Parliamentary questions

Seafood Sector

Ged Nash

2481. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason representatives for crewmen and women are absent from the recently established Seafood Sector Taskforce; if he will commit to expanding the current taskforce to ensure the views of crewmen and women are represented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18969/21]

Banking Sector

Ged Nash

93. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he or his officials have held meetings with a bank (details supplied) in relation to the recent announcement of 88 branch closures; if so, when these meetings occurred; and if he asked for and received assurances from the bank that there is a viable post office within 500 metres of a branch the bank plans to close as mentioned in his response to the bank announcement. [17940/21]

Public Procurement Contracts

Ged Nash

102. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, IPA and SEUPB have independent health and safety advisers at present; if so, if the procurement of such which was carried out in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17890/21]

Departmental Bodies

Ged Nash

103. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have implemented the public sector and human rights duty under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; if they have reported in their annual reports each year since enactment on the developments and achievements with regard to human rights; if the bodies have at all times promoted equality of opportunity and treatment of staff and persons to which they provide services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17891/21]

Departmental Bodies

Ged Nash

104. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have set out in their strategic plans an assessment of the human rights and equality issues they view to be relevant to the functions and purpose of the body with regard to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17892/21]

Protected Disclosures

Ged Nash

105. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have received protected disclosures since the enactment of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014; if all such disclosures were reported as per the Act in their annual reports; if there were disclosures deemed not to be protected disclosures under the Act and thus not reported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17893/21]

Departmental Bodies

Ged Nash

106. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if each of the bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB hold membership with a confederation; if so, if he will provide the breakdown of payment to the confederation by each of the bodies in each of the years 2016 to 2020; if consideration of savings on this could be achieved on a shared service basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17894/21]

Departmental Bodies

Ged Nash

107. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the measures he plans to take with regard to public bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB to have designated Irish language officers and be compliant with their obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003; if the bodies have had their services competently audited for compliance with the Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17895/21]

Departmental Bodies

Ged Nash

108. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB energy policy are compliant with their obligations under the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy; the bodies that have failed to meet their 2020 energy targets; the measures that will be put in place for those organisations that have not met their 2020 targets to reach their 2030 targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17896/21]

Housing Policy

Ged Nash

144. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to review the income thresholds for the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme; his views on the case of a person (details supplied); his further views on whether the scheme should be amended to accommodate cases such as this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17800/21]

Vaccination Programme

Ged Nash

334. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the request of an organisation and persons (details supplied) for cardiac patients to be given priority access to the vaccine reflecting the medical need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17804/21]

Vaccination Programme

Ged Nash

352. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the category branch bank staff fall under in the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. [17938/21]

Driver Test

Ged Nash

253. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport his views regarding essential workers (details supplied) who have partially completed their mandatory essential driver training lessons but are unable to complete their 12 lessons nor book a driving test due to current Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16327/21]

Insurance Costs

Ged Nash

317. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the percentage at which loading above the premium norm for a prospective borrower with mitigating circumstance, for example illness, becomes exempt from the legal requirement for mortgage protection insurance; if he plans to define a specific percentage loading cap above the norm given that some persons with underlying illnesses such as diabetes can be expected to pay between 200% to 450% more for mortgage protection cover (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16472/21]

Insurance Costs

Ged Nash

318. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the process by which a prospective mortgage borrower can seek a legal exemption from the requirement for mortgage protection insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16473/21]

Insurance Costs

Ged Nash

319. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his plans to update the Consumer Credit Act 1995 with respect to mortgage protection insurance given the difficulties of those with underlying conditions including Covid-19 in obtaining mortgage protection insurance at a reasonable price (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16474/21]

Insurance Costs

Ged Nash

320. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if a relevant authority under the auspices of his Department records the number and details of cases in which prospective borrowers are refused a mortgage due to their inability to obtain reasonably priced mortgage protection insurance; if not, if he will consider mandate banks, insurance companies and brokers to report such cases to relevant authorities; the number of cases in each year since 2016 that have been refused mortgage protection insurance cover; the number of cases in each year since 2016 in which an offer of mortgage protection insurance was made with a loading of 100% above the normal premium price in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16475/21]

Financial Services Regulation

Ged Nash

333. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the taking forward of the recommendations in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity to tackle illicit finance, including international tax abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16862/21]

Tax Avoidance

Ged Nash

334. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the proposal for an immediate commencement to negotiations of a UN tax convention to raise standards of tax transparency and co-operation and to ensure that all countries at all levels of per capita income are included in the benefits of same as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity. [16863/21]

Tax Avoidance

Ged Nash

335. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the creation of an intergovernmental body under UN auspices to allow globally inclusive and transparent negotiations over international tax rules as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity. [16864/21]