Parliamentary questions

Climate Action Fund

Eamon Ryan

542. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if State-owned companies such as Bord na Móna and Coillte which hold large landbanks of degraded peatland from which emissions could be cost effectively abated are eligible to apply to the climate action fund; and if so, if they were notified of the fund. [41959/18]

Climate Action Fund

Eamon Ryan

543. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the organisations which were notified of the climate action fund by letter or email. [41960/18]

Climate Action Fund

Eamon Ryan

544. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if public health benefits are one of the criteria to be used in assessing applications under the climate action fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41961/18]

Electricity Grid

Eamon Ryan

545. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the cost of an NC5 non-batch application will be removed; if the requirement for a planning application in order to make the application will be removed; and the guidelines and guidance on the costs of making the connection. [41963/18]

Planning Issues

Eamon Ryan

650. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to remove the requirement for planning permission for residential solar photo-voltaic installations (details supplied). [41962/18]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Eamon Ryan

16. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if Ireland is supporting proposals for the EU to commit, in the context of forthcoming COP24 in Katowice, to increasing the commitments in its nationally determined contribution to bring it in line with the 1.5°C target in the Paris Agreement. [41106/18]

EU Issues

Eamon Ryan

35. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his position on the invocation of the Article 7 procedure following the Sargentini report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40102/18]

State Visits

Eamon Ryan

40. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the contact he has had with the United States of America Administration in regard to the cancellation of President Trump's visit. [37581/18]

Humanitarian Aid Provision

Eamon Ryan

57. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if, further to the increased direct funding to UNRWA already announced, he will also increase funding to grassroots and community groups. [40529/18]

Government-Church Dialogue

Eamon Ryan

9. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach if he has met religious leaders in Ireland recently; and his plans for managing the transition to a new relationship between religion, religious institutions and the State. [37882/18]

Brexit Issues

Eamon Ryan

45. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach if Brexit was on the agenda at the informal meeting of Heads of Government in Salzburg. [37883/18]

Medical Products Supply

Eamon Ryan

359. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing combined oral and other contraceptive options such as the coil, implant, injection and vaginal ring free of charge on prescription; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39517/18]

Casual Trading Regulations

Eamon Ryan

641. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to issue guidelines, directions or circular letters to ensure market places are provided and maintained; if his attention has been drawn to the recent closure of six weekend markets (details supplied) in summer 2018 in Dublin city centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40096/18]

VAT Rate Reductions

Eamon Ryan

71. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of reducing to 0% the current 23% VAT on digital school books; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39288/18]

Tax Credits

Eamon Ryan

73. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of increasing the earned income tax credit from its 2018 level of €1,150 to €1,650 to match the PAYE credit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39305/18]

VAT Rate Reductions

Eamon Ryan

74. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of reducing VAT on condoms to 0%. [39313/18]

VAT Rate Reductions

Eamon Ryan

75. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of reducing VAT on all menstrual products from 23% to 0% and 13.5%, respectively, including but not limited to such products as menstrual cups, disc and reusable menstrual underwear; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39314/18]

Tax Data

Eamon Ryan

76. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the likely revenue that would accrue to the State on the closure of existing tax breaks for real estate investment funds including section 110 special purpose vehicle exemptions related to foreign housing and rental investors, exemptions from capital gains tax, DIRT and corporation tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39316/18]

Public Sector Staff Remuneration

Eamon Ryan

79. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated cost of increasing the minimum public sector wage to €11.90 per hour. [39315/18]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

85. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of removing the anomaly in which lone parents in receipt of one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transition payment and rent supplement are not eligible for SUSI maintenance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39309/18]

Civil Legal Aid

Eamon Ryan

98. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of abolishing financial contributions to civil legal aid for victims of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39292/18]

EU Directives

Eamon Ryan

180. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a 3% annual rate of renovation for Government-owned and occupied buildings as required by Article 5 of the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU and Article 4 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU has been achieved for each of the years from 2014 to 2017, respectively; if the 3% target has been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39293/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

209. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of allowing lone parents in employment to receive both the jobseeker's transition payment and working family payment until their child has finished secondary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39284/18]

Child Benefit Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

210. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of removing the habitual residency condition as a condition for access to child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39289/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

211. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of equalising to the adult rate reduced rate pensions and jobseeker's allowance for those under 26 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39290/18]

Child Benefit Data

Eamon Ryan

212. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of making child benefit payable to families with children over 18 years of age who are enrolled in secondary school reflecting the higher educational costs for families with adolescents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39291/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

213. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending statutory paid maternity and paternity leave to a year, both shared and unshared; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39304/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

214. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the weekly allowance for children living in direct provision to the current rate for a qualified child including a €5 increase for over 12's and the adult weekly allowance to €38.80 as recommended by the working group on the protection process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39306/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

215. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing universal child benefit by €5. [39307/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

216. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transition payment to €161 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39308/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

217. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the jobseeker's transitional payment until the youngest child is 18 years of age and until a child finishes secondary school, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39310/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Data

Eamon Ryan

218. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the threshold for one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transition payment to an increased limit of €500 per week with a €50 increase for each additional child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39311/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

219. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of allowing lone parents in employment whose children are aged between seven and 14 years of age to receive both the jobseeker's transition payment and working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39312/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

220. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of removing the means-test for maintenance payments, particularly for rent allowance payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39286/18]

Fuel Allowance Payments

Eamon Ryan

231. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to increase the fuel allowance for vulnerable households to remove the extra costs of increasing the carbon tax to €20 and €30 per tonne, respectively; the estimated cost of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39287/18]

Creative Ireland Programme

Eamon Ryan

232. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department will expand the Creative Ireland social welfare pilot beyond writers and visual art artists to include the performing artists and makers (details supplied); the estimated cost of extending the scheme to these artists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39294/18]

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Eamon Ryan

236. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the estimated cost of removing the means-test for maintenance payments, particularly for housing assistance payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39286/18]

Vacant Sites Levy

Eamon Ryan

250. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of revenue which would be raised if the vacant site levy was applied to all sites above 100 m and below 500 sq m; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39295/18]

Citizens Assembly

Eamon Ryan

33. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach his plans for a Citizens' Assembly on gender equality. [37580/18]

One-Parent Family Payment

Eamon Ryan

59. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the reduction of eligibility for the single-parent allowance from 18 to seven years will be reversed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39078/18]

Road Projects Data

Eamon Ryan

28. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of national road projects to be commenced between September 2018 and the end of 2019; the number that will be financed by way of public private partnership; and his views on the public private partnership financing model for national road building projects. [37878/18]

Greenways Development

Eamon Ryan

32. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the Dodder greenway project will be commenced; if it will be financed from the €53 million allocated for such projects; and if so, the process by which funds will be allocated for specific projects. [37877/18]

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Eamon Ryan

3. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach when Cabinet committee C, European Union, including Brexit, last met; and when it is scheduled to meet again. [29412/18]

Waste Management Data

Eamon Ryan

79. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the percentage of houses and apartments that have a municipal compost bin. [37583/18]

National Mitigation Plan

Eamon Ryan

81. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which and the point at which he came to the conclusion that the national mitigation plan is not working. [37582/18]

Defence Forces Operations

Eamon Ryan

105. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the activities members of the Defence Forces were directed to undertake during the Papal visit; and the overtime payments made to them for work undertaken out-of-hours. [37648/18]

Office of Public Works Projects

Eamon Ryan

157. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a review will be undertaken by the OPW into the preparations for the Papal visit focusing on the degree of co-ordination between the different State bodies (details supplied), in particular, if more timely and more accurate information could have been provided to residents living in the zones in which entrance and access was severely restricted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37649/18]

School Therapy Services

Eamon Ryan

230. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if schools from the Dublin 15 area applied for inclusion in the project for bringing specialised therapists into schools and preschools, as announced on 6 July 2018; if so, the reason for their omission from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37645/18]

Victim Support Services

Eamon Ryan

311. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if people who are the victims of sexual assault have a right to self-refer to a sexual assault treatment unit even if they are not in a position to make an allegation against the perpetrator at that time; if he is satisfied that the correct information on this is being made available to all victims of sexual offences in Garda stations throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37647/18]

Garda Reform

Eamon Ryan

312. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will request the Garda Commissioner to bring forward a new Garda diversity strategy and implementation plan, in view of the fact that the previous one expired in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37651/18]