Parliamentary questions

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

141. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of Ireland in tackling the future challenges for the European Union in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine. [15365/22]

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

162. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of Ireland in supporting efforts to end the war in Ukraine. [15364/22]

Pension Provisions

Richard Bruton

15. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the projections for the annual collection of funds under an auto enrolment pension scheme; if it is proposed to deploy these funds for specific purposes; and if not, will they be managed in a particular way. [14875/22]

Dublin Airport Authority

Richard Bruton

173. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to a proposal by the Dublin Airport Authority to impose a drop-off charge for persons being brought to the airport in a private vehicle; if this action requires Government approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14039/22]

Electric Vehicles

Richard Bruton

267. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has decided on the BIK rules which will be applied to electric vehicles after the current exemption expires; if he will ensure that the lower environmental impact continues to be reflected in the BIK burden; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14638/22]

Education Policy

Richard Bruton

87. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will consider taking an initiative along with the Ministers for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Rural and Community Development to develop a strategy to promote the concept of a campus on which early childhood needs, education and other community needs could be accommodated a measure which might require her Department to rethink the expectations of education patrons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13471/22]

Housing Policy

Richard Bruton

237. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is monitoring the price of starter homes in Dublin city; if he is satisfied that the ceiling of house prices for local authority loans at €320,000 is providing purchasers qualifying for this loan with a sufficient range of homes to purchase particularly in the coming year when the new sources of affordable homes are still in the planning phase. [12386/22]

School Enrolments

Richard Bruton

351. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the scarcity of school places in the school planning area D13 Donaghmede Howth; if she has collected information on the long waiting lists for some schools particularly those offering non-denominational education; if she has assessed whether all pupils needing a place can be appropriately accommodated; and if she has plans to deliver additional accommodation for the start of the 2022-2023 school year in September 2022. [12989/22]

Electric Vehicles

Richard Bruton

47. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will indicate his approach to having rental schemes for e-scooters; and the framework under which they will evolve. [11830/22]

Public Transport

Richard Bruton

51. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he has encouraged the development of consumer satisfaction feedback on public transport to provide a spur to delivering passenger needs. [11831/22]

Housing Provision

Richard Bruton

117. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the projected supply of homes for affordable purchase from Dublin local authorities and the Land Development Agency, LDA, in Dublin; and the status of the regulations now in preparation in his Department. [11834/22]

Vacant Properties

Richard Bruton

196. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has set targets for local authorities in respect of bringing private vacant property back into use. [11835/22]

Public Procurement Contracts

Richard Bruton

82. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress that has been made in transforming the various public procurement protocols to embrace circular economy principles. [11136/22]

Environmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

164. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has considered funding deep retrofits for older persons with the recovery of their share of the costs from a later transfer of the property which is the principle underpinning the fair deal scheme in health. [11149/22]

Special Educational Needs

Richard Bruton

460. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the principles underpinning the allocation of SNAs will differ in 2022 from previous years; the way the presentation of new pupils with special needs to a school will be evaluated; and the review mechanisms that will be provided for schools that consider that their needs have not been met. [11017/22]

School Staff

Richard Bruton

479. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has considered regrading school secretaries paid by her Department to take account of the fact that the staff ratio including SNAs has vastly grown since 1979 when the grading system was established, and with those numbers, that the responsibilities of school secretaries have also grown. [11444/22]

Childcare Services

Richard Bruton

548. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department can offer assistance to a person (details supplied) for whom a planned school expansion has precipitated the end of a lease for a vital childcare service accommodating over 100 children. [11351/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Richard Bruton

711. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the categories of health workers on the front line who will receive the €1,000 bonus beyond those within the public service; and if those working during the pandemic caring for the clients of an organisation (details supplied) will receive the payment. [11214/22]

Departmental Bodies

Richard Bruton

45. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she has met with the Future of Media Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9463/22]

Sports Funding

Richard Bruton

72. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will consider establishing a ring-fenced part of the sports capital fund in order that rapid-growth areas that have a shortage of both facilities and of clubs could get support to fill the gap in opportunities. [9462/22]

Climate Action Plan

Richard Bruton

158. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the way he is approaching the framing of sectoral carbon budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9460/22]

Environmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

165. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is making provision for experimentation in the roll-out of the energy upgrade programme so that the impact of different approaches can be tested to find the approach that attracts the maximum level of participation. [9461/22]

Tax Reliefs

Richard Bruton

95. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered the case that the benefit-in-kind regime for cars encourages increased mileage to obtain tax relief which is counterproductive to Ireland’s climate ambitions. [10313/22]

Tax Reliefs

Richard Bruton

96. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider easier methods for remote workers to claim tax allowance in circumstances in which the employer does not make provision such as by using standard allowances rather than requiring a bill to be uploaded. [10322/22]

Social Welfare Code

Richard Bruton

167. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if the adult dependent allowance is disallowed in cases in which a welfare claimant has put savings in joint names for the purpose of ease of transfer in the event of succession and in which the dependent spouse cannot unilaterally withdraw those savings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10339/22]

Insurance Industry

Richard Bruton

26. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the insights that have been gleaned from the new data reporting on insurance claims; and if he has identified scope for adding new actions to the insurance plan based on this information. [9459/22]

Tax Code

Richard Bruton

62. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has received preliminary returns from the local property tax which might shed light on the case for a tax on properties left vacant for a long period; and the issues to be considered in framing such a tax. [9458/22]

Environmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

138. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has considered the inclusion of standalone grants for windows and doors, which does not seem to be supported as part of a deep retrofit. [9549/22]

Environmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

139. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the low-interest loans and the one-stop shop are intended to support all energy upgrades or only those deep retrofits designed to get to a B2 BER rating. [9550/22]

Educational Disadvantage

Richard Bruton

435. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has plans to extend DEIS status to new schools; if so, the scale of the planned extension; and the manner in which new schools will be chosen. [9256/22]

Educational Disadvantage

Richard Bruton

436. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has assessed the disadvantage status of a school (details supplied) which was one of the schools selected from among those not in the DEIS scheme for inclusion in the expansion of the free school meals; and if the school was close to being placed on the same scale as schools which now have disadvantaged status. [9257/22]

School Curriculum

Richard Bruton

464. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education her plans to extend the uptake of computer science as a leaving certificate option in as many schools as possible; if there is a team working on developing requirements in terms of equipment and the upskilling of staff needed to deliver same; the extent to which Ireland’s base of leading-edge information and communications technology companies are playing a role in the planning and delivery of these ambitions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9666/22]

School Staff

Richard Bruton

480. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education her Department’s approach to discussion at the Workplace Relations Commission on the pay and conditions for school secretaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9818/22]

Social Welfare Code

Richard Bruton

516. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider changing the law in order that young persons attending school at senior cycle can retain the entitlement to child benefit until the end of the school year instead of withdrawing it on reaching the age of 18 years of age at a time when they cannot qualify for other support and costs are not reduced in any way for the family. [9235/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Richard Bruton

678. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if contracted paramedics from outside the HSE who worked on the hospital wards and were exposed to the same daily risk as hospital staff will be entitled to the €1,000 pandemic payment. [9142/22]

Covid-19 Tests

Richard Bruton

825. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if an antigen test confirming that a person had Covid-19 can be used to obtain a recovery certificate recognised for EU travel purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9815/22]

Urban Development

Richard Bruton

19. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the make-up of the tool kit for participants in town centre first initiatives; if it will include easy access to the relevant schemes of other Departments such as sustainable energy communities, sports capital grants, connected hubs and business improvement districts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8533/22]

Urban Development

Richard Bruton

37. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the new rapidly growing neighbourhoods developing around cities will be eligible for the town centre first initiative; if they will require a different toolkit from that appropriate to well-established towns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8534/22]

Crime Prevention

Richard Bruton

131. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the work to date in the three pilot community safety areas; the indicators that are being used to establish the success of the approach; if there are early findings; and when the lessons and approaches introduced will be seen more widely. [8538/22]

Drug Dealing

Richard Bruton

150. 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 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. [8537/22]

Health Strategies

Richard Bruton

136. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the plans for e-health and remote delivery. [6835/22]

Medicinal Products

Richard Bruton

174. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the size of the budget for medicines; and the plans to manage it more effectively. [6836/22]

Departmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

228. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the restriction on the eligibility of persons for the warmer homes scheme that have had works done previously under the scheme has been lifted as part of the new retrofit strategy. [8220/22]

School Admissions

Richard Bruton

427. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the number of places available in reading schools for children with severe dyslexia; and her plans to expand the provision given these places are oversubscribed. [7616/22]

General Practitioner Services

Richard Bruton

927. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty in getting a general practitioner to accept new clients in some parts of the country; and if he will establish a system for ensuring cover for such persons who have been declined by their local services given it is essential for public health that there is universal access to a general practitioner for families whether eligible for GMS services or not. [8451/22]

Medicinal Products

Richard Bruton

928. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a medication universally recommended for acute morning sickness (details supplied) is not covered under the GMS or the drug refund scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8452/22]

Harbours and Piers

Richard Bruton

940. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Howth harbour project; and the progress that will be delivered in 2022. [7599/22]

Consumer Rights

Richard Bruton

59. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to strengthen consumer rights; and the initiatives he is undertaking to introduce the concept of a circular economy in key economic sectors. [6832/22]

Departmental Strategies

Richard Bruton

155. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is developing a strategy to reward farmers for delivering environmental services as a regular source of income. [6833/22]

Agriculture Industry

Richard Bruton

165. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proportion of agricultural output on which processors pay a premium for its environmentally sound production standards. [6834/22]