Parliamentary questions

Medical Card Eligibility

Arthur Spring

331. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health in respect of qualification for a medical card under the EU scheme, whether a person is considered subject to Irish social security legislation if that person's partner or spouse is in receipt of a contributory Irish social welfare payment or is engaged in work here and subject to PRSI. [36631/14]

Medical Card Reviews

Arthur Spring

384. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the review of a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; when a decision will be made considering the time the review has taken to date. [36764/14]

Overseas Development Aid Expenditure

Arthur Spring

485. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his position on meeting Ireland's overseas aid target of allocating 0.7% of GNP. [37176/14]

Tourism Project Funding

Arthur Spring

280. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if grant aid is available to new or start-up travel companies, especially companies that aim to target non-traditional markets in a bid to attract additional tourists to Ireland. [36191/14]

Animal Welfare

Arthur Spring

268. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if grants will be provided to newly founded animal welfare groups; the way such grants can be applied for [35824/14]

Medical Card Eligibility

Arthur Spring

414. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the procedures in place for applying for an emergency medical card; the way the application procedure and the application processing procedure differs from the standard medical card application. [35890/14]

Hospital Appointment Status

Arthur Spring

172. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health when a hospital appointment will be scheduled in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [34877/14]

Social Welfare Code

Arthur Spring

108. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a definition of immediate family when referred to in relation to Social Protection payments. [33837/14]

Domiciliary Care Allowance Eligibility

Arthur Spring

116. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if ADHD is classified as a disability when considering an application for domiciliary care allowance. [34020/14]

Domiciliary Care Allowance Eligibility

Arthur Spring

146. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a domiciliary care allowance review in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34440/14]

Security of the Elderly

Arthur Spring

195. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance the way a personal alarm monitor (details supplied) is liable to VAT at a higher rate due to the fact that it is not a luxury item; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33110/14]

NAMA Property Sales

Arthur Spring

205. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance his views that the National Asset Management Agency should consider selling properties individually or in smaller groups as the demand for property grows in view of the fact that the need to sell to investment firms is dissipating in recent months as demand grows. [33290/14]

Mortgage Protection Policies

Arthur Spring

206. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance his views that a universal mortgage insurance model should be introduced. [33292/14]

Tax Exemptions

Arthur Spring

207. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance if the rent a room scheme should be altered in order that only income above the €10,100 amount should be taxed and not the whole amount if the income exceeds the €10,100 amount. [33293/14]

Pension Provisions

Arthur Spring

208. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider permitting the approved retirement fund option, available to most pensioners, accessible to personal retirement bond holders considering that many members of wound up defined benefit schemes had their funds transferred to PRBs. [33300/14]

Insurance Coverage

Arthur Spring

312. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance if an insurance company licensed here is permitted to include a flood exclusion endorsement in a client's household insurance despite the area in which the client lives not being designated as a flood risk area but in which flooding occurred in the storms of early 2014. [34613/14]

Criminal Law

Arthur Spring

627. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the progress of the criminal law (sexual offences) (amendment) Bill 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33810/14]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Arthur Spring

812. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the waiting time for a public patient (details supplied) in County Kerry to get an appointment for an eye operation in Kerry General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33132/14]

Vaccination Programme

Arthur Spring

830. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if his Department has plans to roll out a vaccine for meningococcal B; if negotiations have taken place with pharmaceutical suppliers for the drug; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33189/14]

Long Stay Residential Units

Arthur Spring

832. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive have plans to expand the provision of long-term care to a greater number of patients in St. Columbanus' Hospital, Killarney, County Kerry. [33192/14]

Nursing Homes Support Scheme Data

Arthur Spring

833. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the duration of agreed contracts between the National Treatment Purchase Fund and a private nursing home in relation to the nursing home's approval for the provision of the nursing home support scheme. [33193/14]

Medical Card Reviews

Arthur Spring

957. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kerry has had their medical card reviewed when they were initially awarded a medical card under the EU medical card scheme. [33677/14]

Overseas Development Aid Oversight

Arthur Spring

1180. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action the Irish Government is taking to ensure Irish aid gets delivered cross-border to those in most acute need in opposition controlled areas in Syria. [33247/14]

School Transport Applications

Arthur Spring

1236. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for a school bus pass in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [33257/14]

Local Authority Charges Application

Arthur Spring

1488. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is an obligation on a person to pay a fire service charge when the person's property was set on fire as a result of an arson attack and the fire services were not alerted by the victim. [33128/14]

Planning Issues

Arthur Spring

1500. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered the introduction of a vacant site levy in cities to increase the supply and development of land to meet housing demands. [33289/14]

Planning Issues

Arthur Spring

1501. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views that the granting of planning permission for the conversion of small apartments to suitable sized homes for young families should be fast-tracked. [33291/14]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Arthur Spring

1502. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider the setting up of a national property authority, containing persons from all aspects of the property industry including bodies involved in the provision of social housing, with a purpose of advising and offering guidelines to policy makers. [33299/14]

Broadband Service Provision

Arthur Spring

1642. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the lack of broadband coverage in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; the impact this has on the local community; the steps he will take to compel private broadband service providers to improve significantly broadband coverage in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33948/14]

Wild Atlantic Way Project

Arthur Spring

1676. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if local communities will be allowed to seek permission from local authorities to erect additional signs denoting the Wild Atlantic Way route and, in addition, the attractions/activities which are found on that particular stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. [33073/14]

Housing Adaptation Grant Applications

Arthur Spring

164. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if funding will be provided for house improvements in relation to roof repairs in respect of a patient who is recovering from an illness or surgery in order to ensure that the patient recovers in a suitable heated and insulated home. [31795/14]

Local Authority Housing Eligibility

Arthur Spring

173. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 137 of 26 March 2014 if the medical circumstances of an applicant who is under the age of 66 may be taken into consideration by the local authority when assessing a request to have the priority assigned to the needed works changed to a different category. [31895/14]

Housing Adaptation Grant Applications

Arthur Spring

174. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the list of works considered eligible for the housing grant for persons with a disability should be amended to include repairs to roofs in view of the storm damage earlier this year and that many persons with disabilities require the home to be maintained to a higher temperature. [31896/14]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Arthur Spring

285. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if a further update will be provided regarding the waiting time for a public patient (details supplied) in County Kerry to receive an appointment for an eye operation in the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31894/14]

Asylum Seeker Accommodation

Arthur Spring

597. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her views as to whether the timeframe applied to asylum applications is appropriate; and if the living standards in the accommodation provided is meeting best practice standards for families with young children. [31553/14]

Treatment Abroad Scheme

Arthur Spring

666. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health if financial assistance with living costs will be provided to Irish citizens when receiving a treatment abroad if the same treatment is not available here. [31202/14]

Proposed Legislation

Arthur Spring

138. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the publication of the climate action and low carbon development Bill; and the anticipated date of publication. [28796/14]

Asylum Applications

Arthur Spring

167. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide information on a person (details supplied) in County Kerry in the Irish asylum process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28894/14]

Hospital Services

Arthur Spring

200. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to relocate diabetic services to a more suitable environment in Kerry General Hospital. [28852/14]

Hospital Appointments Administration

Arthur Spring

201. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint a paediatric endocrinologist to Kerry General Hospital. [28853/14]

Hospital Staff

Arthur Spring

202. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint a paediatric diabetes nurse specialist to Kerry General Hospital. [28854/14]

Hospital Staff

Arthur Spring

203. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint additional consultant endocrinologists to Cork University Hospital. [28855/14]

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Arthur Spring

204. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to include a diabetic treatment medical device called the I-Port Advance to the updated GMS scheme or the long-term illness scheme. [28856/14]

EU-IMF Programme of Support

Arthur Spring

122. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the annual cost of water to the State on the date the memorandum of understanding was signed with the troika; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28691/14]

EU-IMF Programme of Support

Arthur Spring

123. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the cost per household of water charges envisaged when the memorandum of understanding with the troika was signed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28692/14]

Construction Contracts

Arthur Spring

199. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding the development of the code of practice under the provisions of the Construction Contracts Act; and when the code of practice will be completed. [27972/14]

Social Welfare Schemes

Arthur Spring

255. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form a list of all social welfare payments; if the payment can be reviewed; and how often reviews can be carried out for each relevant payment. [28423/14]

Private Rented Accommodation Costs

Arthur Spring

294. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the monthly percentage in variation, not amount from the monthly mean of rental accommodation scheme reviews issued in the preceding twelve months in which the relevant data is available. [27828/14]

Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Administration

Arthur Spring

340. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities have the discretion to reduce the amount of the non principal private residence charge including fines outstanding by a house owner. [28416/14]

Road Network

Arthur Spring

610. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated cost per mile of construction of additional roadway on existing two lane local roads to facilitate, where possible, the addition of cycleways and if such a project has been completed on Irish roads. [28098/14]