Parliamentary questions

Motor Insurance

Declan Breathnach

267. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the false figures for the number of Garda breath tests having had an impact on the rising cost of car insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20004/17]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Declan Breathnach

353. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for the commencement of the heavy goods vehicle driver apprenticeship programme; the expected timeframe for qualified drivers to come into the workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20005/17]

Diaspora Issues

Declan Breathnach

637. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to introduce incentives to Irish emigrants returning home from abroad to help them to reintegrate into society, for example, to get car insurance, set up bank accounts, access to credit and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20003/17]

Driver Licences

Declan Breathnach

1305. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to introduce incentives to Irish emigrants returning home from abroad to help them to reintegrate into society, for example, to obtain driving licences and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20003/17]

Universal Social Charge

Declan Breathnach

144. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact there is an unfair anomaly for persons earning just over the universal social charge threshold amount of €13,000 whereby they are charged USC on the full amount, for example, 0.5% on the first €12,012 and 2.5% on the balance up to €18,772; his plans to change these rules for those persons on low incomes so the first €13,000 remains exempt from USC with any balance of income over that amount liable to USC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17481/17]

VAT Exemptions

Declan Breathnach

178. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Finance if, following a recent ruling of the European Court of Justice that VAT should not be applied to tolls on State-owned motorways, he will consider calling on Transport Infrastructure Ireland to postpone an increase in toll charges planned from 1 April 2017 in view of the fact they are no longer liable for VAT; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that such an increase would be damaging to the road haulage sector, which is already severely impacted by insurance costs threatening the viability of many of its businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16310/17]

Shared Ownership Scheme

Declan Breathnach

323. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons nationally who have availed of the county council shared ownership loans to date in 2017 to purchase their house, by county and in tabular form; the number of those persons who have moved over to the county council annuity loan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16338/17]

Shared Ownership Scheme

Declan Breathnach

324. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider providing financial advice to persons who are being asked to switch from a county council shared ownership loan to an annuity loan to assist them in working out which is the best option for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16346/17]

Agriculture Scheme Payments

Declan Breathnach

574. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons in County Louth 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. [15999/17]

Post Office Network

Declan Breathnach

119. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if she will consider exploring the option of giving the post office service responsibility for the compilation of the electoral register and enumeration of census data to make the service more viable in view of the urgent crisis in the delivery of postal services; if she will include this in the list of extra tasks being considered for the post office network on foot of the report of the post office hub working group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15633/17]

Post Office Network

Declan Breathnach

181. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider exploring the option of giving the post office service responsibility for the compilation of the electoral register and enumeration of census data to make the service more viable in view of the urgent crisis in the delivery of postal services; if he will include this in the list of extra tasks being considered for the post office network on foot of the report of the post office hub working group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15634/17]

Insurance Coverage

Declan Breathnach

134. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Finance his plans to regulate for insurance for hobby drone users; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the two insurance companies here underwritten by UK companies that offer insurance cover for drones will not cover drones used by amateurs and hobbyists; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that there have been a number of accidents and damage to property caused by drones operated by amateurs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15299/17]

Fishing Industry

Declan Breathnach

436. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any fishing organisations were consulted with regard to the Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14835/17]

Haulage Industry

Declan Breathnach

35. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to ensure there is no disruption to the current HGV driver sector in anticipation of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14426/17]

Haulage Industry

Declan Breathnach

36. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to the potential damage to the economy caused by the unavailability of drivers in the HGV sector across the EU; the action being taken to ensure drivers can be recruited outside of the EU while unavailable within the EU; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that there is a severe shortage of HGV drivers in the EU; if she will consider putting the category of HGV driver on the highly skilled eligible occupations list to allow the employment permits system to operate in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14425/17]

Motor Insurance

Declan Breathnach

53. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the problem for road haulage companies whereby no insurance company here will insure a HGV driver under 25 years of age; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that, at 25 years of age, drivers must prove they have two years' experience; if his attention has been drawn to discrepancies between Ireland and other European countries in terms of motor insurance whereby it is easier for younger HGV drivers to get insurance in other European countries; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that insurance costs for the HGV sector are prohibitive here causing 30% of the Irish fleet to get insurance abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14217/17]

VAT Exemptions

Declan Breathnach

225. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the measure introduced in the last budget to charge VAT on training and development activities is having the effect of actively discouraging businesses from offering training and development opportunities to their staff; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the measure has led to training courses being cancelled to the detriment of the business providing training and also the staff that would have benefitted from the training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13559/17]

Rent Supplement Scheme Data

Declan Breathnach

485. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of payments by county that have been made to families by the community welfare officers as top ups to the rent supplement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12816/17]

EU Directives

Declan Breathnach

809. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in 2016 the EU cross-border health care directive, which allows Irish citizens obtain treatment in other member states, cost the HSE €2.2 million, an increase of €500,000 on 2015; the detail of the services that were approved since the directive started; the amount that was allocated to mental health under the directive and in particular to residential addiction treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13206/17]

Child Care Services Staff

Declan Breathnach

1299. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if consideration will be given to the circumstances of a person (details supplied) who now falls outside of the criteria outlined in the early years preschool regulations and her Department's child care programmes qualification requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13254/17]