Parliamentary questions

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

378. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he and his Department officials will meet with representatives of the National Inshore Fishermen's Association (NIFA), the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF) and the North West Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum (RIFF) following their withdrawal from the Quota Management Advisory Committee (QMAC); if he can confirm a date when such a meeting can take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49495/23]

Common Fisheries Policy

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

387. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will work to ensure that any future agreements between the EU and Third (non-EU) Countries about access to Irish waters under the jurisdiction of the Common Fisheries Policy include a stipulation that they face the same stringent control and conservation regime as the Irish fleet, particularly with regard to mixed species catch. [49652/23]

Gender Equality

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

461. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has developed an online reporting system for the 2023 Gender Pay Gap reporting cycle which will consist of a central portal where all employer reports will be uploaded and can be accessed publicly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49805/23]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

102. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the growing anger and frustration amongst affected homeowners in Donegal and other counties at the serious limitations of the enhanced defective concrete block grant scheme; and if he will immediately work on an actual redress scheme similar to the pyrite remediation scheme rather than this second limited grant scheme. [48828/23]

Public Sector Staff

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

37. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education if his Department will urgently review the pay and working conditions of all of the school transport bus escorts across the State, similar to the approach taken in recent times with school secretaries and caretakers, and leading to a similar outcome; and if he will correspond with the Minister for Social Protection, seeking a seamless support to the school transport bus escorts when they have to seek social welfare support, due to the 69 days they receive no pay every year. [49001/23]

Driver Test

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

223. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal can expect an invite for a test date for her driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47598/23]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

654. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 305 of 10 October 2023, when his Department will establish an oversight committee to address the defective block crisis that meets regularly and includes all the relevant stakeholders, including homeowner representatives, local authorities, banks, financial institutions and insurance sector, engineers, chartered surveyors, the Housing Agency, etc., as agreed in principle in engagements with the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, such committee having a broader remit than the Banking Working Group referred to in my previous question, which would only focus on the contribution that the banks can make to the remediation of homes affected by defective blocks. [48071/23]

Marine Protected Areas

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

691. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure that the Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and his Department officials urgently consult with the representatives of the fishing industry in Ireland on his proposals to introduce three new proposed marine conservation areas in the Porcupine Shelf, Southern Canyons and the north west Irish Sea; if there is a consistency in policy application across Government departments when it comes to marine conservation areas and marine protected areas based on the model of the Seafood- Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) working group. [48827/23]

Hospital Staff

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1141. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of agency staff that are currently employed in Letterkenny University Hospital in any capacity for more than one year combined, with the role that they are assigned to; and the additional cost involved, in tabular form. [47541/23]

Cross-Border Co-operation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1142. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health what efforts he has made to examine cross-Border co-operation between the public hospitals at Altnagelvin, Letterkenny, Enniskillen and Sligo on a range of medical procedures and operations for patients in the region to prevent long waiting lists, long distances to travel and the increasing cost of referring patients to private care options. [47577/23]

Hospital Appointments Status

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1172. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal can expect to receive an appointment for a consultation in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47723/23]

Medicinal Products

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1276. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when the drug ozempic will be made available for GPs to prescribe to diabetes patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48365/23]

Departmental Programmes

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1457. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when she will complete her review of the CLÁR programme and extend the programme to additional areas in need of support. [47846/23]

Food Safety

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

93. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a full explanation of a recent incident (details supplied) involving European Union produce transiting through the North of Ireland for processing in the South, which subsequently led to an EU-wide food recall notice being issued; what protocol has been put in place by his Department to prevent such an incident occurring in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46991/23]

Fuel Prices

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

113. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a fuel assistance support scheme for the fishing and aquaculture industries similar to such schemes that other European Union members states have implemented, given the increasing price of fuel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46992/23]

Special Areas of Conservation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

200. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what consultation took place with the local community and with local stakeholders before the renewal of the North Inishowen Coast special area of conservation in recent months. [47164/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

209. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection when the medical assessment will be finalised for an application for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47108/23]

Hospital Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

197. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of cancer patients who had their chemotherapy treatment delayed at Letterkenny University Hospital in each of the years 2018 to 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [46930/23]

Hospital Staff

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

198. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health to confirm if the second permanent breast surgeon for Letterkenny University Hospital has been ratified and agreed. [46931/23]

Hospital Appointments Status

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

200. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a person in County Donegal (details supplied) can expect to receive a date for an operation from Galway University Hospital; if and when a referral was made from Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46997/23]