Parliamentary questions

Early Childhood Care and Education

Colm Burke

16. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding that was provided to childcare services in Cork under the ECCE programme since the beginning of 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28568/21]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

68. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures taken by his Department to support the professional and career development of childcare workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28567/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Colm Burke

144. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will confirm that the commitment in the Programme for Government Our Shared Vision that €1.5 billion raised from carbon taxes up to 2030 will be returned to agriculture by means of environmental schemes in which all farmers can partake and that the funding of any such scheme will be in addition to funding provided under the CAP programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28833/21]

Citizenship Applications

Colm Burke

254. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if the current position will be clarified in relation to a citizenship application by a person (details supplied); when the original document will be returned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28880/21]

Forestry Sector

Colm Burke

265. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the decision not to include ash plantations that are 25 years old and are diseased in the reconstitution and underplanting scheme when there is clear evidence these diseased plantations have little or no commercial value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28832/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Colm Burke

36. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to making resources available in order that all farmers that have applied to the REAP scheme which opened in the past number of weeks for applications and had by its closing date 11,000 applications from farmers will be accepted into the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27026/21]

Trade Relations

Colm Burke

71. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of negotiations by his Department on accessing the South Korean market for Irish grass-fed beef produce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27027/21]

Third Level Education

Colm Burke

106. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if additional supports will be put in place for new technological universities which may have commenced during Covid-19, such as the Munster Technological University, to move to on-campus learning in the upcoming term if the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 allow for such a move; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27029/21]

Third Level Education

Colm Burke

137. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports that will be put in place for students returning to on-campus learning in the upcoming term; if the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 allow for such a move; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27028/21]

School Curriculum

Colm Burke

270. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to the inclusion of a farm safety section in the agricultural science curriculum at secondary school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27224/21]

School Curriculum

Colm Burke

271. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to the inclusion of a farm safety segment and presentation series for children at primary-school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27225/21]

Common Agricultural Policy

Colm Burke

349. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department plans to implement revised definitions of good agricultural environmental conditions or cross-compliance proposed for the next CAP programme ensuring that a flexible approach is adopted when implementing good agricultural environmental conditions at national level in order to minimise the impact on farmers and farm businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27227/21]

Trade Promotion

Colm Burke

370. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the way his Department is pursuing new market opportunities for Irish food produce in view of the fact Irish agri-food companies need to diversify their independence on the UK market in a post-Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27223/21]

Common Agricultural Policy

Colm Burke

371. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for a genuine farmer definition that must ensure that CAP payments are made to farmers that are actively farming which will be a requirement for all member states in the European Union under the next CAP programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27226/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Colm Burke

104. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the way room rental income is treated for those with a serious condition or disability when assessing a disability allowance application in circumstances in which the rent collected is entirely for the purposes of meeting mortgage payments and keeping a person’s home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26076/21]

Youth Unemployment

Colm Burke

109. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the initiatives her Department will take in order to assist young persons in returning to the workforce following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26128/21]

European Council Meetings

Colm Burke

24. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence if the role of the Defence Forces in combatting Covid-19 was a topic that was discussed at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council which met in defence Ministers’ configuration in Brussels on 6 May 2021; if so, the outcome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25081/21]

Army Barracks

Colm Burke

33. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence the progress of refurbishment works in Collins Barracks, Cork, in line with the Defence Forces Built Infrastructure Programme 2020-2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25080/21]

Special Educational Needs

Colm Burke

88. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the measures being taken by her Department to incentivise persons to pursue a career in special educational needs and measures being taken to retain current staff in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25084/21]

Special Educational Needs

Colm Burke

127. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the number of additional special educational needs teachers in 2021 in Cork city and county; the number of additional special educational needs class places in Cork city and county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25085/21]

Healthcare Reimbursement Agreements

Colm Burke

745. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the cost of the review by a company (details supplied) of governance structures in relation to the HSE drug reimbursement process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23981/21]

Healthcare Reimbursement Agreements

Colm Burke

746. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the specific date his Department plans to complete its consideration of a review by a company (details supplied) of the HSE drug reimbursement process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23982/21]

Disease Management

Colm Burke

747. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the status of the National Rare Disease Plan; if incomplete or unfinished actions in the existing plan are being prioritised in the context of the update of the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23983/21]

Hospital Facilities

Colm Burke

924. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the projects in Cork city and county for which funding was allocated for extensions or improvements of hospital facilities, community home facilities and nursing homes; the amount allocated for each project; if the projects have been fully completed with reference to the years ending 31 December 2018, 2019 and 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24621/21]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Colm Burke

317. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement he has had with local authorities regarding their share of the funding for grant schemes to support persons with a disability and older persons to carry out adaptation works to their homes and the operation of such schemes to ensure as many persons as possible benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23194/21]

Local Authority Funding

Colm Burke

318. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports made available to local authorities to compensate for a loss of revenue resulting from Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23195/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Colm Burke

67. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if additional supports will be put in place for businesses which are major tourist attractions and of economic, cultural and historical significance which have suffered over 90% loss in profit throughout the pandemic but still face significant maintenance costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21825/21]

Residential Tenancies Board

Colm Burke

487. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties which are registered with the Residential Tenancies Board in each local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22054/21]

Residential Tenancies Board

Colm Burke

488. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of landlords that have been prosecuted in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021 in each local authority area for failing to register their properties in which those properties are occupied by tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22055/21]

Residential Tenancies Board

Colm Burke

489. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of inspectors employed by local authority to inspect residential accommodation which is made available for letting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22056/21]

Rent Data

Colm Burke

490. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action proposed to be taken to deal with the non-registration of rented accommodation given that in some local authority areas as little as 40% of rented accommodation is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22057/21]

Community Employment Schemes

Colm Burke

640. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will carry out a review of the payment made to participants under the community employment scheme in which the current scheme only allows an additional €20 per week on top of the unemployment benefit; if so, if consideration will be given to increasing the payment to €50 per week in addition to the unemployment benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21292/21]

Civil Marriages

Colm Burke

642. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to entitling qualified civil celebrants to solemnise weddings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21362/21]

Civil Marriages

Colm Burke

643. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if those qualified as civil celebrants will be entitled to solemnise weddings in view of the fact that many marriage registrars are only available Monday to Friday; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21363/21]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

887. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason supports are not being provided in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21289/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Colm Burke

976. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons that died with Covid-19 from 1 February 2020 to 15 of April 2021, by county; the number that died in private nursing homes, HSE nursing homes and congregated settings by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21654/21]

Departmental Funding

Colm Burke

1124. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown of funding of the €1.8 billion allocated to his Department announced in Budget 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21261/21]

Agriculture Scheme Eligibility

Colm Burke

1125. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason commonage lands and lands containing heather are excluded from the proposed results based environment agriculture pilot programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21262/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Colm Burke

1158. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if as per the programme for Government, Our Shared Future, €1.5 billion raised from carbon taxes will be ring-fenced for use in environmental schemes in agriculture up to 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22089/21]

State Bodies

Colm Burke

1159. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to the inclusion of the poultry industry under the remit of an organisation (details supplied) which includes beef and sheep only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22102/21]

Poultry Industry

Colm Burke

1160. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to the establishment of a fund co-financed by industry and the Government for the Irish poultry industry, similar to the Dutch animal health fund (details supplied), in order to improve disease control and mitigate financial impacts on poultry farmers here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22103/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Colm Burke

164. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will give consideration to granting bookshops permission to offer click and collect services to their communities once public health guidelines allow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18616/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Colm Burke

204. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to putting in place a new loan facility scheme for SMEs in order to reflect current challenges posed by the pandemic to small and medium-sized businesses by which the scheme would be independent of the main commercial banks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20300/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Colm Burke

205. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to putting in place a new loan facility scheme for SMEs in order to reflect the current challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic by which loans would be made available over a ten-year period with interest rates of 1% in years one to five and no higher than 3% for the remaining period with a moratorium option available for year one of the loan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20301/21]

National Broadband Plan

Colm Burke

281. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if National Broadband Ireland will hold discussions with Eir in order to provide broadband to premises in cases in which Eir fibre broadband infrastructure is bordering an amber area under the National Broadband Plan and in which there is sufficient capacity to accommodate more premises on this line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20353/21]

National Broadband Plan

Colm Burke

282. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if a monthly update of the Eircode system will be put in place in order to speed up the allocation of Eircodes to new postal addresses in order that they can connect to fibre broadband (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20354/21]

Environmental Policy

Colm Burke

426. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport his plans to assist companies to replace their car fleet at the earliest possible date given that it has been established that by removing all cars in excess of 15 years old off the roads it will deliver 20% reduction in emissions from cars by 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20297/21]

Environmental Policy

Colm Burke

427. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the action he plans to take in order to achieve the target of 51% given that the Climate Action Plan 2019 sets out emission reduction targets of 35% from transport which is seen as very challenging and totally reliant on hitting an electric vehicle target of 1 million by 2030 which has now been set to be achieved within that timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20298/21]

Environmental Policy

Colm Burke

428. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport his plans to have the reduction of 51% in the use of private cars given the target is now set for a 51% reduction in transport and it has been established that private cars account for 75% of all journeys and 79% of all journeys by private cars are made outside of Dublin in which there is little or poor public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20299/21]

Office of Public Works

Colm Burke

556. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason contracts relating to the transfer of lands which are urgently required for the erection of facilities for use by the Irish Coast Guard at Castlefreke, Rosscarberry, County Cork which were furnished over two years ago by the solicitors acting for Coillte to the State Solicitors Office, who is acting for the Office of Public Works, were not executed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19458/21]