500 bed prison system in view of the fact that 80% of persons there suffer from some form of drug problem and need services to help them detox and rehabilitate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5651/13]

Hospital Services

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

214. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the list of centres-hospitals where publicly-funded screening for sexually transmitted infections is available; if he will also provide numerical data for the number of persons who used the service per year since 2006 to date in 2013, or the year on which the most recent statistics are available; and the number of screenings per year that each centre-hospital is capable of administering. [6145/13]