Parliamentary questions

Animal Culls

Richard Bruton

178. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the scheme undertaken on a pilot basis to carry out a cull of seagulls has been assessed; and if there are plans to consider extending that approach elsewhere. [21771/22]

Site Acquisitions

Richard Bruton

256. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if a permanent site for a school (details supplied) has been identified; and construction of a permanent building is scheduled. [21700/22]

Site Acquisitions

Richard Bruton

257. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has completed the assessment of the starting date for the new secondary school (details supplied) taking into account the very large number of new homes completed or under construction in the area. [21703/22]

State Pensions

Richard Bruton

294. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering allowing contributions to be made for pensions from rental income given the move to auto-enrolment. [21702/22]

Community Employment Drug Rehabilitation Projects

Richard Bruton

320. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the acute problems in reinstating important services for rehabilitating drug dependent young person's due to the lack of community employment youth workers such as in a case (details supplied); and if she will consider changing current community employment regulations to allow key support workers be retained. [22241/22]

Banking Sector

Richard Bruton

41. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has assessed the support to consumers in rearranging their affairs as banks exit the Irish market; and if he has discussed the matter with the Central Bank. [21003/22]

Public Sector Pay

Richard Bruton

99. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his approach to calls for pay increases to match rises in the cost of living; the way he will calculate the affordability of such calls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21002/22]

Public Procurement Contracts

Richard Bruton

121. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department measures the penetration of green procurement within total procurement; the estimated penetration levels achieved; and the adequacy of policies to achieve increased penetration. [21001/22]

Electric Vehicles

Richard Bruton

143. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if the lifetime costs of electric versus fossil fuel vehicles justifies recommending to public bodies under his auspices to switch procurement strategies bearing in mind the likely trends in fuel costs. [21000/22]

Transport Policy

Richard Bruton

153. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he has assessed the potential to move travel requirements to a service model by using sharing platforms, vehicle sharing and ride sharing; and if he will consider providing a fund to stimulate innovation in this area. [20999/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

214. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the Enterprise Forum last met; if the forum has discussed rising energy costs within the industry sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20995/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

215. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the consultation that his Department is holding with industry representatives in relation to rising energy costs; the mechanism by which the consultation operates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20996/22]

Waste Management

Richard Bruton

232. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will list the extended producer responsibility schemes that are in place for recovering waste material funded by a levy on the product put on the market; if he will list in respect of each the volume of material recovered in weight and the way that compares with the current volume of sales; if he will indicate in each case the level of the levy imposed to fund the operation; the outlets for the recovered material; and if he will provide the latest report on the operation of the respective schemes. [19287/22]

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Richard Bruton

323. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that is being made as regards to reviewing the policy position on the development of private wires and direct lines; if a public consultation will be held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20993/22]

Environmental Policy

Richard Bruton

324. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department intends to introduce further legislative measures pertaining to existing industrial emissions licence holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20994/22]

Departmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

645. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he will take to ensure that persons who surrendered their home to the financial crisis but who did not enter bankruptcy or similar arrangements will be able to access the local authority loan, the Fresh Start and other appropriate schemes on the same basis as first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20091/22]

Third Level Costs

Richard Bruton

1202. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the cost of graduate-entry courses to medicine and the lack of loan options for students to fund the cost; and if he will consider support for the cost in order to promote a greater supply of graduating doctors. [20438/22]

Programme for Government

Richard Bruton

1799. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made on the commitment in the programme for Government to work with key stakeholders to introduce a public health obesity Bill, including examining restrictions on promotion and advertising aimed at children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20992/22]

Economic Policy

Richard Bruton

9. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way that his Department is preparing to implement the circular economy ambitions of the Government. [18475/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

60. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the sectors which he believes are most vulnerable in the face of the explosion in the cost of oil and gas. [18474/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

139. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline how secure Irish energy systems are. [18485/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

145. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures that he is contemplating which might strengthen Irish resilience in the face of explosion in the cost of oil and gas. [18484/22]

Air Quality

Richard Bruton

9. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the Clean Air Strategy; and if it is planned to increase the monitoring of air quality under the strategy. [18568/22]

Tax Reliefs

Richard Bruton

36. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if a recent move has been made to apply VAT to candles; if any relief can be made for candles used in religious rites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18576/22]

Planning Issues

Richard Bruton

72. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the data his Department holds on the estimated number of outstanding planning permissions for new houses or apartments which have been granted in each local authority area; the way in which these compare with the projected housing need for the respective local authority areas; and the way in which this data is factored into the development of the activities of the Land Development Agency and the targets his Department is negotiating with local authorities. [18517/22]

Housing Provision

Richard Bruton

73. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of proposals from each of the local authorities and from the Land Development Agency for housing developments, either social or affordable homes, that are awaiting approval from his Department; the aggregate number of homes involved; and the average turnaround time for approvals. [18518/22]

Social Welfare Schemes

Richard Bruton

138. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered whether a maintenance recovery unit could remove the need for repeated Family Court hearings and ensure that social welfare evaluation of the means of single parents would be more fairly assessed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18579/22]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Richard Bruton

139. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the fuel allowance in order that the presence of a person receiving community employment payments after a period of long-term unemployment would not serve to disqualify a pensioner who would otherwise qualify for the scheme. [18582/22]

Health Service Executive

Richard Bruton

228. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the criteria used in the early assessment of the special needs of a child under the new system of triaging children operated by the HSE; and if the form of assessment is sufficient to determine access to early intervention classes.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18574/22]

Health Service Executive

Richard Bruton

235. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the criteria used in early assessment of the special needs of a child under the new system of triaging children operated by the HSE; and if the form of assessment is sufficient to determine access to early intervention classes. [18622/22]

Tax Reliefs

Richard Bruton

248. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if the help-to-buy scheme is being extended to persons whose marriages have broken down as well as to first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17881/22]

Registration Certificate

Richard Bruton

530. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has received a report from the HSE in respect of the backlog in making appointments for marriage notification which have to take place three months in advance; and if she plans to modify the legal obligation or make other changes to tackle this serious problem. [18203/22]

Environmental Investigations

Richard Bruton

242. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering providing environmental health officers with additional powers in order that they could more effectively address environmental hazards created by blockages on combined household drains, which can only be resolved if all those households served by the blocked drain share in the effort to resolve the issues. [17126/22]

An Garda Síochána

Richard Bruton

348. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she has received a report from An Garda Síochána on the Garda initiative to improve security in Dublin city centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17121/22]

Naturalisation Applications

Richard Bruton

352. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she will consider a special naturalisation process with lower fees for citizens of other countries who have lived a substantial part of their lives in Ireland and plan to continue to do so. [17235/22]

Health Services Staff

Richard Bruton

386. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the conditions that have been imposed on section 39 organisations delivering community care before restoration of FEMPI pay cuts can be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17175/22]

Defective Building Materials

Richard Bruton

37. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department offers support or advice to the residents of a multi-unit development built in 2008 that experience structural deficits in the building in cases in which the original developer company has been wound up leaving residents facing a substantial expense to resolve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16746/22]

Departmental Policies

Richard Bruton

86. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the way that the new policy approach for areas of severe disadvantage, which are suffering the ravages of drug dealing, has been progressing to date; the indicators that are being used to establish the success of the approach; if there are any early findings; and the further initiatives that are planned in her Department or across Government to tackle some of the deep-seated challenges. [16084/22]

Departmental Strategies

Richard Bruton

137. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the next steps following the closing of the date for submissions on the strategy for gender-based violence. [16083/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

206. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many district heating projects are charged as commercial connections resulting in higher charges to householders than if they had individual connections; and if he is considering regulatory changes to address this in order that the potential of district heating can be fully developed. [16056/22]

Housing Schemes

Richard Bruton

258. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered extending the help-to-buy scheme to the purchase of existing homes in certain circumstances. [15831/22]

Revenue Commissioners

Richard Bruton

263. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he receives regular reports on the speed of processing tax claims by the Revenue Commissioners and on the number of phone calls to their network which fail to be answered; if his attention has been drawn to problems in these respects in recent times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16004/22]

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

435. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the categories under which additional support will be made available to schools enrolling pupils from Ukraine; the criteria in each case for triggering additional allocation for example of books, meals, language support, resource teaching, SNA support and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16417/22]

Social Welfare Schemes

Richard Bruton

468. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if new recruitment is underway to provide support teams to work with incoming refugees from Ukraine; the categories being recruited; and if they will be recruited into standard grades within the public service or in some other manner. [15880/22]

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

550. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if new recruitment is underway in bodies which fall under the remit of her Department to provide support teams to work with incoming refugees from Ukraine; the categories being recruited; and if they will be recruited into standard grades within the public service or in some other manner. [15881/22]

Citizenship Applications

Richard Bruton

564. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if a recently naturalised Irish citizen is permitted to apply for citizenship elsewhere without jeopardising their Irish citizenship. [16137/22]

Nursing Homes

Richard Bruton

676. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the meetings which have taken place to date to design a scheme through which the properties of persons in nursing homes with support under the fair deal scheme could be incentivised to be made available for rent; if rules have been developed to ensure that older persons do not come under unfair pressure if such changes were made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16058/22]

Hospital Services

Richard Bruton

717. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if initiatives are being taken to extend the hours of operation of diagnostic facilities in hospitals in order to cope with the post-Covid-19 surge in needs. [16364/22]

Childcare Services

Richard Bruton

23. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if county childcare committees can play a more active role in promoting action which meets gaps in early childhood services. [15367/22]

Childcare Services

Richard Bruton

34. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the closure of childcare providers which is creating a situation in which some children do not have a place in a childcare facility. [15366/22]