Parliamentary questions

Departmental Staff Career Breaks

Regina Doherty

145. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Defence if he still provides staff with the option to take career breaks on one year or more; if not, can this be considered as a cost saving initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40857/12]

Health Services Provision

Regina Doherty

189. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason it takes up to nine weeks to process optical at a clinic (details supplied) in County Meath, when the average time in County Kildare is one to two weeks; the action being taken to tackle this delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40837/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

92. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40597/12]

Teacher Recruitment

Regina Doherty

152. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the initiatives and opportunities that will be coming on stream to give hope to newly qualified teachers as they leave college and seek employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40575/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

153. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40594/12]

Redundancy Payments

Regina Doherty

154. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) whose special needs assistant contract was discontinued has been told they will not be issued with a P45 or redundancy payment until next year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40604/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

165. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40601/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

184. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40599/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

255. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40602/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

265. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40590/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

272. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40592/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

296. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40595/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

329. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40600/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

363. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40589/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

384. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40591/12]

Medical Card Delays

Regina Doherty

468. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting for more than 15 months for a medical card and now faces a five month wait for an MRI scan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40586/12]

Health Services Staff Issues

Regina Doherty

469. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason applications for leave of absence have been stopped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40587/12]

Health Services Staff Issues

Regina Doherty

470. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if a member of staff leaves the health service and then returns, if their term of service and grade remain on record, or are they considered as a new recruit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40588/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

471. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40598/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Regina Doherty

513. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if his Department still grants leave of absence; and if not, the reason this is not considered as a neutral cost saving exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40603/12]

Air Ambulance Service Provision

Regina Doherty

27. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Defence the functions and areas that are covered by the new Air Ambulance Service that is operating from Roger Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin; his plans to extend this service; if this service is also available for emergency situations that may arise in Dublin city centre and particularly in Dublin west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39488/12]

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Issues

Regina Doherty

31. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the action needed by the Garda Síochána and the security forces of this State to ensure that the type of funeral that took place in Donaghmede, Dublin, last week which showed a public demonstration by the IRA of the illegal use of weapons does not occur again; the number of gardaí that were involved in policing this event; the pre-planned surveillance; the person the decision not to intervene and the reasons for same; the cost to the State of such an illegal act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39247/12]

Banking Sector Regulation

Regina Doherty

66 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 133 of 10 July 2012, if the details of both reviews and any recommendations will be made public; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35595/12]

Third Level Examinations

Regina Doherty

96 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the case of the UCD nursing class of 2011 who, due to a delay, did not have their exams graded and results received, until January 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35675/12]

Security of the Elderly

Regina Doherty

447 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide statistical details in tabular form for the years 2007 to 2011, on the implementation of the senior alert alarm scheme for older persons in County Meath; the voluntary and community organisations that have been funded for this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34597/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme

Regina Doherty

127 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection now that Ashbourne and Ratoath, County Meath, have been moved to be managed to the Fingal Area Office, if the same rent supplement rates will apply to Ashbourne and Ratoath that apply to Finglas, Glasneven and so on, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34086/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme

Regina Doherty

143 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if a review of the rental markets in Ashbourne and Ratoath, County Meath, was conducted; if she will state the justification for not raising the rent supplement levels in these towns to the level applying in Finglas, Glasneven and so on; if she will supply in tabular form the rent supplement levels that previously applied and currently applied in each of these towns; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34199/12]

Crime Prevention

Regina Doherty

185 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of ongoing vandalism and criminal activity if he will consider a review of the regulation of the scrap metal industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34101/12]

Cycle Facilities

Regina Doherty

260 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding funding phase 1 of the Boyneside trail, cycle/walkway along the River Boyne; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34044/12]

Bank IT Systems

Regina Doherty

133 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to review banking procedures and protocols to protect customers from another crisis such as the Ulster Bank occurrence which has seen customers without banking facilities for nearly three weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33600/12]

School Curriculum

Regina Doherty

174 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on embedding information literacy in the national school curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33458/12]

School Curriculum

Regina Doherty

175 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on embedding information literacy in the secondary school curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33461/12]

Information and Communications Technology

Regina Doherty

177 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the policy of implementing the smart school initiative that every classroom here is to get a teaching laptop, software and digital projector; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33476/12]

Immigration Policy

Regina Doherty

342 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if, due to the current shortage of highly quality technological talent, he will review the current working visa permit system to help indigenous companies expand and develop; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33577/12]

Children’s Rights Referendum

Regina Doherty

436 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the definition of the best interests of the child as defined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is to be included in the wording of the children’s rightsr referendum; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[33570/12]

Nursing Education

Regina Doherty

453 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the case of the nursing class of 2011 (details supplied), who were excluded from qualification payments as their exams were not graded until 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33571/12]

Health Promotion

Regina Doherty

525 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will act upon the recent report by the Food Safety Authority which has called for calorie counts to be displayed on menus in food service outlets such as restaurants, bars and cafés; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33609/12]

Value for Money Reviews

Regina Doherty

526 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if the recent value for money report has revealed any incidences in which moneys from the disability budget were diverted to pay staff rather than fund services; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33616/12]

Health Service Staff

Regina Doherty

236 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason an individual (details supplied) who retired from a senior position in St. Michael’s House in 2009, has been re-employed as a consultant with St. Michael’s House; the policy for re-employing former employees as contractors; the amount that this individual is being paid; the amount of work this person’s company is being given and awarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32545/12]

Tax Code

Regina Doherty

204 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider reviewing the VAT rate on educational books, in hard and soft copy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32305/12]

School Curriculum

Regina Doherty

253 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider embedding information technology within the secondary school curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32204/12]

School Textbooks

Regina Doherty

260 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he intends to introduce the use of ebooks and digital facilities to ease the burden on parents buying new editions of books; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32281/12]

Hospital Acquired Infections

Regina Doherty

640 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown by hospitals and county in which there were positive test results for the Legionella bacteria in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32213/12]

Job Protection

Regina Doherty

718 Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider the way that the implementation of a credit card format driving licence, to be introduced in 2013, will impact of the 4,000 people employed in the photo ID industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32284/12]