Parliamentary questions

State Examinations

Ged Nash

376. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on concerns and policy issues raised with regard to the 2022 leaving certificate examinations (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62443/21]

Data Protection

Ged Nash

488. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice if she plans to upgrade the functions and structure of the Data Protection Commissioner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62576/21]

Driver Licences

Ged Nash

48. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport if he will clarify and review an application by a person (details supplied) to the National Driver Licence Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62236/21]

State Examinations

Ged Nash

111. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) with regard to the 2022 leaving certificate examinations; if she will consider the option of predicted grades for this cohort of leaving certificate students in view of the continuing impact of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62128/21]

Tax Data

Gerald Nash

203. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the revenue raised from the eight-year deemed disposal rule from 2016 to 2020, in tabular form; the expected annual cost of discontinuing the eight-year deemed disposal rule on collective investment funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61218/21]

Tax Data

Gerald Nash

204. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on the concerns expressed by a person (details supplied) relating to the eight-year deemed disposal rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61219/21]

Dental Services

Gerald Nash

567. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an updated list of dental practices that participate in the dental treatment services scheme in counties Louth and Meath, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61217/21]

Tax Reliefs

Gerald Nash

204. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he plans to extend the transborder workers' relief beyond the current deadline as proposed by an organisation (details supplied); his views on the long-term need for an agreed structure for the fair tax treatment of cross-Border employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60980/21]

Hospital Staff

Gerald Nash

325. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health his views on the campaign by an organisation (details supplied) for 100 additional neurology nurse specialists across Ireland including five additional nurses for Beaumont Hospital; his plans to increase neurology nurse specialists both nationally and at Beaumont Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60983/21]

Dental Services

Ged Nash

205. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on the concerns of an organisation (details supplied) with regard to a new VAT interpretation which impacts on their sector; if officials in his Department or the Revenue Commissioners have discussed this issue with the Department of Health; his further views on the potential impact this interpretation will have on the provision of dental services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60102/21]

Departmental Reviews

Ged Nash

390. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department plans to undertake a comprehensive and structured review of all aspects of fostering in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59802/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

Ged Nash

391. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is satisfied with the adequacy of the fostering allowance; his views on whether the allowance must be increased and index-linked; if he plans to review the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59803/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

Ged Nash

392. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if specific payments or allowances are paid to foster families who provide care for a child with additional needs in order to assist in defraying additional costs that might be associated with supporting a child with certain conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59805/21]

Pensions Reform

Ged Nash

109. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Pensions Council is undertaking a cost transparency initiative in respect of the costs and charges applied to the management of private pensions; the details on the nature and timeline of the initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59674/21]

Climate Change Policy

Ged Nash

163. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when he will publish the updated national mitigation plan and the national adaptation plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58684/21]

Departmental Correspondence

Ged Nash

470. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice the arrangements that can be made to provide a temporary permission to leave and return to this country to a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58273/21]

Disability Services

Ged Nash

493. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the number of children who were on each children's disability services' caseload in June 2021 by county; the number of children's cases which were reviewed and discharged from each children's disability services to date in 2021 by county; the number of families consulted either in person or through online video call as stakeholders and advocates for their children in case reviews to date in 2021 by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58783/21]

Disability Services

Ged Nash

494. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the services now available to children with disabilities who are not on the caseload of the new children's disability network teams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58784/21]

Disability Services

Ged Nash

495. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the current waiting time for occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physical therapy and behavioural support, respectively; the number of professionals employed directly by the HSE for each service in each CNT in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58785/21]

Dental Services

Ged Nash

331. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the date on which his officials last met formally with members of an association (details supplied); the actions agreed at the meeting; if he will provide an update on plans by his Department to agree a framework within which a potential revised dental treatment services scheme may be agreed with dental service providers; his views on whether an independent chair should be appointed to facilitate discussions between the relevant parties; if he will establish a timeframe for progress on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58078/21]

Health Service Executive

Ged Nash

707. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if a site (details supplied) is in the ownership of the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57631/21]

Ambulance Service

Ged Nash

708. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health , further to Parliamentary Question No. 843 of 27 January, the status of plans by the HSE to provide a new base for the ambulance service in Drogheda, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57632/21]

Vaccination Programme

Ged Nash

709. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if the HSE plans to provide a facility in Drogheda, County Louth to ensure the swift roll-out of the Covid-19 booster shots to the population in Drogheda, south Louth and east Meath; when such a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57633/21]

Covid-19 Tests

Ged Nash

710. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will provide a permanent Covid-19 testing centre in Drogheda, County Louth, given the high rate of infection in the community and the fact that the area frequently features in the list of areas affected by higher than average rates of infection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57634/21]

Schools Building Projects

Ged Nash

103. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education when a planning application will be submitted to Meath County Council for the planned permanent school building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56208/21]

Departmental Reviews

Ged Nash

110. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education if she plans to formally include schools (details supplied) as DEIS band one schools in the context of the recent review by her Department of the DEIS scheme; the timeline for the implementation of the recommendations of the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56333/21]

Public Spending Code

Ged Nash

63. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide information on planned changes to the public spending code against which proposals from Departments and State agencies will be appraised in respect of the need to comply with the aims of the climate action plan and sectoral carbon budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54955/21]

Flexible Work Practices

Ged Nash

75. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to provide more access to remote working within the public sector; the status of negotiations with trade unions regarding the development of an agreed framework on remote working in the civil and public service into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54951/21]

Proposed Legislation

Ged Nash

76. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he plans to publish legislation to amend the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54953/21]

Departmental Strategies

Ged Nash

122. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Taoiseach the status of the well-being framework and dashboard; his plans to include the distribution of both pre-tax and post-tax income and wealth and Gini coefficient within the income and wealth dimension of the proposed well-being dashboard; and his plans to include measures for the security of employment, trade union density and collective bargaining coverage and work-life balance within the work and job quality dimension. [56110/21]

Health and Safety

Ged Nash

127. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of inspections that the Health and Safety Authority has carried out in hospitality-related businesses, such as, pubs, restaurants, cafés, hotels and nightclubs since 22 October 2021 in order to monitor and enforce compliance with the requirement for EU digital Covid certificates to be presented and checked, by county; the number of compliance notices or formal orders issued to businesses that have been found to be non-compliant with the regulations relating to the checking of EU digital Covid certificates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55498/21]

Rail Network

Ged Nash

194. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the stage at which the DART+ to Drogheda project stands in terms of the appraisal by his Department of the capital project; if he will provide an updated assessment of the overall cost and timeline for completion of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55572/21]

State Pensions

Ged Nash

407. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the latest proposals by her Department to address the issue of the provision of pensions to community employment supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56167/21]

Health and Safety

Ged Nash

530. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the number of inspections that the HSE has carried out in hospitality related businesses that operate indoor dining since 26 July 2021 in order to monitor and enforce compliance with the requirement for EU Digital COVID Certificates to be presented and checked by county; the number of compliance notices or formal orders issued to businesses that have been found to be non-compliant with the regulations relating the checking of EU Digital COVID Certificates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55656/21]

Community Development Projects

Ged Nash

690. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of the new community development approach to be piloted by her Department in Drogheda, County Louth from February 2022 (details supplied); if she will publish the framework governing the pilot initiative; the amount of money her Department will allocate to the initiative in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55729/21]

Air Corps

Ged Nash

300. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence his Department’s plans to allow the Air Corps to carry out priority one ambulance flights on behalf of the HSE; if arrangements will be made and adequate resources provided to allow this to come into effect from the start of 2023 when the current contract for the service expires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55303/21]

Defence Forces

Ged Nash

301. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence when backpay due to members of the Army Ranger Wing will be paid; the reason the money has not been paid to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55305/21]

School Enrolments

Ged Nash

140. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education the number of first and second level school places allocated to schools (details supplied) for the 2021-2022 school year; if she is satisfied that there are sufficient second level first year places available in the Drogheda and east County Meath area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54925/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Ged Nash

87. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has carried out a risk assessment regarding the winding down of the employment wage subsidy scheme and the potential impact on employment levels and the risk of corporate insolvencies; if his Department is considering a replacement scheme based on the principles of the successful German Kurzarbeit short-time work scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54316/21]

Tax Code

Ged Nash

89. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider a short-term reduction in the rate of VAT charged on energy and certain other household utility bills to assist households with escalating heating and energy costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54318/21]

Tax Code

Ged Nash

110. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the status of his plans regarding double tax rules for cross-Border workers (details supplied) who are based in Ireland given the temporary Covid-19 waiver on these rules ends in January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54319/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Ged Nash

111. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the percentage of workers aged under 25 years of age whose wages are subsidised through the employment wage subsidy scheme; if he will provide a breakdown on an economic sector by sector basis in respect of the total number of firms in receipt of the scheme as of 1 November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54317/21]

Banking Sector

Ged Nash

160. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the status of the sale of a portion of the State’s shareholding in a bank (details supplied); the brokerage costs of the sale to date; if he plans to reconsider plans to divest the State of its remaining shareholding in the bank in view of the recent profits posted by the institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54315/21]

Electric Vehicles

Gerald Nash

222. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the rationale for the decision to remove the grant of €2,500 for plug-in hybrid vehicles; if his attention has been drawn to the issues this has created for consumers who have pre-ordered such vehicles in the expectation that grant support would be provided; if consideration will be given to delaying the withdrawal of the grant to 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53729/21]

Vaccination Programme

Gerald Nash

345. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioner practices in counties Louth and Meath that provided Covid-19 vaccinations to their patients under the initial vaccination programme roll-out; the number of general practitioner practices that have indicated to date that they will not provide the booster shot service to patients; if the HSE plans to utilise the mass vaccination centres in counties Louth and Meath to provide the booster shots to the relevant cohorts of the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53730/21]

Third Level Admissions

Gerald Nash

139. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of registered undergraduate students at a college (details supplied) in each of the years 2016 to 2021 inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53606/21]

Health Services

Gerald Nash

152. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the immediate future of the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme; the conditions and treatments the scheme covers; the number of patients from the Ireland who utilised the EU cross-border directive in 2018, 2019 and 2020, in tabular form; the treatments they underwent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53469/21]

Special Educational Needs

Ged Nash

476. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to an application for additional support for children with ASD in a school (details supplied) in County Louth; if she plans to change policy relating to this matter to ensure that children who have had early intervention classes at a mainstream school will retain their SNA support while being educated and integrated into junior infants and beyond in the same school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52118/21]

Psychological Assessments

Ged Nash

495. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on the results of a survey (details supplied) of 37 schools in the north-east Leinster area and the percentage found to have not been assigned a NEPS psychologist and that have been granted assessments through the scheme for the commissioning of psychological assessments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52354/21]

Psychological Assessments

Ged Nash

496. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on the results of a survey (details supplied) of 37 schools in the north-east Leinster area and the percentage found to have not yet managed to source a psychologist through the SCPA scheme to complete psychological assessments to date in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52355/21]