Parliamentary questions

Turf Cutting

Richard O'Donoghue

316. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the effect the banning of burning will have on rural homes that need turf as a form of heating to keep them warm and the implications it will have on the people providing this turf to make a living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20832/22]

Health Services Staff

Richard O'Donoghue

574. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if discussions are expected for healthcare workers suffering from long Covid that they contracted through their work in healthcare settings, that their special leave with pay will be extended until they are fit to return to work as it is causing a lot of stress and anxiety to these people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20830/22]

Building Regulations

Richard O'Donoghue

646. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if discussions are expected to review and amend the current inadequate building regulations Part M 2010 to include guidance for fully wheelchair-liveable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20110/22]

Defective Building Materials

Richard O'Donoghue

679. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if approval will be given to the homeowners whose properties are affected by mica, pyrite and-or sulphate to be given 100% redress and not a grant, a scheme that is workable for everyone and every property without the restrictions, hidden costs and process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20829/22]

School Textbooks

Richard O'Donoghue

893. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if discussions are expected to provide the free book scheme to all primary and secondary school children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20109/22]

Departmental Policies

Richard O'Donoghue

1144. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans that are in place to increase the fostering allowance for foster parents in line with escalating costs particularly for the over ten-year-olds. [20536/22]

Third Level Fees

Richard O'Donoghue

1177. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for reviewing fees at third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19713/22]

Hospital Services

Richard O'Donoghue

1553. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to review the visiting rights in University Hospital Limerick for dementia patients and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20111/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Richard O'Donoghue

1754. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to give clarity to the section 38 workers; when they will receive their Covid payments (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20831/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Richard O'Donoghue

1792. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if nurses who worked through the pandemic in addiction services will be included in the €1,000 bonus paid out by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20954/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Richard O'Donoghue

1906. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there will be a new tranche of TAMS; and if so, if it will reflect the increase in prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20449/22]

Personal Public Service Numbers

Richard O'Donoghue

318. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that foreign students studying in Ireland wishing to take up employment are waiting months to be issued with PPS numbers in view of the fact that Ukrainians are issued with PPS numbers straight away once they arrive in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18904/22]

Dental Services

Richard O'Donoghue

370. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the extremely long waiting time that primary school children are forced to endure to receive orthodontic appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18905/22]

Dental Services

Richard O'Donoghue

371. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to result in an increase to the dentistry treatments that are available to patients with medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18906/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Richard O'Donoghue

79. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if discussions are expected to implement the return of mask wearing in schools due to the increase of the virus in the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17094/22]

Medical Cards

Richard O'Donoghue

189. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected with the HSE to review the criteria required to access a medical card due to the increase in the cost of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17093/22]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Richard O'Donoghue

190. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the waiting times that women are experiencing in University Hospital Limerick for a gynaecology appointment after being given an irregular cervical smear test result (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17095/22]

Drug Dealing

Richard O'Donoghue

72. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice if the latest information available to her Department confirms that drug use throughout the State is at an all-time high; the steps being taken by her Department to address the deepening crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16675/22]

An Garda Síochána

Richard O'Donoghue

531. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the number of drug detection dogs trained to use their senses to detect illegal substances that are available in each Garda division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16679/22]

An Garda Síochána

Richard O'Donoghue

532. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the staffing complement of each Garda drug task force unit by Garda division for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16678/22]

An Garda Síochána

Richard O'Donoghue

533. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the number of drug-related offences in each Garda district in each of the years 2016 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16677/22]

An Garda Síochána

Richard O'Donoghue

534. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice her plans for the recruitment of more gardaí in rural areas to ensure the escalating drug problems as being reported by An Garda Síochána can be targeted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16676/22]

Passport Services

Richard O'Donoghue

77. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Deputies can fast-track problem passports in certain circumstances (details supplied). [15468/22]

Work Permits

Richard O'Donoghue

165. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will take steps to accelerate the slow and uncertain process of issuing permits to skilled European Union nationals and non-European Union nationals particularly in the hospitality and agriculture sectors. [15469/22]

Work Permits

Richard O'Donoghue

166. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the reason that there are huge delays in obtaining work permits for skilled European Union nationals and non-European Union nationals; and if this issue has been raised with him by his Ministerial colleagues. [15499/22]

Fuel Prices

Richard O'Donoghue

723. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the poverty students are experiencing due to the increase in fuel cost given that many students drive to college due to the lack of bus services in rural areas and the lack of accommodation available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14690/22]

Health Services Staff

Richard O'Donoghue

1010. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of specialists in Huntington’s disease services in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14689/22]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Richard O'Donoghue

1011. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the waiting time persons in Limerick are experiencing for cataract operations in University Hospital Limerick forcing them to travel to the north of Ireland for this procedure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14691/22]

Public Transport

Richard O'Donoghue

72. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that public transport remains a major issue in rural communities given that rural dwellers are not adequately serviced by the existing transport network (details supplied). [8935/22]

Hospital Services

Richard O'Donoghue

228. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health when University Hospital Limerick will become a DAFNE-accredited diabetes centre; the number of full-time consultant endocrinologists, diabetes specialist dieticians and clinical diabetes nurse specialists currently in the adult outpatient diabetes clinic in each hospital in the hospital group; and the details of same. [12162/22]

Medical Aids and Appliances

Richard O'Donoghue

229. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with diabetes who were funded for devices (details supplied) through the long-term illness scheme or the primary care reimbursement service; and the details of same. [12163/22]

Medical Aids and Appliances

Richard O'Donoghue

230. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with diabetes who were funded for devices (details supplied) by the long-term illness scheme or the primary care reimbursement service; and the number of those persons that were over 21 years of age in each of the years 2018 to 2021, in tabular form. [12164/22]

General Practitioner Services

Richard O'Donoghue

231. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the stress and worry patients in small towns and villages in rural Ireland are experiencing due to the closure of many general practitioner practices (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12165/22]

State Bodies

Richard O'Donoghue

193. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a CIÉ pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11678/22]

School Facilities

Richard O'Donoghue

306. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that private public partnership schools were not included for funding to assist with ventilation works which was issued through schools through a minor works grant recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10622/22]

School Curriculum

Richard O'Donoghue

307. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education her views on whether the transition year of secondary should be more class-based (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10623/22]

Health Services

Richard O'Donoghue

356. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to provide additional appointments for children waiting for audiology appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10624/22]

Departmental Funding

Richard O'Donoghue

4. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has plans, in the context of the CLÁR programme, and having regard to local safety concerns, to allow funding to be used for local investment in CCTV and lighting in local playgrounds. [8935/22]

Disability Services

Richard O'Donoghue

237. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the slow pace of progress in achieving disability rights; if he will ensure that Ireland honours its commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of employment and one of the highest poverty rates for persons with disabilities in the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8822/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Richard O'Donoghue

277. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to take place to extend the €1,000 pandemic payment to section 39 healthcare workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8821/22]

Hospital Staff

Richard O'Donoghue

280. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to take place regarding an increase in the staffing levels for paediatric epilepsy services at University Hospital Limerick to ensure children receive continued care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8820/22]

Hospital Facilities

Richard O'Donoghue

281. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if discussions are expected to take place regarding the €5.1 million that was requested for Cappagh Kids National Orthopaedic Hospital to be granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8823/22]

Dental Services

Richard O'Donoghue

822. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of dental practitioners by county; and the number of same who accept medical card patients, by county (details supplied). [8107/22]

Passport Services

Richard O'Donoghue

81. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the inconsistency in the time-scale of the issuing of passports given that some persons are waiting extremely long periods and others receive passports in a couple of days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7113/22]

State Examinations

Richard O'Donoghue

98. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the stress and upset students are experiencing since the announcement of the leaving certificate exams reverting back to written; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7112/22]

Mental Health Services

Richard O'Donoghue

175. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for mental health services in County Limerick; the length of time they have been waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7111/22]

Transport Infrastructure Ireland

Richard O'Donoghue

214. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport the status of the M20; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5739/22]

Television Licence Fee

Richard O'Donoghue

48. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount of revenue collected in 2021 in television licence fees; the way the revenue is allocated or spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5480/22]

Defective Building Materials

Richard O'Donoghue

62. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is a support available for persons with a lack of means to pay for testing their homes which are potentially affected by MICA or pyrite given that it is causing a lot of worry stress to these homeowners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5482/22]

School Accommodation

Richard O'Donoghue

93. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the number of children in cold prefabs having to wear extra clothes to keep themselves warm; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5483/22]