Parliamentary questions

Coillte Teoranta

Bobby Aylward

1138. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will make funding available through Coillte for required repair and maintenance of paths at an amenity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19385/17]

Basic Payment Scheme Applications

Bobby Aylward

1246. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason documentation in relation to a person (details supplied) has not been released by his Department, in view of the fact it was originally requested in January 2017 for the purpose of an appeal to his Department's appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20644/17]

Special Educational Needs

Bobby Aylward

114. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a sensory processing disorder is not recognised as an assessed disability or medical condition that qualifies for access to SNA support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18962/17]

School Accommodation

Bobby Aylward

115. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the additional accommodation application from a school (details supplied); when decisions on applications for the summer works scheme will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18964/17]

Hospital Equipment

Bobby Aylward

258. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if there are malfunctions with the autoclave machine in a hospital (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; if so, when repairs or sourcing of a replacement machine will be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18963/17]

Motor Insurance

Bobby Aylward

119. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Finance the progress the Government has made in implementing the recommendations made in the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach insurance report and the Government's motor insurance working group report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18546/17]

Employment Support Services

Bobby Aylward

211. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on a participant of Turas Nua opting out of the scheme if he or she has been offered a full-time or part-time job by a public limited company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18547/17]

Social Welfare Appeals Data

Bobby Aylward

71. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection the average time it takes for a file to be sent from the carer's allowance section in County Sligo to the social welfare appeals office in Dublin once the file has been requested by the latter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17455/17]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Bobby Aylward

166. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available through his Department to assist a person in financing the cost of transporting a child with a learning disability to a school that specialises in assisting such children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17759/17]

National Training Fund

Bobby Aylward

195. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) is alleging that they are not being paid for services provided in 2014 and 2015 by a training company (details supplied) which is funded by his Department; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are other sole traders in a similar position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17761/17]

Vaccine Damage Compensation Scheme

Bobby Aylward

531. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the details of research undertaken by his Department to ensure the safety of the Gardasil vaccine; his plans to engage with the advocacy groups for those that have suffered adverse health effects having received the vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17760/17]

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Bobby Aylward

226. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if the freestyle libre sensor for measuring blood sugars will be made available on the GMS and long-term illness cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17178/17]

Summer Works Scheme Applications

Bobby Aylward

179. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the summer works scheme application from a school (details supplied); when decisions on applications for the summer works scheme will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16932/17]

Garda Station Closures

Bobby Aylward

19. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if any of the Garda stations closed in counties Carlow and Kilkenny in 2012 and 2013 are included in the six stations being examined for reopening under the pilot programme. [15771/17]

Garda Deployment

Bobby Aylward

59. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of the new Garda recruits assigned to the Carlow-Kilkenny Garda division in each year since Garda recruitment resumed in 2014; and the attested personnel strength of the Carlow-Kilkenny Garda division in September 2014 and at the end of February 2017. [15770/17]

Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme

Bobby Aylward

74. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Finance the supports available through his Department to persons with disabilities or limited mobility who wish to buy a car or adapt an existing car to hoist and transport a wheelchair or mobility scooter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15545/17]

Mobility Allowance Review

Bobby Aylward

125. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health when the schemes devised to replace the mobility allowance grant and the motorised transport grant will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15547/17]

Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review

Bobby Aylward

126. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health when the review process of the fair deal scheme in respect of farmers will be concluded and its recommendations published; if the changes made to equalise the scheme for farmers will be legislated for by the next budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15550/17]

Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments

Bobby Aylward

171. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in an AEOS 2 payment in respect of a person (details supplied); if he will expedite payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15628/17]

Inland Fisheries Regulation

Bobby Aylward

178. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to reopen the rivers Nore and Suir for snapnet fishing for this season (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15582/17]

Postal Codes

Bobby Aylward

180. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if insurance companies are permitted to use eircodes in assessing the eligibility of a person for insurance purposes and in particular flood insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15630/17]

Road Projects

Bobby Aylward

187. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to upgrade the N24 road between counties Waterford and Limerick; if he has given consideration to bypassing towns on this route such as Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Tipperary town, Mooncoin, Piltown and Limerick Junction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15583/17]

Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects

Bobby Aylward

94. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the results of the review of the Tower Road and Piltown junction on the N24 conducted by Transport Infrastructure Ireland will be published; when funding will be provided to TII to commence works on the safety measures recommended within the review results; whether his Department is in direct contact with Kilkenny County Council to ensure the process of appointing consultants to undertake a review of the Tower Road and Piltown junction on the N24 is concluded as efficiently as possible and that all necessary funding is made available to complete the review process as efficiently as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14230/17]

Ministerial Responsibilities

Bobby Aylward

108. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will clarify the legislation governing the release of results from a Director of Public Prosecutions investigation to a person (details supplied) who was the subject of an investigation; if the findings can be released to this person directly; the procedure for procuring same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14402/17]

Carer's Allowance Appeals

Bobby Aylward

161. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason it has taken 14 weeks for the carer's allowance file of a person (details supplied) to be sent from the carer's allowance section in Sligo to the social welfare appeals office in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14377/17]

Carer's Allowance Waiting Times

Bobby Aylward

168. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection the average waiting time for a decision on a carer's allowance application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14558/17]

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Bobby Aylward

55. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures being taken to ensure efficient roll-out of the national broadband scheme to rural areas in particular; if he envisages that current timelines will be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13937/17]

Better Energy Homes Scheme

Bobby Aylward

1143. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there will be any changes to the current criteria of the SEAI's better energy homeowner scheme which may cause an increase in the costs of the associated works for homeowners who avail of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14019/17]

Agriculture Scheme Data

Bobby Aylward

21. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of persons in counties Carlow and Kilkenny that have not received 85% of their total 2016 payment under GLAS 1, GLAS 2 and AEOS; the reason for this delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12364/17]

Laboratory Facilities

Bobby Aylward

39. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the future of the regional veterinary laboratory in County Kilkenny, which serves the entire region of the south east, can be guaranteed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12365/17]

Insurance Coverage

Bobby Aylward

86. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Finance the level of engagement that has taken place between his Department and the insurance industry to ensure that appropriate insurance is available to persons residing in an area in which flooding has never occurred but who are being excluded from cover, en masse, by insurance providers due to their Eircode; his views on such practices; the measures which have been implemented by his Department to hold insurance providers to account and protect the consumer in such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12596/17]

Medicinal Products Availability

Bobby Aylward

212. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health when the necessary legislative amendments will be made in order to facilitate the implementation of the cannabis access programme; if he will expedite this process; if he will consider granting a licence to an Irish registered doctor to authorise access to medicinal cannabis for named patients with conditions such as Dravet syndrome, rare forms of epilepsy and other such conditions in the meantime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12508/17]

HSE Funding

Bobby Aylward

71. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that the HSE expedites the allocation of funding to a service (details supplied) which is the only residential detoxification and treatment service for adolescents in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12065/17]

Hospitals Funding

Bobby Aylward

96. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if additional resources will be allocated to the existing cardiac catheterisation laboratory at University Hospital Waterford in order to increase the laboratory's current capacity to accommodate the estimated 450 additional procedures that will be referred there through additional diagnostic angiograms set to be provided by the mobile catheterisation laboratory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12067/17]

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Bobby Aylward

604. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the provision of a nursing pin for a person (details supplied) from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11861/17]

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Bobby Aylward

605. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for the provision of nursing pins to new nurses from the Nursing and Midwifery Board; his views on whether the current waiting times for the provision of nursing pins are an issue for young nurses taking up employment here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11862/17]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Bobby Aylward

656. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the progress of the commitments he made in respect of reducing surgery waiting times for children suffering from scoliosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12066/17]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Bobby Aylward

657. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if he has received an action plan on scoliosis from the HSE. [12106/17]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Bobby Aylward

658. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if he has received an action plan on scoliosis from the HSE. [12107/17]

Local Authority Boundaries Review

Bobby Aylward

50. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a detailed explanatory brief and timeline to outline the process of examining the report of the Waterford boundary review committee as part of the overall report on local government matter to be submitted to the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas in mid 2017, as previously stated; if he will expedite the process of examining the Report of the Waterford boundary review committee to conclude the matter as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8830/17]

Teacher Recruitment

Bobby Aylward

180. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any of the permanent teaching posts announced in budget 2017, in particular special needs assistance or resource teaching, will be advertised in open competition for teachers with or without panel rights, to afford employment opportunities to those with specialised qualifications in this field during the recruitment process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8102/17]

Teacher Exchange Scheme

Bobby Aylward

181. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will investigate the possibility of a specialised transfer system in teaching to allow a change in location for permanent teachers, due to personal circumstances, without incurring the loss of panel rights; if an avenue of appeal exists within his Department or designated offices for special consideration to be given to teachers who have exchanged or transferred to another location but cannot return to their original placement due to extenuating circumstances and seek permanency in a new location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8103/17]

Summer Works Scheme Applications

Bobby Aylward

191. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the summer works scheme application from a school (details supplied); when decisions on applications for summer works scheme will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8372/17]

Health Services

Bobby Aylward

496. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 432 of 18 October 2016 and 339 of 6 December 2016, when the national steering group established by him to develop policy on a major trauma system for Ireland will publish its first report; if the group visited St Luke's Hospital to assess the current services; the status of the group's recommendations specifically in respect of St Luke's Hospital, County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8681/17]

Hospital Appointments Administration

Bobby Aylward

201. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) had a surgery appointment cancelled at short notice; when surgery will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7812/17]

Local Authority Boundaries

Bobby Aylward

160. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a detailed explanatory brief and timeline to outline the process of examining the report of the Waterford boundary review committee as part of the overall report on local government matters to be submitted to the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas in mid-2017, as previously stated; if he will expedite the process of examining the report of the Waterford boundary review committee to conclude the matter as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7595/17]

Local Authority Boundaries

Bobby Aylward

161. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will disregard the recommendations contained in the report of the Waterford boundary review committee, in view of the near 20,000 persons who made submissions against the proposal; if he will discontinue, dismantle and disembowel every element of this process indefinitely with immediate effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7596/17]

Local and Community Development Programme

Bobby Aylward

220. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the local community development committee in each local authority territory will be accorded the role promised to it of playing a key role in decision making on EU and national funded programmes and interventions as promised in the Government’s White Paper, Putting People First, in terms of delivering the action plan for rural development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7148/17]

Rural Development Plan

Bobby Aylward

333. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the approved local action groups delivering Leader will be requested to take a role in delivering some of the actions outlined in the action plan for rural development that complement Leader to ensure efficiency and avoid wasteful duplication, in view of the fact that the plan includes explicit references to the EU co-funded Leader programme 2014-2020 and the plan mirrors much of the national framework for the current Leader programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7147/17]

Tourism Policy

Bobby Aylward

80. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of tourism and hospitality skills training positions allocated to counties Carlow and Kilkenny in 2015 and 2016; the amount of funding allocated to counties Carlow and Kilkenny for tourism and hospitality skills training in 2015 and 2016; the agency or State body that has oversight and responsibility for hospitality and tourism skills development policy nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6524/17]