Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Judicial Appointments

Andrew Doyle

169. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if legislation will be amended to enable a person who wishes to be considered for appointment to judicial office to avail of a soft copy form without a request to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, as opposed to the current position in which a person must request a form to be issued to them in hard copy format; if for future legislative reform on judicial appointments, he and his officials will take this into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24944/13]

Naval Service Vessels

Andrew Doyle

181. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the process he and his Department, in conjunction with the Irish Naval Service, will use for the naming of the two new vessels to be delivered in early 2014 and 2015 to replace LE Emer and LE Aoife; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24948/13]

Food Security

Andrew Doyle

193. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the details regarding his Department's liaison office to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations based in Rome; if he will detail his recent interactions with this UN organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24933/13]

Hospital Charges

Andrew Doyle

218. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to reports of inappropriate billing by hospitals to private health insurance companies for beds not occupied when patients were instead on trolleys; if he will provide an estimate of the scale of this problem in view of the fact that it pushes health insurance premiums higher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24947/13]

Taxi Regulations

Andrew Doyle

238. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he expects all taxi drivers to be on the online taxi register; the deadline that has been given to drivers to register; the implications, financial or otherwise, that will be incurred by drivers for failing to register with the National Transport Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24949/13]

Company Closures

Andrew Doyle

50. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he and his Department have taken to date in order to secure the long term future and to find a new employer for the Merck site in Rathdrum, County Wicklow, where 280 people are currently employed; if he has engaged the key stakeholders to collectively seek a solution for a buyer to come in and take over this site; the role of the Industrial Development Agency in this process; the progress that has made to date since the announcement regarding the site closure in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24140/13]

International Election Monitoring

Andrew Doyle

60. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department sent the new selection procedure to applicants for the new election observer roster; if there is an appeal or review procedure within his Department to handle complaints by applicants regarding selection for the election observation roster; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24727/13]

Carbon Tax Implementation

Andrew Doyle

63. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline details of carbon taxation here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24708/13]

Tax Code

Andrew Doyle

64. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Finance if he is satisfied that the current vehicle registration tax is compatible with EU law; the legislative changes he is proposing regarding keeping the tax in line with European Court of Justice opinions and rulings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24730/13]

Banking Sector Regulation

Andrew Doyle

83. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Finance if he has plans to consolidate the legislative basis for the Central Bank of Ireland and its operations; if officials from his Department have held discussions with the Central Bank in this regard; when he expects legislation to be brought forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24731/13]

Freedom of Information Requests

Andrew Doyle

120. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to ensure that Freedom of Information requests are answered within the statutory period and to ensure that statistics are provided in a timely matter to the Information Commissioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24734/13]

Digital Archiving

Andrew Doyle

170. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he and his officials are taking regarding the archiving of digital media outlets for future keeping; if his attention has been drawn to the best practice exercised in other EU member states; if he will detail the plans his Department have to keep up with industry practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24733/13]

Seanad Elections

Andrew Doyle

186. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider amending legislation in order that soft copies of forms can be obtained by interested organisation without express written request for nomination forms, in order to be considered as a nominating body for the five vocational panels that elect members to Seanad Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24736/13]

Common Foreign and Security Policy

Andrew Doyle

215. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the details of the discussion held at the seminar he hosted in Dublin Castle on 17 May regarding the Common Security and Defence Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24728/13]

Naval Service Vessels

Andrew Doyle

216. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence his plans for LE Emer and LE Aoife when they are decommissioned from the Irish Naval Service in September 2013 and September 2014 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24735/13]

Irish Rail Logo Rebranding

Andrew Doyle

274. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details regarding the decision to rebrand the Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail logo; if the new logo entails rebranding the entire fleet of trains in the network; the procurement method Iarnród Éireann used for the commissioning of the new logo; the cost involved in its design; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24729/13]

Financial Instruments

Andrew Doyle

57. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline measures taken at the May ECOFIN meeting to secure protections against excessive financial speculation in the food and other commodity derivative markets through the review of the markets in financial instruments directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23718/13]

Departmental Legal Costs

Andrew Doyle

128. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Taoiseach if he will outline in tabular form, a breakdown on a year by year basis of the legal and travel costs his Department has incurred as a result of litigation in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the General Court in Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from the years 2005 - 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23852/13]

Partnership for Peace

Andrew Doyle

131. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements Ireland has in place for a liaison office to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; the resources that are available to this office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24234/13]

International Relations

Andrew Doyle

138. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland was ever offered to become either a member or observer of the Arctic Council since its inception; if he will consider it to be valuable to Ireland if we were to become a member or observer in view of the small but influential number of nations that are involved in the council; if Ireland is considering taking steps to work with the Arctic Council in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23895/13]