Parliamentary questions

Immigration Policy

Holly Cairns

485. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the steps she is taking to address the unsuitable detention of immigration detainees in prisons and the need for a specifically designed centre for immigration detainees with specific immigration rules in accordance with the Committee’s requirements as outlined in the Council of Europe anti-torture committee’s 7th periodic visit report on Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62820/21]

State Bodies

Holly Cairns

486. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the number of State boards under the remit of her Department or its agencies, in tabular form; the number of members of each board; the number of persons with a declared disability on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of persons with a declared disability. [62530/21]

Departmental Data

Holly Cairns

492. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the number of prosecutions and-or convictions under Part 4 of the Purchase of Sexual Services of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 since the Act was commenced until 1 December 2021, in tabular form; the number of persons prosecuted and-or convicted who identified as sex workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62824/21]

Human Trafficking

Holly Cairns

493. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the number of prosecutions and or convictions under the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 and the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) (Amendment) Act 2013 since the respective commencement of each Act until 1 December 2021; the number of persons prosecuted and-or convicted relating to the categories of trafficked individuals for the purpose of sexual exploitation, or labour exploitation, forced criminality, forced begging and-or the removal of their organs, respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62825/21]

State Bodies

Holly Cairns

520. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of State boards under the remit of his Department or its agencies, in tabular form; the number of members of each board; the number of persons with a declared disability on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of persons with a declared disability. [62528/21]

Health Services Staff

Holly Cairns

580. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if all student occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and radiology students will be paid for the work they do in hospital and healthcare settings as part of mandatory placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62817/21]

Healthcare Policy

Holly Cairns

581. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the status of the commitment in the programme for Government to provide free contraception, starting with women aged between 17 and 25 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62818/21]

Mental Health Services

Holly Cairns

582. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address the issues raised in relation to the care afforded to vulnerable prisoners, notably those with a mental illness, in the Council of Europe anti-torture Committee’s seventh periodic visit report on Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62819/21]

Mental Health Services

Holly Cairns

583. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of adult persons currently on waiting lists to see a psychiatrist in each of the HSE regions in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62821/21]

State Bodies

Holly Cairns

620. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of State boards under the remit of his Department or its agencies, in tabular form; the number of members of each board; the number of persons with a declared disability on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of persons with a declared disability. [62519/21]

Agriculture Industry

Holly Cairns

630. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider requesting to amend the Irish whiskey protected geographic indication, PGI, technical file to state barley for Irish whiskey must be sourced on the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62802/21]

Greyhound Industry

Holly Cairns

631. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of racing greyhounds microchipped annually between 1 December 2020 and 30 November 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62803/21]

Greyhound Industry

Holly Cairns

632. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds registered on the race management system annually between 1 December 2020 and 30 November 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62804/21]

Greyhound Industry

Holly Cairns

633. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of recorded injuries and deaths of greyhounds that have occurred at greyhound racing stadiums and events organised by the Irish Greyhound Board between 1 December 2020 and 30 November 2021, in tabular form. [62805/21]

State Bodies

Holly Cairns

642. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of State boards under the remit of her Department or its agencies, in tabular form; the number of members of each board; the number of persons with a declared disability on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of persons with a declared disability. [62532/21]

Community Development Projects

Holly Cairns

648. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the support she is putting in place to help voluntary community groups meet operating costs during the Covid-19 pandemic when their usual means of fundraising cannot take place. [62826/21]

Rural Schemes

Holly Cairns

649. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the programme for Government commitment for an expanded town and village renewal scheme to bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promote residential occupancy; when communities can start applying for this funding; and the estimated amount available to each local authority. [62827/21]

Departmental Funding

Holly Cairns

650. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her views on adding a requirement that all funding from her Department include provisions to meet and further the rights of persons with disabilities. [62828/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

168. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been detected in meat processing plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62385/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

169. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of reported Covid-19 cases found in meat processing plant workers between 1 January 2020 and 1 December 2021, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62386/21]

Disability Services

Holly Cairns

214. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if a hostel for disabled persons (details supplied) in County Cork will be reopened to pre-Covid-19 service levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62389/21]

Food Industry

Holly Cairns

231. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the pledges made and initiatives taken by Ireland in the agricultural sector at the COP 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference given Ireland's commitments at the United Nations Food Systems Summit and Food Vision's 2030 ambition for Ireland to become an international leader on sustainable food systems, specifically regarding the rationale for Ireland joining the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate but not endorsing the Policy Action Agenda for a Just Transition to Sustainable Food and Agriculture at COP26; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62384/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

232. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that are in place in meat processing plants to halt the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62385/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

233. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the measures in place to monitor the health and working conditions in meat processing plants to prevent further clusters of Covid-19. [62387/21]

Departmental Funding

Holly Cairns

234. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of funding provided to a scheme run by a farming organisation (details supplied) annually since 2017; the role of his Department in oversight of the spending of these funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62388/21]

Climate Change Policy

Holly Cairns

42. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the report by an advisory body (details supplied) regarding the implementation gap between climate action policy and action. [61537/21]

Waste Management

Holly Cairns

77. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the way his Department will support persons with long-term incontinence with respect to the disposal of medical incontinence wear; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61536/21]

Departmental Schemes

Holly Cairns

121. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the supports or grants in place for hotels converting heating systems to CHP boilers to become more energy efficient. [61237/21]

Public Transport

Holly Cairns

181. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Transport the steps he is taking to increase transport accessibility in public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61241/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

211. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance if employment wage subsidy scheme employment supports will be restored for hospitality businesses to November 2021 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61557/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

212. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance if hospitality businesses will be eligible in December 2021 to be given the opportunity to requalify for the employment wage subsidy scheme supports in January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61558/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

213. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance if he will permit automatic qualification for the Covid restrictions support scheme in cases in which hospitality businesses qualify for the employment wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61559/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

214. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance if he will apply a 30% revenue drop threshold for the Covid restrictions support scheme supports for hospitality businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61560/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

215. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance if he will set the weekly cap on the Covid restrictions support scheme payments at €25,000 in order to ensure larger hospitality businesses are not disadvantaged by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61561/21]

Sports Funding

Holly Cairns

250. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when all applicants to the sports capital programme will be informed of the outcome of the assessment of their applications. [61563/21]

Housing Policy

Holly Cairns

294. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will update housing circular 41 of 2012 to reflect the relevant changes in Irish immigration law such as SI No. 548/2015 - European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015. and relevant case law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61562/21]

Schools Building Projects

Holly Cairns

386. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the status of the planning of a new building for a school in (details supplied). [61236/21]

Departmental Reports

Holly Cairns

430. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will immediately publish a report (details supplied). [61240/21]

Coroners Service

Holly Cairns

498. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the steps she is taking to address the backlogs in the Cork City Coroner’s Court; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61239/21]

Disability Services

Holly Cairns

571. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure that all acute hospitals, community hospitals, health centres and primary health care centres are fully wheelchair accessible. [61238/21]

Forestry Sector

Holly Cairns

766. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for the transfer of €7 million in capital expenditure from the forestry budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61234/21]

Forestry Sector

Holly Cairns

767. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to ensure that the €7 million in capital expenditure intended to be moved from the forestry budget is spent on community and small-scale tree-planting initiatives for National Tree Week 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61235/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

131. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of his engagement with regard to pursuing existing flexibilities in the WTO's TRIPS agreement to allow for a waiver of intellectual property rights concerning Covid-19 vaccines, to facilitate universal and equitable access to vaccines. [56515/21]

EU Programmes

Holly Cairns

84. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will ensure that the budget for the Leader Programme 2023 - 2027 is maintained at the levels of the 2016 - 2020 Programme. [60250/21]

Social Isolation

Holly Cairns

90. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps she is taking to tackle social isolation in rural areas, especially for older people and people with disabilities. [60253/21]

EU Programmes

Holly Cairns

96. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the budget will be increased for the Leader Transitional Programme for 2021-2023 to take account of rising construction costs. [60251/21]

EU Programmes

Holly Cairns

97. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps she is taking to increase the amount of funding for communities available under the Leader Programme 2023 - 2027. [60252/21]

Island Communities

Holly Cairns

101. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will report on the islands action plan and her engagement with island communities in relation to it since taking office. [60254/21]

Personal Injuries Assessment Board

Holly Cairns

132. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to ensure that insurance companies must engage with the Personal Injuries Assessment Board process. [60188/21]

Personal Injuries Assessment Board

Holly Cairns

133. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to introduce time limits to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board process to ensure the timely completion of cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60189/21]