Parliamentary questions

Road Safety Authority

Michael Healy-Rae

178. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport if he will address a matter with regard to advertising by the RSA (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17879/24]

Road Projects

Michael Healy-Rae

179. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the amount of funding that has been allocated to Kerry County Council through the safety improvement works programme on regional and local roads from 2019 to 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17880/24]

Digital Archiving

Thomas Gould

180. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider the digitisation of railway records similar to those of the Land Commission. [17932/24]

Departmental Strategies

Patrick Costello

181. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the development of a national strategy for camera-based enforcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17953/24]

Road Projects

Pádraig O'Sullivan

182. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport the status of a road project in Cork (details supplied); if considerations will be given to fast-tracking the project due to the amount of delays being caused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17969/24]

Traffic Management

Jennifer Whitmore

183. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has any statistics on the impact that school traffic has on commuting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17973/24]

Dublin Airport Authority

Catherine Murphy

184. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide a schedule of locations at which 23 noise measuring systems will be located by the DAA as directed by the Airport Noise Competent Authority; the projected annual cost of each installation per location; and if he and or his officials engaged with or consulted with either the DAA and or the ANCA in respect of the measures. [18009/24]

Bus Services

Steven Matthews

185. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the installation of new bus stops at Portmarnock train station; if local school buses will be permitted to use these stops for pick up and collection in addition to the assigned routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18018/24]

Bus Services

Steven Matthews

186. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the extension of the N6 bus route to the Howth Road; if there is a timeline for this project to come into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18019/24]

Public Sector Pensions

Michael Healy-Rae

187. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on CIÉ pensions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18086/24]

Road Traffic Offences

Catherine Murphy

188. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the number of drivers disqualified in 2022 and 2023 and to date in 2024, by county; the number who surrendered their licence to the Road Safety Authority in 2022 and 2023 and to date in 2024, following disqualification, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18115/24]

National Transport Authority

Ivana Bacik

189. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the value of performance-related penalties issued to each public transport provider by the National Transport Authority in 2023. [18122/24]

Motor Industry

Fergus O'Dowd

190. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware of the significant delays for motor traders in securing registration appointments to import cars from the UK, which is causing major business disruptions and cash flow problems, putting many businesses at risk of closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17334/24]

Motor Industry

Fergus O'Dowd

191. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance the current wait times to secure appointments through a company (details supplied) and the NCT to import and register cars from the United Kingdom over the years 2022 and 2023 and to date in 2024, by location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17335/24]

Motor Industry

Fergus O'Dowd

192. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that in some cases motor dealers are waiting for up to four weeks and beyond for appointments to import and register cars in County Louth through a company (details supplied) for the second-hand marketplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17336/24]

Vehicle Registration Tax

Cian O'Callaghan

193. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide further details on an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17346/24]

Vacant Properties

Holly Cairns

194. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Finance the number of dwellings eligible to pay the vacant homes tax in Cork, by local area, in tabular form. [17364/24]

Tax Code

Neasa Hourigan

195. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on the working group established to consider the taxation of funds, life assurance policies and other investment products; in particular if he will provide an update on their considerations on the taxation of exchange –traded funds (EFTs); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17469/24]

Tax Exemptions

Richard Bruton

196. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the number of claimants of a tax exemption on renting a room up to €14,000. [17479/24]

Tax Code

Noel Grealish

197. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Finance if he plans to reform the current taxation amounts applying to the deployment of HVO and biofuel for HGVs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17512/24]

Banking Sector

Pearse Doherty

198. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance for a schedule of the disposal of shares held at a bank (details supplied) by the State, together with the date, transaction value and volume for each disposal, from 2013 to date. [17519/24]

Tax Data

Pearse Doherty

199. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the estimated annual cost, in cumulative terms, of not proceeding with scheduled increases in the carbon tax in each of the years 2025 to 2030, inclusive. [17522/24]

Tax Exemptions

Seán Canney

200. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide for a pre-registration VAT exemption status for qualified and accredited members of an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17543/24]

Insurance Coverage

Catherine Murphy

201. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the steps he has taken in respect of the provision of premiums by insurance companies to persons in homes that are not designated as a flood risk; and if his attention has been drawn to instances in which insurance companies are refusing to provide cover in instances in which OPW flood maps clearly identify areas as not being in a flood area. [17554/24]

Insurance Coverage

Catherine Murphy

202. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he has engaged with insurance providers in respect of their lack of consistency regarding the way in which and the grounds on which they refuse to provide insurance cover in areas that are not identified as flood risk by the OPW in the context of their mapping and modelling of flood risk areas. [17556/24]

Insurance Coverage

Catherine Murphy

203. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the steps a person can take in instances where home insurance providers will not take into consideration remedial flood works as a mitigation when quoting and-or providing persons with premiums for their home and-or business. [17560/24]

Financial Services

Ged Nash

204. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered making individual savings accounts (details supplied) available to Irish savers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17661/24]

Tax Reliefs

Jim O'Callaghan

205. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance if he will set out in tabular form, on a county-by-county basis, the number of help-to-buy claims approved since 1 July 2020, along with the number of applicants associated with these claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17671/24]

Tax Reliefs

Jim O'Callaghan

206. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance how many homebuyers in each county have availed of the help-to-buy scheme since July 2020, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17672/24]

Tax Exemptions

Marian Harkin

207. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Finance if he is supportive of a comprehensive VAT proposal by an organisation (details supplied) which was submitted to him recently; if he plans to extend the VAT exemption to counsellors and psychotherapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17675/24]

Tax Reliefs

Louise O'Reilly

208. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Finance if any consideration has been given to increasing the tax-free threshold for travel and subsistence payments known as country money within the construction sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17691/24]

Tax Exemptions

Jackie Cahill

209. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Finance given there is an RZT exemption on land with leases in place prior to January 2022, if consideration could be given to a similar exemption for someone who has availed of the favourite niece/nephew relief prior to January 2022 and are not in a position to sell as they are obliged to work the said land for a period of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17736/24]

State Claims Agency

Rose Conway-Walsh

210. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the claims on, and settlements made by, the State Claims Agency in each year since 2011, broken down by category; the amount and percentage of total cost of settlements spent on legal fees, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17748/24]

Primary Medical Certificates

Michael Healy-Rae

211. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Finance if a scheme (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17810/24]

Tax Exemptions

Cian O'Callaghan

212. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance the reasoning behind the different rates in VAT treatment between psychologists and counsellors/psychotherapists, where psychologists' services are exempt while counsellors' and psychotherapists' services are not; if he will engage with an organisation (details supplied) on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17854/24]

Departmental Bodies

Mark Ward

213. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Finance the current position in regard to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal; if new members have been appointed; if so, from what date; their terms and conditions of engagement; if those terms include the freedom to make professional determinations based on the facts and the needs of individuals presenting; the number of appeals heard to date; the total number of appeals on hand waiting to be heard; and the legal basis for the secretary/secretariat of the board in the absence of a chair and board. [17896/24]

EU Directives

Ged Nash

214. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the exact nature and current status with regard to the European Commission’s announcement of 24 January 2024 that it was sending Ireland a formal notice for failing to transpose Directive (EU) 2020/284 introducing certain requirements for payment service providers (INFR(2024)0070); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17926/24]

State Bodies

Catherine Murphy

215. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify whether the ISIF holds Israeli government bonds; if so, if he will provide details of same, including their value; and if the ISIF no longer holds such bonds, whether he will provide the date on which they were divested from and the rationale for same.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18093/24]

State Bodies

Catherine Murphy

216. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if the Central Bank, as part of its investment strategies, has any interests directly in or with Israel; and if so, the details of same. [18094/24]

Insurance Coverage

Ivana Bacik

217. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Finance his plans to reform flood insurance in Ireland; his views on insurance cover for persons living in areas with demountable flood defences; his views on legislating for compulsory insurance cover for those living in areas which are prone to flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18121/24]

Public Sector Pensions

Peadar Tóibín

218. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if she plans to review the rules of the supplementary pension whereby, if a person takes up any paid employment of any duration, they would lose the entire supplementary element of their pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17687/24]

Public Sector Staff

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

219. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the steps being taken to ensure those suffering from long-Covid are not penalised in the public sector (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17918/24]

Public Sector Pensions

Michael Fitzmaurice

220. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if, in light of the announcement of the proposed changes to mandatory retirement age in An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service, he can confirm when these changes will come into effect; if the new legislation will include changes to post-1995 pensions in the public sector which may allow retired staff to work in another job without losing their entitlement to a supplementary pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18006/24]

Commemorative Plaques

Patrick Costello

221. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will erect an additional plaque in Kilmainham Gaol regarding the Civil War executions that took place there in order to acknowledge Leo Dowling and Terrance Brady, who, it has been recently established, were executed there but are not recognised on the existing memorial (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17304/24]

Flood Risk Management

Michael Lowry

222. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the OPW will provide new stacked timbers, known as stoplogs, or wooden panels known as flashboards, to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17525/24]

Flood Risk Management

Catherine Murphy

223. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the plans, if any, that the OPW has to de-risk pluvial flooding in the Celbridge area of Kildare. [17557/24]

Flood Risk Management

Catherine Murphy

224. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the plans, if any, that the OPW has to de-risk natural flooding events in the Celbridge area of Kildare. [17558/24]

Insurance Coverage

Catherine Murphy

225. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if home insurance companies can utilise OPW flooding maps in the context of underwriting insurance for homes. [17559/24]

Insurance Coverage

Catherine Murphy

226. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the OPW has engaged with insurance providers regarding OPW maps and flood risk and its mapping of same in respect of the use of their models in the context of assessing risk associated with insurance products; his plans to make it obligatory for insurers to consider the maps compiled by the OPW when a dispute arises between an insurance company and a customer in respect of the refusal by the insurance company to provide flood cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17561/24]

Legislative Measures

Claire Kerrane

227. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when legislation will be published on the management of the River Shannon as promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17598/24]