Parliamentary questions

Overseas Development Aid Issues

Seán Crowe

73. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Irish Aid reviewed Dóchas recently published Models of Agricultural Investment research paper; and if Irish Aid plans to implement any of the recommendations contained in this paper. [28211/13]

Departmental Staff Training

Seán Crowe

19. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will give a detailed account of the amount of money spent by his Department in 2012 and in the year to date in 2013 on training and development in arts and heritage; if he will provide specific details of the way the money was spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26096/13]

Gender Recognition

Seán Crowe

31. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to introduce gender recognition legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25720/13]

Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times

Seán Crowe

36. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the actions she has taken to reduce waiting times for social welfare payments. [25721/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Seán Crowe

49. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the possible implications arising from changes to the criteria for the 2013 July provision scheme that are referred to in a memo to parents which states that allocations to siblings are reflective of the school grouping principle; if this change will result in siblings having to share 40 hours tuition, rather than being allocated 40 hours as individuals in their own right; his views on whether this is discriminatory to children with autism; if he will clarify the current situation in this respect of revised criteria in view of the fact that it is now May and families are still unclear as to what this means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25394/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Seán Crowe

91. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will implement one of the key recommendations contained in the National Council for Special Education report, Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools, that the link between allocation based on category of disability should be changed to one of allocation based on need. [25395/13]

Overseas Development Aid Provision

Seán Crowe

128. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount of Irish Aid’s budget that was spent on nutrition specific programmes in 2012; and if he will detail which nutrition specific programmes received this funding. [25433/13]

School Accommodation

Seán Crowe

245. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that there is a decision made to build schools (details supplied) in County Dublin; if he will outline the demand, needs and projections for these schools; and the way these new schools will impact on existing schools in the immediate area and its hinterland. [25347/13]

Accident and Emergency Services Provision

Seán Crowe

611. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to any increase in patients presenting to the accident and emergency at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, in relation to drug linked assaults. [25338/13]

Hospital Staff

Seán Crowe

612. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, has indicated that it is letting go contract staff as per Health Service Executive guidelines; if he will outline the areas of work that they cover; if there has been an analysis done in relation to the impact that these job losses will have on the hospital and its services. [25339/13]

Cross-Border Co-operation

Seán Crowe

6. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps taken to jointly market produce and products on an all-Ireland basis. [24456/13]

Cross-Border Co-operation

Seán Crowe

14. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will identify additional measures that would promote all-Ireland trade and marketing of Irish produce and products. [24457/13]

Fodder Crisis

Seán Crowe

68. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Finance if the National Asset Management Agency has been approached by, or on behalf of, farmers seeking to harvest fodder on lands under NAMA’s control; and if so, the way NAMA has responded; NAMA’s position on such requests; and if NAMA has communicated its position to its borrowers. [23952/13]

European Banking Union

Seán Crowe

69. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Finance if he will report on progress made towards a banking union. [23951/13]

Human Rights Issues

Seán Crowe

2. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing hunger strikes in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility; if his attention has been drawn to the force feeding of some hunger strikers; and if he has raised this issue with the American Government. [23370/13]

European Union Foreign Policy

Seán Crowe

5. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of the rate of expansion of Israeli settlements, and the deterioration of the situation on the ground in the past 12 months since the EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of May 2012, if he will use the opportunity of the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council to formally propose an EU-wide ban on settlement goods. [23371/13]

Overseas Development Issues

Seán Crowe

52. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the decision of the Tanzanian Government to order thousands of Masai tribes persons to leave their traditional grazing lands to make way for what the Government says will be a conservation site; the negative effects this could have on the Masai community and the delicate ecosystem; and if he has raised it with the Tanzanian Government [23228/13]

Human Rights Issues

Seán Crowe

68. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of the recently released One World, One Future: Ireland’s Policy for International Development report and its commitment to promoting decent work as a human right, and in view of recent tragedies, is he concerned about the working conditions, and the fire and building safety of garment factories in Bangladesh. [23224/13]

Swimming Pool Projects

Seán Crowe

25. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans, apart from the €5.6m allocated in the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme for the development/improvement of swimming pools, to allocate additional funds in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22849/13]

Sports Facilities Provision

Seán Crowe

33. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a progress report on the development of facilities at the National Sports Campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22851/13]

Mental Health Services Provision

Seán Crowe

103. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health in relation to the filling of the 414 posts for community mental health services committed to in the Health Service Executive National Service Plan 2012, the number of these positions that have been filled by existing HSE staff members; the position regarding the back-filling of the positions these staff members have vacated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22569/13]

Hospital Services

Seán Crowe

117. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the additional resources that will be made available to existing children’s hospitals, including Tallaght, in view of the further delay in the delivery of the National Children’s Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22568/13]

Defence Forces Deployment

Seán Crowe

88. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he foresees more Irish troops being deployed to Lebanon as a result of the current conflict in the region. [21285/13]

Overseas Missions

Seán Crowe

105. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update in the current situation for Irish personnel serving with UNTSO, the UN Troop Supervision and UNDOF, the UN Observer Force on the Golan Heights after meeting with them on his recent trip. [21286/13]

Overseas Missions

Seán Crowe

306. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the four day kidnap of 21 UN Peacekeepers by Syrian rebels; and if there is any serious threat to the Irish personnel serving with the UN Troop Supervision Organisation and the UN Observer Force on the Golan Heights. [15519/13]

Family Reunification Policy

Seán Crowe

11. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when his new policy on family reunification will be published and implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20834/13]

Private Residential Tenancies Board Remit

Seán Crowe

33. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to improve the support structures for tenants and landlords experiencing disputes through the Private Residential Tenancies Board and other bodies in view of the increase in those renting privately. [20483/13]

Irish Water Establishment

Seán Crowe

43. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the budget that has been allocated for the establishment and programme spend of Irish Water, including wages. [20496/13]

Irish Language

Seán Crowe

15. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update as to the progress that has been made as regards the commitment in the 20 year strategy to develop at least one physical literacy Irish-language venue or space in Dublin, including facilities such as a CD-DVD bookshop, a programme of literacy events and a coffee shop; if he proposes to ensure that such a venue is established; and if he will provide a timescale for any such initiatives. [19285/13]

Arts Funding

Seán Crowe

49. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in view of the commitment given in the programme for Government to work with stakeholders in the arts community to develop proposals aimed at building support of the arts if he will provide a detailed account of the progress made to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19364/13]

Social Welfare Appeals Administration

Seán Crowe

46. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in 2011, almost one in five decisions in social welfare appeals was overturned by getting the original deciding officer to revise their original decision; her plans to ensure that there is better first-instance decision-making. [18842/13]

Social Welfare Appeals Data

Seán Crowe

47. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to address the fact that the Appeals Office is not independent in view of the fact that it must adjudicate on decisions of her Department, of which is it a part, and appeals officers are employees of her Department, appointed by her and may return to another section after working in the Appeals Office leading to a lack of public confidence in its ability. [18843/13]

Foreign Military Personnel

Seán Crowe

55. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 6 March 2013 if permission was sought for US military personnel to wear uniform outside the transit area of Shannon Airport on 10 February 2013; and, if so, if this was granted. [19383/13]

Military Aircraft Landings

Seán Crowe

58. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 56 of 6 March 2013 if he will confirm that the 608 foreign military aircraft that landed at Shannon Airport in 2012 were all unarmed, carrying no arms, ammunition or explosives; if he will also confirm that they did not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question did not form any part of military exercises or operations; and if this was not the case, if he will clarify the basis upon which the aircraft were permitted to land. [19384/13]

Economic Competitiveness

Seán Crowe

105. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he has taken to address the many utility costs facing enterprises which undermine our competitiveness. [18624/13]

Human Rights Issues

Seán Crowe

164. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with regard to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, if he will indicate which Govrernment Departments and agencies will be taking part in the formulation of a national plan for their implementation and which Departments will have overall responsibility; if he will provide a timetable as to when the national plan will be completed, in view of the request by the European Commission that these be submitted by the end of 2012. [19107/13]

School Health and Safety Issues

Seán Crowe

45. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the findings of an Impact study that found 60% of special needs assistants SNAs in schools say they have been assaulted by the pupils they work with in the classroom; and his further views that persons working in schools should be afforded the same protection via a physical assault scheme that is available to staff working in the public health sector.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17571/13]

Garda Vetting of Personnel

Seán Crowe

63. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the assurances he will give that schools will not experience long delays when appointing new teachers under the new national vetting legislation; and the provision being put in place to address the current backlog in vetting teachers. [17572/13]

Children and Family Services

Seán Crowe

157. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social workers who have received and who are currently receiving, child and adolescent mental health training; her plans to extend this training to all social workers dealing with children and young adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17286/13]

Children and Family Services

Seán Crowe

164. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a short-list or final selection has been reached in the context of the already announced extension of the successful Prevention and Early Intervention Programme's area-based initiatives at Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale; if the new project sites will also be in Dublin or will include locations outside the capital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17267/13]

Refugee Resettlement

Seán Crowe

865. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if Ireland has offered to host any refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria; in view of the fact that the number of refugees fleeing Syria continues to grow, and other EU countries have increased the number of Syrian refugees they will accommodate, if Ireland will be offering to host more Syrian refugees. [17698/13]

Foreign Conflicts

Seán Crowe

2. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether EU member states should be allowed to send military weapons to the Syrian opposition groups; and if he supported or opposed this position at the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Dublin on 22 and 23 of March. [15824/13]

Common Foreign and Security Policy

Seán Crowe

12. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the reported position of the French Government, in relation to the reform of the European External Action Service, that there is a need to reinforce the EEAS's security and defence expertise; and if this was discussed at the informal meeting of the EU's Foreign Ministers in Dublin on 22 and 23 March. [15513/13]

European External Action Service

Seán Crowe

50. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the reported position of the German Government, in relation to the reform of the European External Action Service, that the EEAS should take control of the European Commission's neighbourhood policy and development aid budget; and if this was discussed at the informal meeting of the EU’s Foreign Ministers in Dublin on 22 and 23 of March. [15515/13]

Ministerial Travel

Seán Crowe

65. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline any benefit to his Department he has taken from his recent trip to Japan. [15052/13]

Naturalisation Applications

Seán Crowe

440. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason foreign nationals living in Ireland, who are eligible for Irish citizenship through the naturalisation process, may pay up to €1,125 in fees to avail of this process; the breakdown of the costs incurred by his Department in facilitating a naturalisation request per person; his plans to reduce the fees paid by foreign nationals living here who want to become Irish citizens through naturalisation. [15108/13]

Middle East Peace Process

Seán Crowe

459. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide further details on his recent visit to Israel, Lebanon and Palestine; if he discussed the peace process with the various Governments; if the issue of the continued building of Israeli settlements was discussed with the Israeli Government; and if he discussed or negotiated new arms deals with the Israeli Government. [15160/13]

Banking Operations

Seán Crowe

29. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the non-disclosure confidential document that AIB is demanding buy to let debtors sign before the bank will engage with them in mortgage negotiation discussions. [14076/13]

Banks Recapitalisation

Seán Crowe

58. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Finance the number of meetings at which the issue of the retrospective recapitalisation of Irish banks through the ESM has been discussed at ECOFIN or Eurogroup meetings. [14063/13]

Cancer Screening Programme

Seán Crowe

26. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will supply details of which of the 15 candidate screening units have been accredited as part of the National Colorectal Screening Programme and which units are providing screening colonoscopies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13774/13]