Parliamentary questions

School Accommodation

Seán Canney

2. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education the progress being made in the provision of additional accommodation for a school to deal with the additional demand for places in first year next September and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23813/24]

School Accommodation

Seán Canney

30. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if her Department will provide the temporary accommodation necessary to allow a school (details supplied) to carry out proposed works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23810/24]

School Transport

Seán Canney

32. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she will instruct Bus Éireann to ensure school bus services are in place to deal with the demand for the commencement of the school year in August 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23809/24]

Schools Building Projects

Seán Canney

56. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education the progress being made with the development of a new primary and secondary Gaelscoil campus in Athenry, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23812/24]

Schools Building Projects

Seán Canney

61. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education the progress being made with the development of a proposed new school (details supplied) in Tuam, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23811/24]

Regeneration Projects

Seán Canney

516. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the Rural Regeneration Development Fund can be used by local authorities to purchase vacant and derelict properties for refurbishment to help rejuvenate the towns and villages and provide much needed housing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23815/24]

Third Level Education

Seán Canney

19. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when a decision will be made on the selection of the two locations for the new veterinary schools it is proposed to establish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23174/24]

Student Accommodation

Seán Canney

36. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what funding is in place and available to the Atlantic Technological University to acquire student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23175/24]

Technological Universities

Seán Canney

46. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the STEM building planned for the Galway campus of Atlantic Technological University will be proceeding to construction; the timeline for the completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23176/24]

Disease Management

Seán Canney

197. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health what procedures and expert advice are available and in place to a person whose child has been diagnosed with sprix (details supplied); what effects the condition will have on the child in the long term; the symptoms to be watchful for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23208/24]

Flexible Work Practices

Seán Canney

258. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will request the Workplace Relations Commission to update its website as a matter of urgency to allow workers to lodge a complaint about an employer who is ignoring a remote working request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22523/24]

Public Sector Pay

Seán Canney

634. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the disparity in pay and conditions between section 38 and section 39 workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22907/24]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Canney

206. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that the fees paid to optometrists providing eyecare under her Department’s adult eyecare schemes are inadequate and do not reflect the cost of providing a modern eye examination; the steps being taken to address this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22294/24]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Canney

244. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that the fees paid to optometrists providing eyecare under the HSE adult eyecare schemes are inadequate, do no not reflect the cost of providing a modern eye examination and have not been increased in more than 20 years; if he is further aware that the Department of Health has made submissions for funding to his Department and is awaiting approval; the steps being taken to address this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22293/24]

Special Educational Needs

Seán Canney

312. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education when the second ASD classroom for a school (details supplied) will be delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21499/24]

Medical Cards

Seán Canney

322. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education when medical card supports will be in place for survivors of residential institutional abuse (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21578/24]

Health Services Waiting Lists

Seán Canney

607. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health how many patients are on the podiatry waiting list in Galway; how long the current waiting time is; if the interval between appointments has changed in the past year; if there are currently any unfilled clinical positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21624/24]

Dental Services

Seán Canney

614. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health what assistance is available to a child with molar incisor hypo mineralisation which requires root canal treatment, extraction, braces and aligners (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21646/24]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Canney

167. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the voluntary homeowner relocation scheme is still in place and active; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20508/24]

Planning Issues

Seán Canney

280. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the development charge waiver and water charge waiver can be extended to cover cases where a house had commenced but planning had expired and a new planning permission was then granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20509/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Seán Canney

302. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has plans to address the current legislative anomaly where people who were forced to retire from work on health grounds have been refused free travel as they are not getting a disability payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20175/24]

Disability Services

Seán Canney

456. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of the lack of services available in the CDNT7 area in 2024 due to the shortage of staff and specialists; to provide a schedule of staff in place and the staff levels required to run the service property; when the full complement of staff will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20499/24]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Seán Canney

571. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health how many patients are on the podiatry waiting list in Galway; how long the current waiting time is; if the interval between appointments for patients has been changed in the past year; if there are currently any unfilled clinical positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20498/24]

Dental Services

Seán Canney

577. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the measures he is planning to take to deal with the lack of dental treatment services being delivered in our schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20525/24]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Seán Canney

578. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the measures he intends to take to eliminate the long waiting list for children awaiting surgery for scoliosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20526/24]

Education and Training Boards

Seán Canney

648. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an indication of the composition of the operational guidelines working group operating under the auspices of Education and Training Boards Ireland; if there is sectorial input from staff currently working within ETB Youthreach designated centres and community training centres that provide the Youthreach programme; how the input data are being gathered; if those data are being gathered through the extended Education and Training Boards Ireland-issued follow-up sectoral response survey last month to the 16 ETBs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20197/24]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Canney

119. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if registered BER assessors can be included in the ‘home energy assessment’ required by the SEAI and SBCI to apply for a loan under the home energy upgrade loan scheme as currently the published scheme states the energy assessment can only be conducted by a ‘SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner or Community Project Co-ordinator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20053/24]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Canney

179. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding available to the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund; when the next call for funding will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20055/24]

Departmental Policies

Seán Canney

190. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is a copy of the rules, regulations and procedures in place to guide the fitting, replacement and ownership of hand controls being fitted to car for people with a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20074/24]

Naturalisation Applications

Seán Canney

218. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice for an update on a matter (details supplied). [20094/24]

International Protection

Seán Canney

248. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what steps are being put in place to remove the large encampment from the Mount Street area of Dublin; what supports does she intend to offer residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20070/24]

Tax Rebates

Seán Canney

229. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider introducing a VAT refund scheme for first time buyers of homes to help deal with the increased cost of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18891/24]

Turf Cutting

Seán Canney

417. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a bog owner with two plots on a designated bog can designate a second household that used the second bog plot to receive compensation as they have lost the right to cut turf on the bog but have not received any compensation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19327/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Seán Canney

442. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if people receiving a disability payment and who transfer to the State pension will still be eligible for any additional one-off cost-of-living payments which are made to a person with a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18890/24]

Social Welfare Schemes

Seán Canney

445. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address the anomaly whereby people who are wheelchair users and who are receiving a civil service pension and who are not in receipt of a disability allowance cannot access free travel while under 66 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18965/24]

An Garda Síochána

Seán Canney

480. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice the percentage of Garda graduates assigned to positions outside of Dublin city over the past four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18791/24]

Tax Exemptions

Seán Canney

200. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide for a pre-registration VAT exemption status for qualified and accredited members of an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17543/24]

Primary Care Services

Seán Canney

636. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the status of the audiology clinic in Tuam primary care centre, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17758/24]

Turf Cutting

Seán Canney

153. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a person who owned two bogs on a designated bog (details supplied) can access the turf cutting and compensation scheme in relation to both bogs, as opposed to one only, as the compensation of €1,500 does not cover the household fuel outlay and does not reflect the fact that this household was forced to cease cutting on two bog plots as opposed to one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15937/24]

Energy Usage

Seán Canney

61. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware that persons are being forced by the ESB to have a smart meter, even if they do not want one, and that if the notification is not received, the ESB will fit the meter despite the objection of the householder; if he will intercede on behalf of householders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13648/24]

Insurance Industry

Seán Canney

274. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he will examine the system by which genuine claims for compensation for damage to vehicles due to pot holes on our public roads are being declined by a company (details supplied) without any recourse to appeal by the vehicle owner and the dismissive attitude of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13651/24]

Referendum Campaigns

Seán Canney

365. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the total cost of holding the two referenda on 8 March 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15044/24]

School Transport

Seán Canney

406. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 148 of 22 February 2024, if she will provide the amounts of net surplus cash derived from school transport by Bus Éireann that the auditors and directors categorised in the accounts as profit, in tabular form, for each year from 2005 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13714/24]

Schools Building Projects

Seán Canney

535. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if a secondary school (details supplied) planned for Oranmore, County Galway, has received a determination of the application for confirmation of the CPO for the project; if so, if a design team has been appointed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15063/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Seán Canney

735. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that her Department is asking people who received an award under the Caranua Scheme to supply a letter from Caranua confirming the date and amount of the award, despite the fact that they signed a non-disclosure clause; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13849/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Seán Canney

766. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will increase the moving-in grant to €6,000 for new-build accommodation to reflect the reality of providing flooring, kitchen appliances, and bedroom and living room furniture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14395/24]

Care Services

Seán Canney

1070. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can provide appropriate respite services in a suitable location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13760/24]

Medical Cards

Seán Canney

1294. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health what steps people with medical cards should take to get reimbursed for blood test costs charged by GPs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13943/24]

Youth Services

Seán Canney

1688. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his reaction to the Youthreach Employee Well-being Report 2022, an independent report from academics in Maynooth University, which found significant challenges facing Youthreach staff; what action is being taken on foot of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13843/24]

Employment Rights

Seán Canney

193. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what supports are in place for employees who are owed wages and holiday pay from an employer who has closed down its business and is no longer contactable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13466/24]