Parliamentary questions

Health Services

Maureen O'Sullivan

320. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health his plans to reverse cutbacks put in place regarding chiropody for elderly persons over 65 years of age; if he is aware that these cutbacks to three appointments per annum are not sufficient for many persons who suffer with diabetes and arthritis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8363/16]

Substance Abuse Prevention Education

Maureen O'Sullivan

401. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the policies and programmes on prevention and education in respect of drugs and alcohol for young persons; if there is dedicated staff in her Department on this matter; and if there have been evaluations of these programmes. [8357/16]

Rail Network

Maureen O'Sullivan

487. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider providing funding for noise control or possibly consider systems used in other countries, such as the acoustic screening of railway lines in Denmark by the state-owned Banedanmark during its noise project dating back to 1986, to accommodate residents on the extremely busy stretch of railway track between Connolly Station and East Wall Road bridge. [8342/16]

Pension Provisions

Maureen O'Sullivan

4. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason persons must work 48 years to qualify for a full pension; her views on whether this is a particularity long period and that the tier system is insufficient; and if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some women, in particular, feel this is unfair as many choose to work part-time after giving birth to children. [7876/16]

Animal Welfare

Maureen O'Sullivan

37. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to a company (details supplied) seeking greyhounds from here, in view of the decision by the Australian Government to ban animal transports to this company; and if he will ban the transport of greyhounds from this country to that racing track, where they are open to abuse and exploitation. [7838/16]

School Curriculum

Maureen O'Sullivan

99. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason animal shooting clubs are being allowed access to schools and pupils for public relations exercises; and if there are any restrictions on the type of groups which may access school grounds and pupils. [7877/16]

Rental Accommodation Scheme Criteria

Maureen O'Sullivan

119. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to alter the requirements to qualify for the rental assistance payment scheme (details supplied); his views on whether, with the lack of rent management, this scheme should be altered to accommodate more persons. [7889/16]

Planning Issues

Maureen O'Sullivan

123. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of planning applications invalidated by Cork County Council western division from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016; and the number of instances where prospective invalidations were avoided because the planners contacted the applicants in time to allow them to remedy small defects in the planning applications without recourse to invalidation as recommended in the planning guidelines. [7890/16]

Traffic Management

Maureen O'Sullivan

154. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 583 of 22 March 2016, if the recent announcement by Dublin City Council to pedestrianise large sections of the city centre at College Green has changed his point of view regarding limousines and their use of bus lanes; if he would be willing to meet representatives of the National Chauffeur Drivers Association to discuss the impact of effectively making large sections of the city centre inaccessible to their industry. [7875/16]

Accident and Emergency Departments

Maureen O'Sullivan

612. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health his views on the Health Service Executive's escalation policy, specifically on the issue of the cancellation of operating lists to accommodate emergency departments despite the fact that these freed-up beds cannot be used for patients on trolleys because the patients on trolleys could present a risk of infections for post-operative patients already on the ward. [7211/16]

School Patronage

Maureen O'Sullivan

702. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of the recommendations in the report by the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism; if there is a roadmap for furthering the recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6818/16]

National Monuments

Maureen O'Sullivan

873. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has engaged with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to ensure that the National Famine Memorial Day commemoration stone will finally be placed at the Custom House in Dublin 1. [6819/16]

National Monuments

Maureen O'Sullivan

874. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to support the proposal to place the An Gorta Mór memorial in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin 9 and to consider the design plan as proposed by the Committee for the Commemoration of Irish Famine Victims which will include the 32 counties of Ireland. [6820/16]

Back to Education Allowance Eligibility

Maureen O'Sullivan

17. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the discrimination felt by many previously self-employed persons in full-time education seeking the back to education allowance; if the criteria for qualifying for this benefit need to be examined, for instance in the case of self-employed persons who begin a degree while self-employed and who then see their business fail and who are not entitled to any payment, although then technically unemployed; if the criteria should be applied to the current circumstances of applicants, as opposed to their employment position when beginning their studies, especially given that many degree programmes can be in excess of four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4841/16]

Equine Data

Maureen O'Sullivan

160. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulations in place regarding the seizure of animals when in co-operation with An Garda Síochána his Department officials make seizures of horses; his views that at the particular seizure of 29 horses as part of Operation Storm on 27 February 2016, there was a serious breach in guidelines and regulations by the non-segregated transport of sexually mature males and females, breeding stallions not being kept separate while being transported and animals of significantly different sizes not being transported separately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4820/16]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Maureen O'Sullivan

268. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the numbers of mixed-race Irish babies and children in the 16 mother and baby homes including St. Patrick's, Navan Road, Dublin 7; if St. Patrick's was the designated holding centre for all mixed-race Irish babies and children from across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4812/16]

Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility

Maureen O'Sullivan

314. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health to examine the long-term illness list and the introduction of a case-by-case examination, as certain persons (details supplied) have complicated medical conditions that the criteria seems to overlook which has huge effects on lifestyle and mobility; if standardised criteria is not always the fairest way to allocate resources. [4844/16]