Parliamentary questions

Social Welfare Benefits

Jackie Cahill

911. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection the financial assistance, for maintenance and care related costs and so on, available to those who are vision impaired and have a guide dog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57166/23]

Immigration Status

Jackie Cahill

1140. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice the average turnaround for a spouse of an Irish national application currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1772/24]

Assisted Animal Reproduction

Jackie Cahill

1171. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will be in the position to sanction the use of multi-breed artificial insemination straws from 1 January 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56450/23]

Forestry Sector

Jackie Cahill

1172. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity of bark that is being imported into the country for use by nurseries and horticulture, per month in 2023, in tabular form; if this bark is being certified or checked for bark beetle at the point of export and the point of import; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56451/23]

Forestry Sector

Jackie Cahill

1173. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the visits his Department has made to Scotland and other regions affected by the bark beetle to inspect the timber being imported into Ireland to ensure it is free of bark beetle; how many visits were made; when they were made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56452/23]

Forestry Sector

Jackie Cahill

1174. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of personnel employed to inspect timber at the point of import into Ireland for bark beetle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56453/23]

Forestry Sector

Jackie Cahill

1175. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider banning the import of timber from regions affected by the bark beetle, on grounds of biosecurity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56454/23]

Information and Communications Technology

Jackie Cahill

1220. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s plans to upgrade its IT infrastructure and improve the online application process for all payment schemes; his plans to implement a system by which applications are assessed to ensure all necessary documentation has been submitted to allow applicants ample opportunity to submit complete applications ahead of deadlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56949/23]

Industrial Disputes

Jackie Cahill

1458. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health for an update on his work to resolve the industrial action currently underway by HSE staff who are members of a union (details supplied), including their action to not respond to elected representatives’ Parliamentary Questions and direct HSE representations; when he expects this to be resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56293/23]

Grant Payments

Jackie Cahill

1833. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to detail the nature of documents previously accepted by SUSI as proof of estrangement or irreconcilable estrange of an applicant from their parents, for the purposes of assessing the means of a grant application; the number of cases between 2018 and 2023 that included a letter from a social workers, a court order, evidence from An Garda Síochána, and/or any other form of documentation that sufficed to prove estrangement, in each respective year, in tabular form; if he will detail the legislative basis under which SUSI will not accept a sworn affidavit as proof of estrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57232/23]

Road Projects

Jackie Cahill

1872. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how many dead-end private lanes across all local authorities, which have applied for the local improvement scheme and have been approved, but are awaiting funding to complete the works for each local authority, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1318/24]

International Protection

Jackie Cahill

213. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of IPAs and BoTPs that are currently being accommodated in towns (details supplied) in Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55667/23]

Grant Payments

Jackie Cahill

198. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Transport to address the anomaly where a taxi or hackney driver can avail of a €17,500 grant for the purchase of an M1 category accessible vehicle, but a school transport operator, who also requires accessible transport for the young people they transport, cannot; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54460/23]

School Staff

Jackie Cahill

305. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education her Department's current position on the establishment of a relocation scheme for post-primary teachers; the outcome of her Department's review of the teacher relocation scheme report that was provided to her Department by a teacher's union working group a number of months ago; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54604/23]

Social Welfare Schemes

Jackie Cahill

477. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on her efforts to extend the free travel pass to people with epilepsy who cannot drive due to their condition; when she hopes to bring this into action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54771/23]

General Practitioner Services

Jackie Cahill

760. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if it is possible for a person on a GP visit card to be assigned to another GP practice locally, in circumstances where they wish to change GPs but other GPs in the area are stating that they do not have spare capacity to take a patient on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54550/23]

Third Level Costs

Jackie Cahill

874. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the recently announced reduction in student fees for the 2023-2024 academic year applies to a student who is paying full fees while undertaking a second level 8 degree, having already attained a level 8 degree; if this fee reduction applies to an individual undertaking a level 9 Masters Degree who is not in receipt of SUSI supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54932/23]

Septic Tanks

Jackie Cahill

51. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the increase in septic tank grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53930/23]

Local Authorities

Jackie Cahill

70. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his proposals for strategic ten-year development plans for local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53931/23]

Road Safety

Jackie Cahill

169. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Transport if there are plans to introduce legislation to make it mandatory for the users of e-scooters to wear helmets and protective gear while operating the vehicles on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54335/23]