Parliamentary questions

Business Supports

Mairéad Farrell

74. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the general supports available for small businesses currently struggling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22991/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

286. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of craft instructors recruited as part of his national recruitment campaign to hire an additional 100 craft apprentice instructors. [23351/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

287. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of craft apprentices currently employed by the ESB and Bord na Móna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23352/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

288. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when he plans to introduce a special purpose apprenticeship in modern methods of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23353/24]

Grant Payments

Mairéad Farrell

289. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his future plans with regard to any potential changes in the SUSI grant system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23367/24]

Legislative Measures

Mairéad Farrell

303. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the date he and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform will introduce amending legislation to address the issue of 51-week leases in investment owned student accommodation. [23349/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

304. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of craft apprentices currently waiting to undertake phase 2, 4 and 6 off-the-job training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23350/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

205. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 5 of 27 February 2024 (details supplied), if he can confirm how much of the €67 million in additional funding that was provided for the apprenticeship system was allocated toward the national recruitment campaign of craft apprentice instructors; the number of instructors hired to date; can he provide a breakdown of the course areas they are instructing on (i.e., electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc.); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23031/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

206. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if specific targets have been set for the national recruitment campaign to hire an additional 100 craft apprentice instructors per ETB; if so, the number of instructors it is hoped to hire per ETB; the areas of teaching that is, electrical, carpentry and so on, they will be engaged in, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23040/24]

Fisheries Protection

Mairéad Farrell

149. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he and his officials in the inland fisheries division fully support the ongoing legislative conservation of invasive roach in the Lough Melvin catchment and special area of conservation under the Conservation of Coarse Fish By-Law No. 806 (2006) (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22473/24]

Fisheries Protection

Mairéad Farrell

150. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if it was his intention to increase the overall brown trout daily bag limit per angler to six fish for the entire Lough Corrib SAC under two separate harvesting regimes, with four trout being harvested from the lake and two trout being harvested from the Clare river catchment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22474/24]

Tax Reliefs

Mairéad Farrell

228. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware of the situation in relation to the difference in tax treatment of travel and subsistence payments for those working in further education and training (FET) and those working in the secondary education sector (details supplied); the reason for the difference in tax treatment with respect to these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22845/24]

Housing Policy

Mairéad Farrell

365. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 360 of 14 May 2024, the reason HAP tenants who avail of inter-authority movement can only be offered access to the transfer list of the originating local authority; and if he will consider issuing a circular to allow for flexibility and discretion around this for local authorities. [22916/24]

Departmental Funding

Mairéad Farrell

660. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide a breakdown of the allocations from budget 2024 to the various universities of the student hardship fund, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22601/24]

Bus Services

Mairéad Farrell

60. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport his views on providing more flexibility of stops on rural bus routes; if he will provide an update on the additional stops on the 432 route; if full flexibility will be allowed for on this route in order that passengers can request stops as needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22109/24]

Childcare Services

Mairéad Farrell

236. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the options currently available to the family of a young child seeking crèche support in Galway city when they are currently on long waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22185/24]

Mental Health Services

Mairéad Farrell

255. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if there are any plans to close the Galway training centre in Merlin Park hospital or to reduce its hours or functions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22186/24]

School Transport

Mairéad Farrell

336. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 232 of 8 May 2024, if a school (details supplied) on bus route 424 will be included in the pilot scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21742/24]

Departmental Funding

Mairéad Farrell

351. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the €8 million provided by her Department through the large-scale infrastructure funding programme to Galway City Council for the development of a facility at Cappagh Park has been returned to her Department; if so, the date on which this was; and the reason provided for why these funds were used. [21232/24]

Housing Policy

Mairéad Farrell

360. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the context of adjacent local authorities which allow people on their housing waiting list to select areas of choice outside of their own local authority, if he will advise on the reason tenants living outside the area of the local authority from which they receive HAP cannot have areas of choice in the adjacent local authority area, where other applicants on the housing waiting list can; if he would consider amending this condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21196/24]