Parliamentary questions

Special Educational Needs

Pauline Tully

573. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 53 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will design a template or guidelines for schools clearly explaining the steps that should be taken if behavioural challenges emerge in an educational setting, and ensure that protocols around restraint and penalisation are stated unambiguously, with a view towards eliminating these practices. [57299/23]

Housing Schemes

Pauline Tully

776. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to allow applications under the croí cónaithe vacant property grant for the refurbishment of agricultural buildings to bring them into residential use. [57154/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

781. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 98 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to review the application processes for social housing and other housing supports to ensure that they are accessible to autistic people and disabled people; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57337/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

782. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 99 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied), if he has plans to ensure that autism is regarded as a sensory disability by all local authorities for the purposes of accessing prioritised social housing provision. [57338/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

783. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 100 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied), if he has plans to provide adequate grants to allow for sensory rooms to be added to homes and the sensory proofing of homes for autistic people; and the estimated first and full year cost respectively of implementing this proposal. [57339/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

784. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 101 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to ensure that local authorities engage with schools to assist in developing suitable sensory provision for autistic children; and the estimated first and full year cost respectively of implementing this proposal. [57340/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

785. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 102 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to provide designated funding to local authorities to add sensory areas and communication boards to all playgrounds; and the estimated first and full year cost respectively of implementing this proposal. [57341/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

786. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 103 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to provide autism training to staff in local authorities and ensure that autism is accepted as a condition which qualifies for housing support; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57342/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

787. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 104 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to incentivise participation in continuing professional development courses in universal design and accessibility for architects and planners; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57343/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

788. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 105 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to liaise with professional bodies within architecture and planning to promote education in universal design and the implementation of Universal Design practices. [57344/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

789. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 106 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to engage with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to implement guidelines on making facilities and sites under their auspices more autism-friendly; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57345/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

790. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 107 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to provide autism training to tour guides and other public-facing OPW staff at heritage sites and cultural institutions; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57346/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

791. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 108 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to provide more opportunities for career development in public sector planning to retain planners; and the estimated cost of implementing this proposal. [57347/23]

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

792. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 109 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to recruit a designated Disability Officer in every local authority to advise autistic people and their families on accessing supports and assist them to complete the application process, where needed; and the estimated first and full year cost respectively of implementing this proposal. [57348/23]

Departmental Data

Pauline Tully

865. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 544 of 14 July 2022, the number of persons currently in receipt of a disability-related social protection payment, by the type of payment, in tabular form. [56599/23]

Departmental Data

Pauline Tully

874. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people on disability allowance and invalidity pension who to date in 2023 have lost their entitlement to these payments entirely or have had them reduced following a change in circumstance where they now reside with a partner initiating a review of their income, in tabular form. [56668/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

914. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection in line with Action 80 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, if she has plans to establish a State-run public employment service that builds on the good practice in the field of disability employment and which links autistic people to employers and offers support, guidance and information as well as tailored support services for participating employers; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57269/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

915. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 81 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to engage with stakeholders including the autistic community and employers and review the wage subsidy scheme and reasonable accommodation fund with a view to promoting uptake of the schemes; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57270/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

916. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 82 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to promote the availability and potential benefits of schemes such as the wage subsidy scheme and reasonable accommodation fund to employers; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57271/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

917. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 83 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to amalgamate and streamline workplace support grants and the reasonable accommodation fund under one fund which employers may draw down for the purposes of accommodating an autistic or disabled employee or prospective employee; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57272/23]