Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Recycling Policy

Noel Rock

1279. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider implementing a refundable deposit scheme for recyclables; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19986/17]

Sport Ireland

Noel Rock

1360. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the fact that the Irish Sports Council have no database on file of participants in sports nationwide; his further views on whether it is valuable to keep track of the number of participants in each sport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19984/17]

EU Regulations

Noel Rock

1361. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the legislation will be in place for the Irish Aviation Authority to become the noise regulator for airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19988/17]

Fishing Industry

Noel Rock

1406. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the permit system for fishing workers from outside the European Economic Area can be replaced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19446/17]

Employment Rights

Noel Rock

1410. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will consider addressing the State's non-compliance with the EU part-time workers directive by implementing the French model of honest contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19695/17]

Child Care Services Provision

Noel Rock

1434. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason her Department cannot access income information from the Revenue Commissioners; the estimated number of families which will miss out on the child care subsidy as a consequence; when this will be ameliorated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19689/17]

Child and Family Agency Data

Noel Rock

1443. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason for the vast differences in child care orders between towns; if she will address the concern that children in care are subject to a geographic lottery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19981/17]

Children in Care

Noel Rock

1444. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if transitional services exist for 18 year olds being phased out of State care; her views on whether they are effective in preventing homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19985/17]

Climate Change Policy

Noel Rock

26. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the actions and infrastructural changes that will be undertaken by the Government in response to the rising sea level, which clearly poses a pressing public safety threat; if funding will be devoted to prevention or adaptation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15027/17]

Help-To-Buy Scheme Data

Noel Rock

76. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost to date in 2017 and in previous years of the help-to-buy scheme. [18970/17]

Housing Provision

Noel Rock

195. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the rate of production of housing that would have to take place to support not only Dublin’s current population, but also to support the 150,000-person increase that Dublin will undergo in the next ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18467/17]

Human Rights

Noel Rock

223. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has read the recently published report by a charity (details supplied) regarding European Union police brutality against migrants; the actions he will take regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18465/17]

Health Insurance Prices

Noel Rock

279. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health to outline his plans to adopt the proposal to phase out tax relief on health insurance; the measures he plans to adopt to offset the €600 increase that the average family would incur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18466/17]

Nursing Staff

Noel Rock

280. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health to outline his views on the incentives, tax breaks or pay increases necessary to slow the leak of Irish nurses to the USA, United Kingdom and Australia and to fill the critical shortage of nurses in hospital emergency rooms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18469/17]

Defence Forces Recruitment

Noel Rock

373. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the efforts under way to hire the ten additional employees to the communication and information services to achieve the recommended number of employees and to prevent another military information technology glitch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18468/17]

Gender Equality

Noel Rock

102. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider implementing a policy to address the pay gap (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18218/17]

Legal Aid Service

Noel Rock

138. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider guaranteeing civil lawyers to persons undergoing disputes over their tracker mortgages in view of the fact these persons are at a disadvantage when it comes to paying for a lawyer after overpaying their mortgage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18216/17]

Mortgage Applications Approvals

Noel Rock

151. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance if any oversight is being conducted to ensure that mortgage approvals, which have jumped by 42%, are being made in a cautious and responsible manner to prevent another housing bubble crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16806/17]

Inflation Rate

Noel Rock

153. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance the actions he is recommending to rein in the price inflation that is slowing down the growth of the manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18212/17]

Tracker Mortgages Examination

Noel Rock

154. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider criminalising the act of overcharging on a tracker mortgage with a stiff financial penalty for banks (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18215/17]

Economic Policy

Noel Rock

155. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance if a contingency plan is in place to minimise disruptions in the economy if President Trump were to start enacting some of the trade policies he has discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18224/17]

Housing Policy

Noel Rock

327. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the challenges which are standing in the way of increasing the housing supply at a faster than normal rate in view of the extent of the housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18219/17]

School Meals Programme

Noel Rock

390. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Social Protection the way non-DEIS schools are selected to participate in the school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18220/17]

Organ Donation

Noel Rock

623. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the process that would be implemented for the families of the deceased to veto organ donation in view of the fact that organ harvesting takes place as quickly as possible following death; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18221/17]

Organ Donation

Noel Rock

624. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health his estimate of the increase in organ transplants that can be expected; if there are enough doctors to keep up with this increase in transplant surgeries; his views on whether funds should be devoted to acquire additional doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18222/17]

Trade Agreements

Noel Rock

788. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will consider the passage of new trade laws requiring more stringent food safety checks in order that trade agreements such as the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, CETA, do not negatively impact consumers here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18223/17]

Child and Family Agency Investigations

Noel Rock

814. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason €2.5 million was set aside for third party legal costs for the inquiry into the Grace case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18213/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Staff

Noel Rock

815. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on restructuring the contract process for early years educators in order to improve retention of the most qualified candidates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18214/17]

Housing Policy

Noel Rock

65. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the fact that the construction of new homes has hit a seven-year high and yet homelessness here is still on the rise; the reason for this phenomenon; the changes that are required to the housing policy to rectify this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15028/17]

Modern Language Teaching

Noel Rock

49. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the new primary school reform commences; the age at which students will start to learn a foreign language; if the Finnish model of beginning a foreign language at age seven will be adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16620/17]

Education Expenditure

Noel Rock

78. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Ireland already spends more per student than most other EU countries; the spending increases that should be expected in conjunction with primary school reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16619/17]

Census of Population Data

Noel Rock

93. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Taoiseach the details of the breakdown of home owner proportion by age band in the past six censuses undertaken by the State. [16807/17]

Criminal Law

Noel Rock

116. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will introduce legislation to implement stronger penalties for those who are found to be shoplifting and particularly in cases in which the shop owner or staff are assaulted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17044/17]

Housing Policy

Noel Rock

228. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the actions being taken by his Department to encourage the development of new private houses in the State, particularly in Dublin, after a reported decline of 17% of new houses for sale in 2016; the current level of participation in any State programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17045/17]

Departmental Bodies Expenditure

Noel Rock

265. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider instituting new transparent accounting standards for Government bodies like An Garda Síochána and updating rules around spending to prevent frivolous expenditures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17049/17]

Health Products Regulatory Authority

Noel Rock

287. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health if resources are being devoted specifically to investigate and intervene in the sale of real and counterfeit pregabalin; if the source of these substances has been discovered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17047/17]

Food Industry Development

Noel Rock

306. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions his Department are undertaking to increase the levels of innovation in food processing; his views on a person's (details supplied) opinion that levels of innovation in this sector are low; his views on whether the State is falling behind on this ahead of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17046/17]

Tourism Industry

Noel Rock

327. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional resources are being devoted to encourage tourism in order to counteract the drop in tourism from the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17048/17]

State Airports

Noel Rock

328. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the cause of the downgrading of Shannon Airport; the economic impacts for the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17050/17]

Seanad Reform

Noel Rock

97. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Taoiseach the actions the Government has taken to reform Seanad Éireann; the results to date; and the timeline of when reform plans will be implemented. [16688/17]

Garda Deployment

Noel Rock

108. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí assigned to each station, division and department in the Dublin region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16054/17]

Garda Equipment

Noel Rock

109. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda vehicles assigned to each station, division and department in the Dublin region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16055/17]

Garda Data

Noel Rock

110. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí who were stationed in Stepaside Garda station in each of the five years prior to its closing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16056/17]

Garda Data

Noel Rock

111. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda vehicles that were assigned to Stepaside Garda station in each of the five years prior to its closing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16057/17]

Brexit Issues

Noel Rock

216. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance if he is committed to a non-negotiable €58 billion Brexit bill; his views on whether that sum is up for negotiation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16690/17]

Brexit Issues

Noel Rock

217. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance the steps which need to be taken to ensure that Dublin, not other European cities such as Paris, becomes the new financial services capital of Europe following Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16691/17]

Constitutional Convention Recommendations

Noel Rock

336. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on holding a right to home referendum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16791/17]

Local Authority Functions

Noel Rock

337. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the rules regarding claims which need to be revised to prevent more spending by bodies such as Dublin City Council and to ensure that these claims are only granted in instances of the utmost seriousness; if he will consider conducting a review of claims granted in 2016 to ensure that all the spending on claims was necessitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16792/17]

Housing Policy

Noel Rock

338. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider implementing legislative controls on short-term rentals such as those implemented successfully in Berlin and New York City in an effort to rectify short-term rentals such as those by a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16793/17]

Housing Policy

Noel Rock

339. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether evidence (details supplied) points to another or looming housing bubble; if so, the actions he will take to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16794/17]