Parliamentary questions

School Completion Programme

Colm Keaveney

172. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the school completion programme funding in an area (details supplied) in County Galway will be protected in 2015; if Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is seeking savings from this programme as it has been cut by 33% since 2008; his plans on reversing those cuts in 2015 or 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6470/15]

Primary Care Centres Data

Colm Keaveney

174. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, for each operational area of the Health Service Executive, the numbers waiting for counselling in the primary care service for an initial appointment, in total, for more than three months, for more than six months, for more than nine months, for more than one year, for more than two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6356/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

191. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings on a chosen day in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6432/15]

Health Services

Colm Keaveney

197. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health in view of correspondence (details supplied), his views on whether it is appropriate to have service users of a day service in County Roscommon in a bus for one and a half hours for what should be a ten-minute journey; the action he will take to remedy this, in view of the effect that it is having on the willingness of persons to attend the day service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6486/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

207. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6431/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

219. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider flying the Amber Flag from her Department's buildings on a chosen day in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6428/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Colm Keaveney

221. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on claims that the proposed new model being designed to allocate resources to children with special needs in mainstream schools has the potential to discriminate against so-called high performing schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6456/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Colm Keaveney

222. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Skills if it is the case that children with an assessed low-incidence-special-educational need will no longer be entitled to special-needs-teaching hours under the proposed new model of allocation; if at present, each child who receives resource-teaching has the legal right to a certain number of hours of such teaching, as determined by the guidelines, and provided by the special education needs organiser. [6457/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Colm Keaveney

226. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Skills regarding the National Council for Special Education's proposed document entitled Delivery for Students with Special Educational Needs: A better and more equitable way, her views on concerns that if professional diagnosis is eliminated then children will be at the mercy of school staff that often have inconsistent levels of experience and training; her further views that without professional diagnosis teachers will be guessing at the problem which hinders the remediation process; and if it is not the case that if the learning difficulty is identified early on by a qualified practitioner the teacher has a much better chance to remediate with proven teaching strategies that meet the particular learning need. [6478/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

241. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6429/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

254. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6426/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

261. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6437/15]

Mental Health Awareness

Colm Keaveney

265. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider flying the amber fFlag from her Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6424/15]

Work Placement Programmes

Colm Keaveney

185. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on permitting persons on disability allowance to access Gateway and Tús schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4465/15]

Bond Markets

Colm Keaveney

237. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether there is a bubble in the sovereign bond market; his views on whether Irish sovereign bonds are currently overvalued; the risk assessment he has carried out in respect of any market correction to the current valuation of Irish sovereign bonds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4461/15]

European Central Bank

Colm Keaveney

238. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether the recent measures announced by the European Central Bank will be of benefit to Ireland in terms of measurable indicators; his views on what would constitute the criteria of success for these measures with respect to the Irish economy; his views on whether quantitative easing poses a risk of inflating asset bubbles in stocks, bonds, commodities and-or property; if so, the way he will address that risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4462/15]

European Central Bank

Colm Keaveney

239. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Finance with reference to the recent measures announced by the European Central Bank, the ceiling the ECB will place on the total holdings of Irish Government bonds held by the Central Bank of Ireland; the current total holdings of Irish Government bonds held by the Central Bank of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4463/15]

Banks Recapitalisation

Colm Keaveney

240. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Finance the actions he will take in the Court of Justice of the European Union with respect to the actions of either or both the European Central Bank or the European Commission in addressing the banking crisis here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4464/15]

Hospital Appointments Status

Colm Keaveney

350. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive an appointment to the National Referral Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology at Crumlin Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3420/15]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Colm Keaveney

353. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive an appointment for life-saving heart surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3467/15]