Parliamentary questions

Public Sector Staff Remuneration

Bríd Smith

25. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if any account was taken in preparing his Budget Statement of the need for wage increases among public service workers outside of the already planned unwinding of financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, provisions by his Department. [30933/16]

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Bríd Smith

83. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected savings to the Exchequer as a result of changes in the criteria for qualification for the contributory old age pension since these changes were introduced. [30988/16]

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Bríd Smith

84. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected savings in 2017 and the number of old age pensioners affected by the changes in criteria for qualification for the contributory pension. [30989/16]

Home Care Packages Data

Bríd Smith

136. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in receipt of home care packages in the Dublin South Central constituency. [31116/16]

Home Care Packages Data

Bríd Smith

137. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in receipt of home care packages in the Dublin West constituency. [31117/16]

Home Care Packages Data

Bríd Smith

138. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in receipt of home care packages in County Wicklow. [31118/16]

Home Care Packages Data

Bríd Smith

139. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in receipt of home care packages in County Mayo. [31119/16]

School Costs

Bríd Smith

231. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills when plans to restore the capitation grant to schools, as set out in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, will be realised; and if the restoration will include a prohibition on the practice of schools seeking so-called voluntary contributions from parents (details supplied). [30337/16]

Social and Affordable Housing Data

Bríd Smith

297. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of housing units he envisions will be delivered under the social housing construction and acquisition fund in 2017 in categories (details supplied). [30800/16]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Bríd Smith

298. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the funding under the social housing current expenditure programme for 2017 will provide social housing units only as leased arrangements with private landlords or will be used to build social housing units for local authority or approved housing bodies. [30801/16]

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Bríd Smith

25. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason means-testing by his Department is done on gross pay and not take-home net pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28756/16]

One-Parent Family Payment Payments

Bríd Smith

32. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if, further to the finding of the Millar report, he will reverse lone parent allowance cuts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28755/16]

Local Authority Housing Provision

Bríd Smith

27. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if funding for proposed rapid builds is new funding or if it is funding that was previously allocated to other housing projects. [28610/16]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Bríd Smith

66. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that local authorities are postponing projects for regular-build social housing to fund rapid-build houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28611/16]

Citizens Assembly

Bríd Smith

4. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach his plans for convening the Citizens' Assembly. [28720/16]

Referendum Campaigns

Bríd Smith

9. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach the plans he has for any referenda in the coming year. [27372/16]

Croke Park Agreement

Bríd Smith

39. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether his Department's withholding of certain payments from members of the ASTI will help achieve the Government's aim of modernising the education system or promote excellence and innovation in schools. [28375/16]

Industrial Disputes

Bríd Smith

51. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether present disputes may affect the morale of secondary school teachers and the ability of the system to deliver excellence and innovation as per the programme for Government. [28376/16]

Labour Court Recommendations

Bríd Smith

214. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department intervened in the ongoing refusal of a State-supported company (details supplied) to honour a Labour Court finding in relation to workers made redundant; if his Department has instructed this company not to use State funds to honour the findings of another State agency; and if he will intervene in this matter to ensure the workers involved receive their just payments. [28059/16]

Labour Court Recommendations

Bríd Smith

215. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason funding is made available to a private company (details supplied) by his Department while this company is refusing to obey the judgment of a State-appointed body in regard to its workforce. [28060/16]

IDA Ireland Supports

Bríd Smith

592. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the precise supports given by the IDA and any other State agency to a company (details supplied). [28046/16]

IDA Ireland Supports

Bríd Smith

593. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the financial support, if any, offered by the State to a company (details supplied). [28047/16]

IDA Ireland Supports

Bríd Smith

594. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs her Department expects a company (details supplied) to provide here in 2017. [28048/16]

IDA Ireland Supports

Bríd Smith

595. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the general supports client-supported companies can expect from the IDA and any other State agency that fall under her Department's remit. [28049/16]

National Broadband Plan Expenditure

Bríd Smith

254. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated yearly cost of the proposed 25-year contract for the NBP under the current proposed model. [27866/16]

National Broadband Plan Expenditure

Bríd Smith

255. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated costs of alternative proposals around alternative models for unrolling the NBP or any such information his Department may have on such costs. [27867/16]

National Broadband Plan Expenditure

Bríd Smith

256. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated savings his Department views the chosen funding model will deliver over the 25 years of any contract for the NBP. [27868/16]

Direct Provision System

Bríd Smith

53. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on recent tragic incidents in a direct provision centre and if they are fit for purpose. [27375/16]

Refugee Resettlement Programme

Bríd Smith

72. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to meet international obligations to assist in the international refugee crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27376/16]

Home Help Service Data

Bríd Smith

542. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of home help hours provided by the Health Service Executive, HSE, annually since 2008; the total budget allocated by the HSE for home help hours since 2008; and the number of home help hours provided by private health companies and paid for by the HSE or his Department since 2008. [26458/16]

Medical Card Drugs Availability

Bríd Smith

676. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the names of all drugs which have been removed from or had any restrictions placed upon their use under the general medical services, GMS, medical card scheme since 2014; the numbers of new patients affected by their removal or restriction; the number of patients affected by the newly introduced standard operating for discretionary hardship arrangements, STOP, that is, the number of patients who are prescribed particular drugs but now find these drugs not covered by the GMS medical card scheme. [26988/16]

Child Care Services Funding

Bríd Smith

12. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of the 500 after-school child care scheme, ASCC, places taken up now that the eligibility for 52 weeks is ending; the measures put in place to provide child care for these children at the same affordable rate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22963/16]

Departmental Schemes

Bríd Smith

15. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to expand the qualifying criteria for the community child care scheme to allow families who are not in receipt of Social Protection but are on low incomes to be included in the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22964/16]

Industrial Relations

Bríd Smith

34. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will take action to stop companies (details supplied) which are trying to usurp the countries labour machinery and laws that give basic protections to workers such as the Minimum Wage Act and so on. [22915/16]

Workplace Relations Services Staff

Bríd Smith

45. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to ensure that the appropriate State bodies tasked with safeguarding the rights of workers are appropriately staffed and resourced to combat attempts by employers to break labour laws that seek to provide workers with basic protections. [22763/16]

Employment Rights

Bríd Smith

56. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is concerned about the increasing number of workers being asked by employers to sign contracts which designate them as self-employed and not as employees who have statutory rights. [22764/16]

Employment Rights

Bríd Smith

58. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she will take to ensure that any employer in receipt of contracts from the State for the provision of certain services is compliant with the labour laws of the country which afford protections to workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22766/16]

Economic Data

Bríd Smith

66. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is aware of a recent report that describes Ireland as a low wage economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22765/16]

Workplace Relations Services Staff

Bríd Smith

71. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff currently working in the Workplace Relations Commission and the numbers that worked in the previously named Labour Relations Commission and Employment Appeals Tribunal and associated bodies. [22767/16]

Public Transport Provision

Bríd Smith

61. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is concerned at the impact of tendering processes underway with Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann routes could have on the conditions and livelihoods of transport workers. [22484/16]

Public Transport

Bríd Smith

88. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the pay claims being discussed for transport workers, considering the time since these workers received a pay rise and the number of cost cutting deals these workers agreed over the past decade, alongside the substantial cuts to transport funding by governments over the same period which had serious consequences for those working in the State's transport companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22485/16]

Middle East Peace Process

Bríd Smith

480. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline his views on Palestine's Call, the open letter from 45 Palestinians political and civil groups calling on the Government to act to bring justice to Palestine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21955/16]

Middle East Peace Process

Bríd Smith

481. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the actions he will take in view of Palestine's Call, the open letter sent to all Oireachtas Members from Palestinian civil and political groups. [21956/16]

Middle East Peace Process

Bríd Smith

482. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will address the issues raised in Palestine's Call, the open letter recently sent to all Oireachtas Members from Palestinian civil and political society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21957/16]

Middle East Peace Process

Bríd Smith

483. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the way in which he will respond to the open letter from Palestinian civil and political society sent to all Oireachtas Members, Palestine's Call; and the action he will take to exert pressure on the state of Israel, through the use of sanctions and other parliamentary actions, to end its illegal occupation of Palestine and to grant Palestinian people their rights in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law, as requested in the letter. [21958/16]

Departmental Budgets

Bríd Smith

20. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to spend any savings as a result of the privatisation of the national broadband plan; the portion he expects to spend on climate change mitigation and prevention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21591/16]

Departmental Agencies Board Appointments

Bríd Smith

29. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to consider reserving a place on the board of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for a non-governmental organisation with a track record of environmental campaigning in the area of sustainability and climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21595/16]

Gas Exploration Revenue

Bríd Smith

247. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the estimated value of the Corrib gas supply in its first year of operation and the estimated value of revenues the State expects directly from that gas flow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21762/16]

Trade Agreements

Bríd Smith

43. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he considered the implications for Irish agriculture of the ratification of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement; his views on the likely impact of these treaties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21264/16]

UK Referendum on EU Membership

Bríd Smith

62. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the consequences for Ireland's fishing industry and those who depend on it in view of the British exit from the EU. [21263/16]