Parliamentary questions

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

635. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 581 of 7 February 2024, the breakdown, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8834/24]

Third Level Costs

Mairéad Farrell

643. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what financial supports are available for undergraduate students who study in Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9235/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

646. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current rates of pay for all craft apprentices, by the different phases; the dates on which the rates were last increased, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9332/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

647. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the pay scales for craft apprentice education tutors under the current Public Service Pay Agreement; the pay scales under the previous agreement, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9333/24]

Work Permits

Mairéad Farrell

19. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the discrepancy in treatment of doctors who transitioned from stamp 1 permits to stamp 4 permits prior to the introduction of the stamp 1H permit, where those who have a stamp 1H permit can then get a two-year stamp 4 permit and those who previously had a stamp 1 permit must renew their stamp 4 permit on an annual basis; if she intends to address this discrepancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8151/24]

Work Permits

Mairéad Farrell

121. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if psychotherapists accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy are considered under the medical professional occupation category for critical skills employment permits. [8437/24]

Departmental Schemes

Mairéad Farrell

34. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware of the situation whereby the SEAI will not disburse grants from its better homes scheme to holders of credit union accounts and if he has engaged with the SEAI in relation to same. [8120/24]

Local Authorities

Mairéad Farrell

99. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the revenue raised by each local authority from local property tax for 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8179/24]

Local Authorities

Mairéad Farrell

100. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 280 of 1 February 2024, when he expects the data for 2023 related to local authorities' income from commercial rates and income from the provision of goods and services to be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8185/24]

Middle East

Mairéad Farrell

122. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he believes further action from Ireland is warranted following attacks from Israel on civilians in Rafah; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7598/24]

Military Aircraft

Mairéad Farrell

124. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 136 of 13 February 2024, what steps were taken to ensure that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in intelligence gathering; that the flight in question does not form part of a military exercise or operation, especially as no US military aircraft ever leaves its bases in the US or its foreign bases around the world unless it is on a military operation or on a military exercise, and that US soldiers travelling to war zones on these military aircraft are normally required to bring their personal weapons with them; and how he reconciles these DFA restrictions on military aircraft with the fact that successive Ministers for Transport since 2001 have been approving the transit of over three million US soldiers through Shannon Airport on civilian aircraft on contract to the US military and approving the fact that most of the US soldiers are carrying their personal automatic rifles with them on these aircraft. [7813/24]

Defence Forces

Mairéad Farrell

149. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence in relation to the NATO Partnerships for Peace agreements and the attempt to increase Ireland’s Defence Forces interoperability with NATO standards and systems, if these agreements have any requirements for arms, equipment, systems or other infrastructure to be procured from manufacturers in NATO members states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7814/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

220. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 104 of 7 February 2024, the return on investment and internal rate of return for each investment in each year of its existence, compared to the ISIF's annual benchmark, that is, the average cost of Irish Government debt, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7815/24]

Land Issues

Mairéad Farrell

340. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the new practice with the land registry whereby if a change of deeds form is submitted incorrectly, when the form is returned to the solicitor the section which requires correcting is no longer identified, and thus slows down the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7484/24]

National Children's Hospital

Mairéad Farrell

519. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health for the cost to date of the State Solicitor’s Office’s expenditure on external legal and consultancy fees related to all litigation arising from the National Children’s Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8076/24]

Primary Care Services

Mairéad Farrell

600. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the current progress and planned delivery date for each of the primary care centres planned for Connemara; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7926/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

648. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 578 of 30 January 2024, when an answer can be expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7978/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

651. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 17 February 2021, the value of direct financial supports provided to purpose-built student accommodation providers in 2000 to 2010, and 2019 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8077/24]

Local Authorities

Mairéad Farrell

245. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how his Department supports local authorities to complete maintenance works on council-owned homes in a timely fashion. [7335/24]

Local Authorities

Mairéad Farrell

246. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of improvement letters, improvement notices and prohibition notices issued by Galway City Council and Galway County Council, respectively in 2023; and if he will provide additional resources to local authorities to ensure properties in private rental market meet minimum standards. [7336/24]

School Staff

Mairéad Farrell

173. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education if she plans to increase the grant paid to schools to provide for transport assistants who work on buses assisting those with profound mental/physical disabilities, as these workers have not had an increase since 2020, which was only 26 cents per hour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7089/24]

Sports Facilities

Mairéad Farrell

183. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the outcome of the preliminary report on the provision of a swimming pool in Loughrea, County Galway under the local authority swimming pool programme; the reason this project did not progress; if her Department's review of the large scale sport infrastructure fund has been completed; if a report of the review will be completed; if she intends to reopen the fund to provide for the development of public swimming pools in towns such as Loughrea; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6774/24]

Hospital Staff

Mairéad Farrell

328. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health considering that patients from University Hospital Galway (UHG) are being sent to Kingsbridge Hospital in the North for certain urology procedures as part of the national treatment purchase fund, and additional expenses related to travel and accommodation are incurred, if he has considered hiring an additional urologist for UHG as a cost saving measure. [7069/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

333. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the delivery of purpose built student accommodation for the technological universities, if he envisages a role for the Irish Strategic Investment Fund through Activate Capital, which has already part funded some other PBSA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6802/24]

Military Aircraft

Mairéad Farrell

136. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a US Navy Hercules KC130T aircraft was allowed to land and refuel at Shannon Airport on two occasions recently (details supplied); the reason this aircraft was allowed to land and refuel at Shannon Airport in breach of international laws on neutrality; and if steps were taken to ensure that this aircraft was not transporting military materials to Israel in breach of the Government's duties under the Genocide Convention. [6105/24]

Student Travel Card

Mairéad Farrell

208. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport in relation to fines levied on students who fail to present their student travel card on bus and rail services, if the National Transport Authority provides an appeal mechanism where this can be waived if they can later show that they had simply forgotten the card; and if he would support such an initiative if one does not already exist. [6350/24]

National Asset Management Agency

Mairéad Farrell

238. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Finance if NAMA keeps a record of all properties and sites that it has disposed of, and if this information is publicly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6516/24]

Pension Provisions

Mairéad Farrell

439. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is possible for an Irish citizen and resident, who previously lived in Australia and obtained Australian citizenship, to receive an Australian state pension; whether the procedure for applying to receive this must also involve her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6241/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

616. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps that have been taken to combat the practice of compulsory lease lengths imposed on students by private student accommodation providers in Dublin and Cork including a company (details supplied). [6354/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

617. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how his Department will ensure the enforceability of the definition for student accommodation as provided for in the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended by the Residential Tenancies Act 2019 (details supplied) for the purpose of ensuring that licence agreements and other measures designated for student specific accommodation is not used by providers that place their properties outside the scope of the said definition through imposing a lease length that is longer than the academic term. [6355/24]

Business Supports

Mairéad Farrell

48. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the increased cost of business scheme will be rolled out to businesses and how local authorities will be advertising the scheme. [5665/24]

Legislative Measures

Mairéad Farrell

261. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice if she is aware of the recommendations contained in the report the 'human and financial cost of clinical negligence claims: the case for pre-action protocols’; the plans, if any, she has for tort reforms in the area of dental practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5999/24]

Inland Fisheries

Mairéad Farrell

42. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the review of two bye-laws (details supplied) will commence; if the Office of the Attorney General will participate in the review; the terms of reference for the review; the timeframe for the review to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5783/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

104. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 212 of 30 January 2024, if the initial information requested will be provided in the manner in which it was initially sought, in tabular form with the variables specified therein; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5232/24]

Rental Sector

Mairéad Farrell

279. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is providing supports for older renters who are unable to retire due to the high cost of their rent, particularly those whose incomes put them over the threshold for social housing support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5498/24]

Invasive Species Policy

Mairéad Farrell

290. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a series of matters in relation to the detrimental impact that invasive pike have on the freshwater pearl mussel's reproductive cycle by extirpating native juvenile salmonid populations (details supplied) will be examined and rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5782/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

581. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current numbers of apprentices awaiting off-the-job job training for phases 2, 4 and 6, broken down into the two categories of waiting 0-6 months and waiting more than six months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5133/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

592. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the fire safety procedures and policies by which university-owned student accommodation must abide; if this incudes fire extinguishers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5559/24]

Community Development Projects

Mairéad Farrell

602. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the grants that are currently available for women’s sheds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5640/24]

Road Network

Mairéad Farrell

47. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport how he intends to address regional imbalance in the quality of road infrastructure, particularly in the west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4582/24]

Bus Services

Mairéad Farrell

78. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport if ongoing capacity issues with the No. 424 bus following the implementation of the new timetable have been brought to his attention; and if his Department is working with the National Transport Authority to address these issues. [4581/24]

Middle East

Mairéad Farrell

160. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to ensure that the order made by the ICJ to prevent genocide in Gaza is followed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4768/24]

Local Authorities

Mairéad Farrell

280. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the revenue raised by each local authority from local property tax, commercial rates and service charges, and the funding each received from the Exchequer by way of the Local Government Fund in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4769/24]

Derelict Sites

Mairéad Farrell

281. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of derelict sites and their total market value, by each local authority in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4770/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

282. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of craft apprentices currently working in each local authority, disaggregated by apprenticeship typology in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4771/24]

Immigration Support Services

Mairéad Farrell

317. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice the reason for the delay with an application by a person (details supplied) for a change of name licence through the domestic residence and permissions unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4750/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

385. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to his appearance before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 24 January 2024, if he will clarify whether a proposal (details supplied) was made via an organisation or by the individual universities; and if the latter is the case, which universities made this request; the number of vacant or derelict buildings they have; the number of student beds which each university building could house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4677/24]

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

386. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to his appearance before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 24 January 2024, he stated that a union (details supplied) had endorsed his new Student Housing Policy, can he identify where such an endorsement can be found; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4678/24]

Further and Higher Education

Mairéad Farrell

387. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether spending from the National Training Fund affects expenditure (details supplied); if an explanation can be provided for each, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4679/24]

Third Level Education

Mairéad Farrell

388. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what supports are currently available for part-time post graduate services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4683/24]