Parliamentary questions

Prison Visiting Committees Appointments

Anne Ferris

370. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the process in place for filling the 31 vacancies on prison visiting committees; the timeframe within which she wishes to see these positions filled, in view of the importance of this function to ensuring that prisoners receive their human rights; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26061/15]

Free Travel Scheme Review

Anne Ferris

72. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 289 and 290 of 1 April 2014, if the working group referred to in her reply has concluded its work yet; if there is a report available from the working group; if the working group considered whether bus passes will continue to be accepted on Dublin Bus routes 17, 17a, 18, 75, 76, 76a, 102, 104, 33a, 33b, 45a, 59, 63, 111, 114, 161, 184, 185, 220, 236, 238, 239 and 270, once they are put out for tender under a public service contract; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25550/15]

National Gallery

Anne Ferris

257. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the issue of any remuneration or payment of any fees to the current or previous directors of the National Gallery in connection with their positions as board members of the Alfred Beit Foundation, paid either by the National Gallery or the Alfred Beit Foundation, has been discussed during the quarterly liaison meetings between her Department officials and the senior management team of the National Gallery, at any time since 1974; the content of any such discussions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25554/15]

National Gallery

Anne Ferris

258. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide a list of her Department or Government circulars relevant to the appointment and remuneration of the director of the National Gallery; the extent to which participation in other corporate structures by the director is facilitated by the terms and conditions of employment, as sanctioned by her Department; if, while travelling to or attending meetings of the Alfred Beit Foundation, the director may be paid salary and expenses by the National Gallery or the Alfred Beit Foundation; if any cost incurred by the National Gallery in supplying a board member to the Alfred Beit Foundation is recoverable from the foundation either through direct payment to the director or to the National Gallery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25555/15]

National Gallery

Anne Ferris

259. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the subject of the export licensing or private sale by the trustees of the Alfred Beit Foundation of a painting by Jacques de Lajoue entitled, the "Cabinet of Physical Sciences" has been discussed at any of the quarterly liaison meetings between her Department officials and the senior management team of the National Gallery of Ireland, or indeed the export licensing and-or sale of any of the Alfred Beit Foundation trust assets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25556/15]

Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals

Anne Ferris

57. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will examine an appeal under the domiciliary care allowance scheme in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25227/15]

Adoption Legislation

Anne Ferris

184. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will acknowledge the distress and other negative effects being caused by the ongoing delay in the introduction of adoption and tracing legislation; if he will confirm the existence, or not, of any new or previously unknown constitutional and legal questions that may have arisen in relation to this matter within the past 12 months, that might have contributed to this excessive delay; the amount of legislative drafting time, in hours, that has been dedicated to this task by his Department officials since the present Minister took office, and in the three years prior to the tenure of the current Minister; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25432/15]

Third Level Institutions

Anne Ferris

238. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the role of the applied language centre in University College Dublin in the education of language teachers, the teaching of the English language to foreign students and the provision of language graduates for the business sector; the number of students, teachers and host families involved; the success of the centre's programmes in this regard; the role of her Department in terms of funding, departmental oversight and other support or guidance in helping to deliver the centre's public educational objectives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25431/15]

Legislative Programme

Anne Ferris

359. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an update on the criminal law (sexual offences) Bill 2014 which is to legislate for the criminalisation of the purchase of sexual services; the likely timing of any enactment of this legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24681/15]

Prison Visiting Committees

Anne Ferris

360. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prison visiting committees; the number of persons who serve on these committees; the process of appointment of prison visitors; the number of current vacancies on prison visiting committees; the timeframe within which she plans to fill any such vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24682/15]

Rail Services

Anne Ferris

651. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the procedure taken by Irish Rail to ensure that, at all times, spaces reserved for the use of disabled passengers on trains are kept free from luggage and other obstacles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24906/15]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

Anne Ferris

53. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the output from recent research by the Economic and Social Research Institute on private property rental carried out on behalf of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, particularly in relation to the disproportionate increase in recorded rents in cities and in certain other parts of the country closely linked to cities, including parts of County Wicklow; her views on the need to again address the renewed inadequacy in rent supplement payable in certain parts of the country; the solutions under consideration by her to address the rent supplement problem until average rents start to fall again; the effect the current situation is having on homelessness and the growth in the housing list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24409/15]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Anne Ferris

196. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the commitment he provided in Dáil Éireann, and in a Department press statement dated 19 February 2015, that the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes would shortly announce details of how members of the public will be able to contact the commission, or make submissions to inform the commission’s work, the clear implication and public expectation that this initial stage of the commission's work as interpreted by him extends to all members of the public who wish to make a submission, and not just to the comparatively few remaining members of the public, out of the tens of thousands, who spent time in the mother and baby homes, identified in the inquiry's terms of reference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24457/15]

Adoption Legislation

Anne Ferris

197. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason behind the extraordinary delays that his department is encountering in the preparation of adoption tracing and information legislation; the number of officials dedicated to the drafting of such legislation; the number of hours per year that have been spent on the drafting of this legislation during the years 2011 to 2014 and to date in 2015; his views on the reason preliminary legislation that he is proposing to take to Committee Stage, where it may be fundamentally amended in any event, is taking so long to draft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24475/15]

Renewable Energy Projects

Anne Ferris

248. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a detailed overview of any cost-benefit analysis or long-term value for the money process undertaken by the Coillte-Electricity Supply Board consortium for its proposed wind farm development at Raheenleagh in County Wicklow; the results of any such process; the economic and commercial risks assumed; the level of renewable energy feed in tariff programme support and energy prices assumed over the lifetime of the proposed facility; the budgeted capital cost per megawatt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24036/15]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Anne Ferris

136. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes, including the dates and details for the public consultation phase described by him during debates on the publication of the terms of reference for the work of the commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22821/15]

Adoption Records Provision

Anne Ferris

137. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on the likely dates and content of legislation to facilitate the provision of identifying information and other personal information to parties to adoptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22822/15]

Heritage Schemes

Anne Ferris

236. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide an update on the work of the committee she has established to advise her on Ireland's historic houses; its membership; its date of establishment; the advice it has provided to her in relation to historic houses in County Wicklow, including Russborough House and its contents, which are in trust for the people of Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22836/15]

Suicide Incidence

Anne Ferris

143. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Taoiseach the processes undertaken by the Central Statistics Office in the recording and reporting of suicide statistics, including the collection of statistics from Garda stations through the form 104 process; the collection of such statistics from the Prison Service and the Central Mental Hospital; if there has been any recent internal or external review of the effectiveness and accuracy of the data collection and reporting process; the recommendations of any such review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22125/15]

Prisoner Rehabilitation Programmes

Anne Ferris

565. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the prison system has engaged or assisted in recent times in any research programmes in the areas of treating challenging behaviour, self destruction, violent behaviour or mental health; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21920/15]