Parliamentary questions

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

193. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance the reason a person (details supplied) was refused the employment wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34005/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

224. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will assist in expediting the construction of all homes at a location (details supplied) in recognition of the defective blocks crisis in County Donegal in that it can provide additional accommodation as soon as possible. [34006/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

225. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications being processed by his Department for the construction of social housing in County Donegal; and the geographic breakdown of same. [34007/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

226. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has received an analysis of the amount of public housing in County Donegal which is impacted by the construction with defective blocks. [34008/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

227. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to surveys carried out by Donegal County Council on its housing stock; if so, if a detailed breakdown will be provided of the results of any analysis to date, that is, visual surveys or core testing on each building; and the breakdown by district electoral division of the number of houses affected and the level of deterioration of same. [34009/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

621. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to adjust the policy for allocating the mackerel quota given that the current 400 tonne quota for hook and line catch by the smaller inshore fleet has been already exceeded in 2021 and he has now closed the 2021 mackerel hook and line fishery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32974/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

622. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the policy of burden sharing post-Brexit and subsequent loss of fishing quota for Irish fishers has been responsible for the early closure of the 2021 mackerel hook and line fishery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32975/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

285. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the changes that have been introduced with respect to the regulation and monitoring of product standards for building blocks since the publication of the Report of the Expert Panel on Defective Blocks in 2017; the measures put in place to ensure that the widespread use of such defective blocks in counties Donegal and Mayo will be prevented in the future; and the role the National Building Control Office now has with respect to ensuring the highest possible standards for building blocks and all other construction material used in residential housing developments. [32560/21]

National Development Plan

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

450. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if provision has been made in the National Development Plan for the full cost of making homes in counties Donegal and Mayo safe under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme; and if he will ensure that these costs are covered in the review of the National Development Plan. [31685/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

614. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has consulted with the Health and Safety Authority to establish its role in liaising with Donegal County Council or Mayo County Council on the safety of families living in private or public homes affected by mica or pyrite defective concrete blocks. [31415/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

615. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the review will be completed of the submission received from a group (details supplied) in County Donegal in April 2021 and its proposals acted upon. [31416/21]

National Standards Authority of Ireland

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

616. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the regulations that are currently in place to ensure that manufacturers here do not allow deleterious minerals such as pyrite or MICA to be present in the constituent aggregate of concrete blocks; the person or body that is responsible for enforcing these regulations; and if he is satisfied that they are enforcing same. [31417/21]

School Accommodation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

726. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education the status of progress being made with the new school buildings for a school (details supplied). [30852/21]

School Accommodation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

727. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education the status of progress being made with the new school building for a school (details supplied). [30853/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1174. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the impending requirement that all fish species landed here are weighed at the pier or harbour may be in contravention of EU sanitary requirements in relation to cold chain integrity for chilled or frozen foods; if he will consult with the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and Bord Iascaigh Mhara in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30652/21]

Road Projects

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

238. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if the modal and intervention hierarchies within the National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland will not lead to any loss of central Government funding for the long delayed and vital road projects for County Donegal, the Ten-T priority improvement project and the A5 project in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30312/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

353. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the removal of ANC payments to some farmers in the north County Donegal in response to their ongoing protests that some nearby farms that continue to be in receipt of ANC payments are not in areas of worse natural constraint than those who have lost the payment. [30357/21]

Environmental Policy

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

156. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns of the local community in the Inishowen peninsula, County Donegal at plans for gold mining in the area; and if he will not grant any permission for such mining to proceed. [29123/21]

Tax Code

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

129. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance the policy or legislative changes he plans to make to the Disabled Drivers Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994 and the related primary medical certificates following the Supreme Court ruling of 18 June 2020. [28835/21]

Seirbhísí Farantóireachta

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

27. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn den Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail cad é stádas an bháid farantóireachta nua atá saincheaptha d’Oileán Thoraí; cén uair a bheidh an bád réidh le seoladh; an mbeidh sí sásta cruinniú a bheith aici le muintir an oileáin; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [21491/21]

Office of Public Works

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

218. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the efforts by the OPW to secure a site for a new Garda station at Carndonagh, County Donegal. [28172/21]

Flood Risk Management

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

565. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is providing financial assistance to farmers who are managing flood prevention infrastructure arising from land reclamation measures under the Irish Land Commission initiatives of the past. [28340/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

68. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the negotiations with his EU counterparts to secure a fair burden sharing of the fish quota loss that has arisen from the EU- UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. [27056/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

74. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the full State and EU funding that will be available to the fishing industry to implement the recommendation that will come from the Seafood Taskforce; and the estimated amount of funding available. [27057/21]

Inland Fisheries

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

60. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there is a fish counter in operation by Inland Fisheries Ireland for recording salmon stock on the rivers Suir, Nore and Barrow; if so, if he will release the data recorded from these counters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26850/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

61. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of salmon drift netting licences that were not bought out under the compulsory buy out scheme introduced in 2007; the details of same by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26851/21]

Departmental Strategies

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

185. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of implementing the outstanding recommendations of his Department’s commissioned reports Steering A New Course 2006, Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth 2012 and Focusing The Future and Maximising The Value of the Irish Seafood Industry 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26846/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

186. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a voluntary decommissioning scheme for fishing vessels and their owners who wish to leave the fishing sector of their own will; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26847/21]

Regulatory Bodies

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

187. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of implementing the recommendations of the Review of the Organisational Capability of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26848/21]

Aquaculture Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

188. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of implementing the recommendations of the 2017 report from the Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26849/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

385. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the growing tensions in County Donegal in relation to the serious problems that families are experiencing with the defective concrete blocks grants scheme and the ongoing awarding of business to the companies that manufactured the defective products by public bodies such as Donegal County Council; the advice his Department is providing to Donegal County Council on both issues; and the steps he can take to address these growing tensions. [25947/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

386. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will accede to requests for a public inquiry into the circumstances that led to the defective concrete block crisis in County Donegal that has devastated and traumatised thousands of families in private and public housing. [25948/21]

Fines Administration

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

372. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice the number of speeding fines issued across County Donegal in each of the years, 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the locations of the alleged speeding offences; and the time of day that the alleged offences took place in each instance in tabular form. [25227/21]

Tax Collection

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

223. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance when he will meet with a group (details supplied) to discuss its concerns regarding double taxation for workers in Border regions and the impact this will have on inward investment to some of the most economically disadvantaged parts of the island. [23623/21]

Naval Service

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

417. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Defence the communications the UK Royal Navy has with its counterparts here in relation to the ongoing movements and exercises of its submarines in the Irish exclusive economic zone but just outside Ireland's territorial waters; and if he will assure Irish fishers that they are not endangered by these practices while fishing in the waters around the coast. [23616/21]

Vaccination Programme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

848. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a Covid-19 vaccine. [24343/21]

Maritime Safety

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

260. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of his review of the decision not to proceed with the sea survival centre at a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23542/21]

Mica Redress Scheme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

38. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will carry out an urgent review of the financial assistance offered by the State under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme on the basis of the applications received to date by Donegal County Council and the serious concerns of affected families across the county. [22859/21]

Tenant Purchase Scheme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

299. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if it will be ensured that persons who lost their employment temporarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic and who will be returning to work in the near future can avail of the tenant purchase scheme without further delay; the guidance provided by his Department to local authorities on the way to administer the scheme during the pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23018/21]

Fishing Vessel Safety

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

696. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 245 of 4 February 2021, if he will communicate with the Department of Transport that advised in a subsequent Parliamentary Question that it has no role in providing financial compensation to the fishing sector and that such matters are within the remit of his Department and that the person concerned should make contact with his Department to pursue such matters (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23149/21]

Brexit Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

164. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he and his Department are pursuing a multi-fund approach of both EU funding (details supplied) and the EU Recovery and Resilience fund as well as national funding such as the Rural Regeneration Fund, Shared Island Fund and town and village renewal scheme among others in order to help in alleviating the dreadful consequences for the fishing sector and communities dependent on it from the Brexit fallout. [22461/21]

Departmental Staff

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

168. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of staff in the ERAD division of the regional office in Raphoe, County Donegal; if his attention has been further drawn to the knock-on impact of these staff shortages to farmers awaiting co-operation from his Department with a range of applications and financial supports; and if these vacant positions will be filled as soon as possible. [22504/21]

Departmental Staff

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

169. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff positions that are currently vacant in the regional office of his Department in Raphoe, County Donegal; and the plans to have these positions filled. [22505/21]

Drug and Alcohol Testing

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

241. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department decided on the drug driving limits in regard to cannabis and the testing procedures that apply. [21844/21]

Harbours and Piers

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1139. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of efforts by his Department working with Donegal County Council to secure the necessary funding to complete the breakwater at Greencastle Harbour, County Donegal, mindful of the huge outlay of public funding already invested in a half finished project. [21445/21]

Fisheries Protection

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1140. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure the immediate publication of the European Commission 2018 audit and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority administrative enquiry that has led to the revocation of the derogation for the fishing industry to weigh fishery products following transport away from the place of landing; and his views on whether it is only fair to provide the evidence that justifies such a decision. [21446/21]

Aquaculture Development

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

218. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will reopen the Covid-19 aquaculture support scheme to allow for the scheme to cover the period from 30 June 2020 onwards; if the eligibility criteria of the scheme will be widened to include aquaculture producers of other species excluded in the previous scheme, that is, abalone, trout and bottom mussels; and if the eligibility criteria is based on gatherers dockets and sales dockets which clearly state volume produced in a given year, rather than returns to BIM of the Annual Aquaculture Production and Employment Survey. [20955/21]

Aquaculture Development

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

219. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider additional financial supports for the oyster sector which is facing a second year of its production cycle with difficulties in finding and accessing markets for its produce (details supplied). [20956/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

225. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will honour the commitment in the Programme for Government to work to retain factory weighing of pelagic fish in the context of negotiations on the new EU control regulation; the position regarding the current oversight of weighing systems in Irish fish production factories including tamper-proof systems that are observed by direct video link to the SFPA and subject to unannounced inspections by the NSAI at any time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21026/21]

Airport Policy

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

365. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 40% of the passengers that have used the City of Derry Airport in recent years are based in County Donegal; and when substantial funding to the airport will be restored to reflect such passenger numbers and the commitment to the north west cross Border region under the New Decade, New Approach Agreement. [19336/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

416. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if his Department will re-engage with and arrange a meeting with a person (details supplied) to examine possibilities to compensate them for stability issues which were discovered on a vessel that they purchased from another European state rendering the vessel unfit for sea and unsafe and which left them in serious financial hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20063/21]

Office of Public Works

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

584. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the details of all properties and national monuments under the control of the Office of Public Works in County Donegal in tabular form. [20819/21]

Office of Public Works

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

585. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the plans the Office of Public Works has to refurbish the historical courthouse at Carndonagh, County Donegal in order that it can be reopened as a district court for the north Inishowen area. [20818/21]

Office of Public Works

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

667. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans the Office of Public Works have to secure and repair the old church and surrounding walls at Raymoghy Abbey near Manorcunningham, County Donegal; and his views on whether such important historical sites require ongoing maintenance and care. [20820/21]

Mica Redress Scheme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

815. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will convene a meeting or correspond with the banks and financial institutions to call on the banks and financial institutions to assist families in County Donegal who have been affected by MICA defective concrete blocks in their homes given the recent comments by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal in relation to the matter. [20574/21]

Cross-Border Co-operation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2179. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if he will carry out an urgent review of the Cross-Border Directive that is being administered by the HSE following recurrent problems with the compatibility of DRG codes that have cost applicants thousands of euro. [20041/21]

Hospital Appointments Status

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2386. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive an appointment for a psychological assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20658/21]

Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2469. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he has taken since the publication of a report (details supplied) into organisational capability of the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency in late 2020; the actions he plans to take regarding the recommendations and conclusions of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18675/21]

Ministerial Meetings

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2470. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of meetings either he or his officials had with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in advance of that Minister’s meeting with the French President and German Chancellor in December 2020 in the critical period running up to the Brexit Agreement of 24 December 2020; the dates of these briefings and copies of any documents shared at the meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18676/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2471. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to secure a tuna quota for Ireland in view of the fact that some EU partners are seeking an expansion to their existing tuna quotas; the tonnage of tuna caught within Ireland’s EEZ waters; the countries fishing for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18677/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2472. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of French vessels inspected, detained, prosecuted and fined for fishing infringements within Ireland’s territorial waters EEZ from 2010 to date; the amount of fish quota French vessels caught in the same waters during the period in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18678/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2533. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the migration research on Atlantic bluefin tuna being conducted by the Marine Institute over recent years can be utilised by his Department to make the case for a reasonable share of the EU quota and TAC of this species to be allocated to the Irish fleet. [20011/21]

Aquaculture Development

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2537. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an updated national strategic plan for sustainable aquaculture development will be published. [20057/21]

Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

2538. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce an amendment to section 49 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 to ensure that the final report of a complaints officer as part of the complaints procedure of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority is made available to the complainant and the authority. [20069/21]

Fish Producer Organisations

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

391. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the establishment of a new independent organisation (details supplied); if this organisation will be included in future rounds of consultation that he holds with the industry; and if it will be invited to participate in the work of the seafood task force. [17840/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

84. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance if he will convene a forum meeting with the banks and financial institutions in co-operation with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to request that they immediately play a partnership role with the State and affected families in the financial challenge of making homes safe across counties Donegal and Mayo under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme. [16454/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

473. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to implement a scheme such as the defective block scheme specifically to address mica in public and non-residential buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16720/21]

Wind Energy Guidelines

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

255. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the concerns among Irish fishing communities at the growing number of planning applications and expressions of interest for offshore wind farms; his views on the calls for adequate distances from the shoreline for wind turbines to be introduced and the minimalisation of loss of access to fishing grounds for those fishing communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15497/21]

Trans European Transport Network Programme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

338. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if he will give a renewed commitment that the State will fund the TEN-T priority route improvement project, County Donegal as prioritised within the National Planning Framework, Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15299/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

485. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance if he will convene a forum meeting with the banks and financial institutions in co-operation with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to request that they immediately play a partnership role with the State and affected families in the financial challenge of making homes safe across counties Donegal and Mayo under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme. [15200/21]

Local Authority Housing

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

627. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason his Department has not signed off on a request from Donegal County Council that it be permitted to purchase the property in an area (details supplied) to house a family on the housing list; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Donegal County Council has built or acquired less public or council homes in the past 11 years than in just 2002; and his views on whether delays such as this are unacceptable in such circumstances. [14235/21]

Ministerial Meetings

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

691. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the meetings he has held or correspondence he has had with banks and financial institutions in Ireland since assuming office. [15199/21]

Domestic Violence Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1086. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will virtually meet representatives of a service (details supplied) to hear the challenges that it faces in maintaining the vital service at a time of unprecedented demand and the need for adequate State funding to be provided to same. [14891/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1937. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the fishing capacity of the bottom grown mussel sector in Ireland and the resources available to it were last assessed and made public with reference to Article 22 of Regulation EU 2013-1380 on The Common Fisheries Policy in relation to the rightsizing of fishing fleets to match the available resource. [13891/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1938. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the financial circumstances of the Irish bottom grown mussel industry; and if he will engage with the sector to ensure that there is a strong and properly regulated management structure in place to ensure the fishery is regulated and that Irish registered boats are given a fair chance and opportunity to make a living, as he called for during the passage of the Sea Fisheries Amendment Bill in 2019. [13892/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1939. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it will be ensured that the four fishermen (details supplied) who successfully won their court cases will have the option of availing of compensation or decommissioning schemes made available to their colleagues in other sectors in the time ahead. [13893/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

383. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will carry out an urgent review of the financial assistance offered by the State under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, based on the applications received to date by Donegal County Council, and address the serious concerns of affected families across the county. [12800/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

384. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he and the Minister for Finance will convene a forum meeting with the banks and financial institutions to request that they immediately play a partnership role with the State and affected families in the financial challenge of making homes safe across counties Donegal and Mayo under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme. [12801/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

385. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if financial allocations from his Department to Donegal County Council to enable it to make homes within its housing stock affected by MICA defective concrete blocks safe will be additional to the planned financial allocations to Donegal County Council to facilitate the construction and purchase of new public housing across the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12816/21]

Departmental Information

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

443. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the advice or briefings his Department received from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine ahead of his meeting with the French Minister for European and Foreign Affairs in Paris on 3 December 2020. [13348/21]

Maritime Jurisdiction

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

444. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress that has been made in discussions with the UK Government to resolve the conflict over the right of Irish fishing vessels to fish in the waters around Rockall. [13349/21]

HSE Data

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

808. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who availed of the cross-border health directive in Northern Ireland in each of the years, 2016 to 2020, and to date in 2021, in tabular form; the category of the procedures; the diagnosis-related group codes involved; and the payment made in each case. [12796/21]

Seafood Sector

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1012. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will publish the terms of reference of the recently established seafood sector taskforce. [12795/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1033. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his efforts over recent months to secure a fair burden sharing of the fish quota loss arising from the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement amongst the fishing fleets of the affected EU member states as called for by the affected fishing industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13346/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1034. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the advice or briefings that the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence received from his Department ahead of the Minister’s meeting with the French Minister for European and Foreign Affairs in Paris on 3 December 2020. [13347/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1043. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the share of fishing quota allocated to the Norwegian fishing fleet from the Irish EEZ; the breakdown by State of the quota of cod recently allocated to EU member states from Norwegian waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11173/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

111. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the financial and business supports available through Fáilte Ireland to assist the Irish sea angling charter industry due to the disruption caused by Covid-19 over the past year; if the amount of funding and the areas to which funding has been allocated in the past year will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10743/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

347. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined treating Irish fishers and their industry in a similar fashion to the bed and breakfast industry, which allows non-rate paying businesses to seek access to emergency financial supports that have been put in place due to Covid-19 disruption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10745/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

348. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if harbour fees paid by Irish fishers will be considered similar to rates paid by businesses for the purpose of applying for business supports available through his Department for disruption caused by Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10746/21]

Food Exports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

360. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts his Department is making to reopen the Chinese market to Irish fishers for the exportation of brown crab; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10744/21]

Departmental Bodies

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

361. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason minutes are not made public from quota management advisory committee meetings; if he considers this to be good practice; the actions he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10747/21]

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

362. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current underspend in fisheries-related funding from the current European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, EMFF, programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10748/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

363. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legal definition that Ireland uses for recognising supertrawlers and factory trawlers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10749/21]

Trade Agreements

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1077. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the voisinage agreement as it relates to reciprocal access to the 0 to 6 nautical miles around the island of Ireland following the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement; and the specific text in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement that addresses this matter. [9937/21]

Common Fisheries Policy

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1078. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the reported potential loss of thousands of tonnes of quota that will be deducted from Irish fishers and the loss of millions of euro in EU funding following an EU investigation into the State's application of the Common Fisheries Policy; if he plans to appeal this reported decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9938/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

901. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the reason christenings and baptisms are not currently permitted under the public health emergency restrictions but weddings with potentially more persons attending are. [8717/21]

Medicinal Products

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

280. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing frustration of a group (details supplied) not to recommend in favour of reimbursement of patisiran for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated hATTRA amyloidosis here; and the reason this drug is available to patients in Northern Ireland but not here. [7688/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

200. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance if he will amend the Covid restrictions support scheme to ensure that inshore fishers and others in the fishing industry can avail of this vital financial support. [6587/21]

Local Authority Housing

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

298. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons and families on the housing list in County Donegal including those availing of assistance through HAP or RAS in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [6527/21]

Social and Affordable Housing

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

299. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of council houses and approved housing body houses built and allocated to persons or families in County Donegal in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [6528/21]