Parliamentary questions

Apprenticeship Programmes

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

166. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average time it is currently taking apprenticeship students to complete their qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12337/21]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

167. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current wait times for each off-the-job training phase; if this in line with the period of time advised by SOLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12338/21]

Roads Maintenance

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

167. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Transport if funding is provided to local authorities for the maintenance and upkeep of all types of roads on the islands; the funding provided by local authorities to the islands for their roads over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12159/21]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

325. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent in 2018, 2019 and 2020 on adapting houses for persons with disabilities by county and by type of ownership, that is, private homes, local authority owned homes and approved housing body homes in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11227/21]

Housing Adaptation Grant

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

326. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the analysis conducted to date that compares the costs of adapting houses which have been designed to universal design standards for persons with disabilities to the cost of adapting housing units without universal design standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11228/21]

DEIS Scheme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

417. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that the proposed reduction in class sizes for primary schools will include infant and vertical DEIS schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11223/21]

Special Educational Needs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

462. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will address the absence of provision of SEN units for primary school children in the Howth, Baldoyle and Sutton area of north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11647/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

486. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the advice of a person (details supplied) who suggests that primary school children should wear surgical face masks when they return to the classrooms; and if she will communicate such advice to schools to allow them to implement in circumstances as age and ability of children allows. [11873/21]

State Examinations

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

495. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if it is planned that leaving certificate results will be issued in time for the 30 August 2021 deadline for UCAS in order to ensure that students with a UK third-level offer will be able to take their place; the efforts being made to ensure applicants to UK courses do not lose out on places as a result of any delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11957/21]

Visa Applications

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

688. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice if the automatic visa extensions given to stamp 4 visa holders until the end of April 2021 will count towards the minimum requirements for naturalisation for visa holders whose extended visas have an earlier date on them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11755/21]

Housing Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

128. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority voids returned to stock in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of voids in each local authority; the location of these voids within each local authority; the cost per unit of bringing each unit back in stock in the same period; the average turnaround time per year of bringing each unit back in stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10754/21]

Vacant Sites

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

129. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full-year revenue raised from the vacant sites levy from 2015 to 2020, by local authority in tabular form; the estimated full-year revenue from the vacant sites levy in 2021, by local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10755/21]

Departmental Legal Costs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

130. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expenditure of his Department and An Bord Pleanála in respect of all legal services provided in all appeal and judicial review applications instituted against his Department and-or An Bord Pleanála by case in each of the years since January 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10756/21]

Child and Family Agency

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

201. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the length of the waiting list to access early years supports from Tusla early intervention teams in the north inner city, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10866/21]

Vaccination Programme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

295. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the way and by whom the decision was made to not make a vaccine (details supplied) available to persons over 70 years of age; if a revision of same is planned in view of the WHO statement that the vaccine is suitable for use in this age group; and if he or the relevant body will make the vaccine available to persons over 70 years of age on a voluntary basis so that any person in this cohort who wishes to avail of the vaccine can do so. [10759/21]

Housing Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

282. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the strategic housing developments which have been granted permission since July 2017; the number that have had commencement orders granted to them; the number of these permissions that have been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10757/21]

Passport Services

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

350. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Passport Office is still processing passport requests; the number of requests being processed; if staff have been assigned to other duties; and the waiting times for passport applications. [9535/21]

Education Policy

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

396. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if an evaluation was carried out into the success of the slow down to catch up phase in autumn 2020 within different educational settings; if so, if the results of such an evaluation will be shared prior to the reopening of schools; if a similar approach is planned to be adopted for the coming planned reopening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9363/21]

Special Educational Needs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

406. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her Department has prepared cost estimates for the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; if a breakdown by section (details supplied) of the cost of implementation of the Act as outlined in the 2006 implementation report schedule of actions will be provided; the cost of commencement or progress on complete commencement as outlined in the 2006 report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9481/21]

Teacher Training

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

515. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by student teachers studying at a private college (details supplied) who are faced with a €1,300 cost of a two-week online course with no access to a Gaeltacht grant or other sources of funding available to these students; and the measures she proposes to take in order to support these students. [10436/21]