Parliamentary questions

Hospital Appointments Status

Martin Browne

146. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) who requires an assessment at the National Rehabilitation Clinic, Dun Laoghaire to be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42506/20]

Nursing Education

Martin Browne

175. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health his views on the valuable contribution that student nurses have made to the health system; the number of unpaid hours worked by student nurses since the beginning of March 2020; the cohort of student nurses in percentage terms who worked in Covid-19 related care; his views on whether the decision by many nurses to move abroad to work is due in part to some feeling unappreciated by his Department; his plans to improve relations between his Department and the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42505/20]

School Transport

Martin Browne

291. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education if financial assistance will be provided to the family of a child with special needs that have to pay for a seat on a private bus to take their child to school as there are no buses serving them for a school which is 6 km away. [42565/20]

Health and Safety Inspections

Martin Browne

36. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the findings of a centre (details supplied) and HSA reports into meat factories across the country; his views on the findings of those reports in terms of Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 standard breaches; the date his attention was drawn to the contents of those reports; the measures that have been taken by his Department regarding these findings; his views on not publishing these reports at the time; his views on the overall operations of these facilities in view of these reports; the measures that have been taken to address those shortcomings; his views on the working conditions of staff at these facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41517/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Martin Browne

58. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he has taken to ensure marts can operate productively should level 5 restrictions be reintroduced. [41615/20]

Post Office Network

Martin Browne

114. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the future of the post office network (details supplied); and his plans to avoid these closures and loss of services and jobs. [41380/20]

Credit Unions

Martin Browne

196. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that due to Covid-19 a credit union (details supplied) has been forced to postpone paying the annual loan interest rebate repayments and dividends to its customers as it cannot hold an AGM to do so; if he will address the lack of legislation to hold an online AGM; if he will contact the Central Bank on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41916/20]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Martin Browne

338. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education when the advertised SNA vacancy in a school (details supplied) will be filled. [41522/20]

Data Protection

Martin Browne

376. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures in place to ensure social welfare reviews and investigations are compliant with GDPR requirements of her Department. [41174/20]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Martin Browne

377. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person in receipt of a social welfare payment has the right to privacy regarding personal spending when providing bank statements to her Department. [41175/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Martin Browne

832. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if agriculture students attending Teagasc colleges will be eligible for the same financial supports as other third-level students. [41727/20]

Animal Diseases

Martin Browne

833. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if compensation will be provided to poultry farmers affected by avian influenza. [41728/20]

Agriculture Schemes

Martin Browne

834. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an appraisal has been carried out of the outworking of the mandatory reduction obligation contained within the BEAM scheme; and if he will amend the criteria in light of the challenges created by Covid-19. [41729/20]

Climate Change Policy

Martin Browne

835. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to provide payments to farmers in respect of the carbon that is released from the atmosphere as a result of their soils and hedgerows. [41730/20]

Forestry Sector

Martin Browne

838. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of backlogged forestry licences in the system; his views on claims to the COFORD Advisory Council that the figure could be as many as 4,600; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41800/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Martin Browne

63. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by artists and creatives in accessing the pandemic unemployment payment due to the delays caused by the PRSI checks; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that it is leaving persons that had received payment in March 2020 unable to access the payment during the current restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37319/20]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Martin Browne

90. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on concerns that survivors of an institution (details supplied) and their relatives regarding the possibility that unmarked graves and remains may remain at the site; if consideration will be given to enabling digs to take place on land around the site considering the owner of land is willing to allow that; the status of the progress being made relating to the forthcoming report and the data contained within the report of the commission of investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40772/20]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Martin Browne

93. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the Facing the Future Together report which identifies the ongoing and future needs for the survivors of mother and baby homes and those incarcerated in residential institutions, industrial schools and other places of detention; his plans to implement the supports recommended in this report; his views on the statistics and findings contained within the Facing the Future Together report regarding the impacts and consequent needs of survivors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40773/20]

National Transport Authority

Martin Browne

173. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Transport the reason there is no rail representative on the National Transport Authority; his plans to address this shortcoming; his views on the disadvantage this poses for the development of rail and timetables; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40854/20]

Livestock Issues

Martin Browne

190. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of livestock movements, that is, sales of cattle and sheep, between buyer and seller from farm to farm including marts for 2019; and the number to date in 2020. [40638/20]