Parliamentary questions

Local Authorities

Colm Burke

1019. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider developing a national initiative in view of the success of a recent free trees initiative by a local authority (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12508/24]

Local Authorities

Colm Burke

1020. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider in conjunction with local authorities and other relevant stakeholders (details supplied) the establishment of a nationwide free trees initiative, in view of the success of a recent frees trees initiative by Cork City Council during Tree Week 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12509/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1108. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider moving to a fully publicly funded model of early years and school age care to bringing Ireland line with the best-in-class systems available in other countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11813/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1109. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he will take to ensure that the Stakeholder Response Team (SRT) will work with services in the local area, such as the CCCs, to source alternative places for children when child care closures are unavoidable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11814/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1110. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will ringfence dedicated funding for the purposes of developing a coherent five-year plan to create a unified, publicly funded model of early years and school age care that incentivises the recruitment and retention of a graduate workforce, that is affordable and accessible for parents and crucially, places children's rights at its core (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11815/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1111. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure that when a childcare setting indicates that it is going to close, it must first be signalled this within the Pobal Hive, by giving a minimum of three months' notice and six months if at all possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11816/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1112. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child care setting has confirmed with Pobal that it is to close, this will trigger a response from a Stakeholder Response Team (SRT); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11817/24]

Childcare Services

Colm Burke

1113. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he will take to ensure that when child care settings are at risk of closures, the Stakeholder Response Team (SRT) will work with a range of local agencies and others to devise a sustainable plan for the setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11818/24]

Disability Services

Colm Burke

1154. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what action his Department is taking to ensure a standardised rate of pay for the different types of home and community care providers, given that disability home support is not operated under an authorisation scheme, which indicates that providers of disability support are paid less than those who are providers of elderly home support, wherein these providers are not guaranteed the living wage or travel time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12459/24]

Tobacco Control Measures

Colm Burke

1231. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health who represented Ireland at the COP10/MOP3 global anti-tobacco conferences; what agenda items were priority for the Irish delegation; what are the outcomes of the conferences that can translate into tobacco policy or legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11631/24]

Tobacco Control Measures

Colm Burke

1232. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether progress has been made on summarising the responses to the public consultation on further regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products, whether pre-legislative scrutiny will be the next step of the legislative process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11632/24]

Health Services Staff

Colm Burke

1245. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health what steps have been taken to date to establish the grade of advanced practice physiotherapist, following his commitment to do so at a conference 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11700/24]

Health Services Staff

Colm Burke

1246. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will engage with the relevant bodies to conduct a review of the management structure for physiotherapists (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11701/24]

Hospital Staff

Colm Burke

1247. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will work with the relevant bodies to establish a defined career pathway for clinical physiotherapy tutors to include recognition of specialism and further to advance the establishment of clinical academic posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11702/24]

Hospital Staff

Colm Burke

1248. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will engage with the relevant bodies to restore the placement allowance for clinical staff providing physiotherapy students with clinical placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11703/24]

Health Services

Colm Burke

1484. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will include the vaccine for chickenpox in the childhood immunisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12894/24]

Hospital Appointments Status

Colm Burke

1522. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to open a care facility (details supplied) where all the necessary works have been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13167/24]

Departmental Schemes

Colm Burke

1595. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if it is proposed to introduce a scheme that would help local authorities to put in place the necessary infrastructural changes in the older parts of cities and towns, for example, Blackpool in Cork, to fast track the rejuvenation of existing buildings and facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12887/24]

EU Meetings

Colm Burke

16. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to report on his recent meeting of the foreign affairs ministers in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10957/24]

Passport Services

Colm Burke

51. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs what action his Department is taking to improve processing times of paper based renewal and first-time passport applications, in view that the current processing time is eight weeks, and in particular the efforts being made to fast-track applications where queries have been raised as this can often lead to extended delays in processing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10956/24]