Parliamentary questions

Seanad Elections

Paul Murphy

543. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has conducted any research on the accuracy of the National University of Ireland and University of Dublin Seanad Éireann electoral registers; and if he will report on any interaction his Department may have had with these institutions regarding their electoral registers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3760/15]

Building Regulations Compliance

Paul Murphy

544. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of inspections of building projects by building control officers, by county, since the introduction of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014; and if he will report on the technical capacity of the building control management system to check calculations submitted. [3761/15]

Roadworthiness Testing

Paul Murphy

596. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views that a change is required to the regulations relating to the definition of vintage cars so that there is a rolling 30-year age criteria rather than the current fixed date of pre-1980 vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3538/15]

Rail Services

Paul Murphy

609. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 993 of 14 January 2015, if his Department has funding available for the opening of railway stations; the extent that private funding is relied upon for the opening of railway stations; his views on the matter of providing railway stations in communities that are less commercially attractive to private investors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3827/15]

Human Rights Issues

Paul Murphy

30. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the continued detention of Ibrahim Halawa, in particular the further postponement of his trial, and if he will report on the work of his Department on the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2665/15]

Export Controls

Paul Murphy

85. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures in place to ensure that technologies and research developed by companies and institutions based here that are involved with the research and development of military capabilities are not used in the violation of human rights; his views on Ireland’s compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty and EU regulations on the export of dual-use items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3068/15]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

89. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on measures taken to ensure that greyhounds bred for racing but not used for racing are not destroyed or mistreated; the number of incidents that have been investigated in 2011 to 2014, inclusive; if he will report on any investigations into destruction of identification of greyhounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3123/15]

Middle East Issues

Paul Murphy

167. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any contact his Department has had with the Embassy of Israel to Ireland regarding the case of a person (details supplied); if he will report on any contact the Embassy of Ireland to Israel and the representative office in Palestine have had with Israeli authorities on this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3067/15]

Shannon Airport Facilities

Paul Murphy

168. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has examined the report of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the CIA's detention and interrogation programmes; if in view of this he has re-evaluated his opinion on the assurances of the US Government that no prisoners were transported through Irish territory; and in view of this report his views that it is acceptable to allow the US military aircraft the use of Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3069/15]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Paul Murphy

54. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his views on reports (details supplied) of hospitals that have denied treatment to new public patients in an attempt to lower waiting lists; the timeframe within which this practice has been practised; the number of patients who have been denied treatment or have had treatment delayed as a result of this policy; the measures in place to end this practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2381/15]

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Paul Murphy

78. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his views on the recent increase in the Nursing and Midwifery Board’s registration fee from €100 to €150 (details supplied) and on reports that nurses and midwives that do not pay the additional €50 have been threatened with being taken off the register. [2380/15]

Proposed Legislation

Paul Murphy

145. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the upcoming Landlord and Tenant Reform Bill will propose to reform the law concerning estate management companies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2950/15]

Human Rights

Paul Murphy

492. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has made representations to the ambassador for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ireland regarding the case of a person (details supplied) who has been sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and 1,000 lashes for criticism of the authorities in that country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2225/15]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

553. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of seized dogs or dogs otherwise in the care of local authorities by county for the past three years; and the number of these dogs that were successfully rehomed. [2230/15]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

554. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if measures are being considered to publish the registers of seized dogs as per section 14 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 held by local authorities online or in a form easily accessible to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2231/15]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

555. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the measures put in place by his Department to ensure that dogs in the care of local authorities are adequately cared for with appropriate accommodation and veterinary care, including those put into the care of outsourced companies or institutions by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2232/15]

Immigration Controls

Paul Murphy

9. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on changes to be made in the Garda National Immigration Bureau to end long queues outside its office on Burgh Quay in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1406/15]

Citizenship Applications

Paul Murphy

38. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on changes made by her Department to the granting of citizenship to children born here whose non-EEA-Swiss parents do not meet residency requirements, as highlighted by an Ombudsman's investigative report in 2014; her views on the Ombudsman's remit to be extended to include the naturalisation and immigration sections of her Department; and her further views on a change to the law to grant citizenship to all persons born here. [1405/15]

Defence Forces Equipment

Paul Murphy

10. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the measures that are in place to ensure that the technologies developed following co-operation between the Defence Forces and companies and research institutions involved with the research and development of military capabilities are not used in the violation of human rights. [1222/15]

Military Neutrality

Paul Murphy

21. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence his views on a change to the State's policy on military neutrality in the White Paper on Defence; his further views that the United States use of Shannon Airport, the commitment to increase military capacity under the Lisbon treaty and support for French intervention in its former colonies indicate a move away from the policy on military neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1221/15]