Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

78. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on establishing a dedicated service for employees to report employers anonymously that are unnecessarily requiring them to attend work physically or operate against Covid-19 guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30865/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

204. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education if children and young persons with underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable to Covid-19 are allowed to participate in school remotely and are exempt from physical attendance rules; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30866/20]

Domestic Violence Refuges Provision

Holly Cairns

229. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration further to Parliamentary Question No. 792 of 8 September 2020, the reason his answer included the standard of one family place per 10,000 women when this is not the standard used in the Istanbul Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30864/20]

Budget 2021

Holly Cairns

245. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice her views on investing €1.5 million in an assistive technology passport in budget 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30863/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

294. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if yoga and pilates are included within the statutory definitions of SI No. 347 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 4) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 as they meet the requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30862/20]

Planning Issues

Holly Cairns

182. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if floating storage regasification units (details supplied) qualify as infrastructure developments under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006. [30334/20]

Commercial Rates

Holly Cairns

183. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be provided to local authorities to enable them to suspend rates of payments for SMEs impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30335/20]

Defence Forces Representative Organisations

Holly Cairns

210. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Defence the date on which a decision will be made regarding permitting the affiliating union of the Defence Forces to an organisation (details supplied); the reason this decision has been delayed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30360/20]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Holly Cairns

285. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education her views on increasing the school transport remote area grant to reflect the cost for children that live on an island and attend school on the mainland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30345/20]

Third Level Education

Holly Cairns

365. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if additional funding will be provided to college and university library services to enable students to access academic textbooks online; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30354/20]

Third Level Education

Holly Cairns

366. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if additional funding will be provided to college and university online virtual learning environment management systems which in some cases do not have the capacity to accommodate the amount of students currently using the systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30355/20]

Third Level Admissions

Holly Cairns

367. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if colleges or universities that receive funding from his Department have asked students with disabilities or underlying health conditions to defer their place for a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30356/20]

Third Level Education

Holly Cairns

368. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will direct third level institutions to enable all students to apply for the laptop scheme through a separate means-testing system. [30358/20]

Third Level Admissions

Holly Cairns

369. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many student nurses and midwives will return this week to unpaid placement; if he will work with the Minister for Health to ensure that there are sufficient financial supports to remunerate student nurses and midwives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30359/20]

Victim Support Services

Holly Cairns

375. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the Changing Places Ireland initiative (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30340/20]

Legal Aid Service

Holly Cairns

419. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the reason for cuts to legal aid fees relating to persons in the international protection appeals process; and the impact same will have on waiting times for persons in the system. [30336/20]

Disability Services Provision

Holly Cairns

567. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of day centres in Cork city and county that have closed since mid-March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; the location of each centre; the service provided by each centre; the number of users deprived of services as a result of the closures; the analysis undertaken by HSE community healthcare west in regard to the closures and the impact on users; if he will provide a copy of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30337/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Holly Cairns

568. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if private dance and music schools are classified as education under the Plan for Living with Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30338/20]

Disability Services Provision

Holly Cairns

569. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided for the provision of transport to and from disability support services in west County Cork that have been reduced due to social distancing and other Covid-19 protocols; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30339/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Holly Cairns

570. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for a Covid-19 test in each testing centre in County Cork in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30342/20]

School Attendance

Holly Cairns

571. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of a State-funded contraception scheme; if an implementation group has been established to progress this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30343/20]

Crisis Pregnancy Services

Holly Cairns

572. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the measures introduced to prevent the operation of rogue crisis pregnancy agencies which seek to obstruct women seeking access to termination of pregnancy services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30344/20]

Disabilities Assessments

Holly Cairns

573. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the backlog for assessment of need for children with a disability in the south County Kildare and west County Wicklow area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30350/20]

Disabilities Assessments

Holly Cairns

574. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the reassignment of 3.5 clinicians from the South Kildare Children’s Disability Network Team to address the backlog for assessment of need for children with a disability in the south County Kildare and west County Wicklow area; if his attention has been further drawn to the impact it will have on waiting times for children and families receiving interventions from that team or that are waiting for services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30351/20]

Health Services Staff

Holly Cairns

575. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of paediatric occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists in areas of County Cork (details supplied) in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30352/20]

Physical Education

Holly Cairns

576. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the reason extracurricular sporting activities for young persons are classified differently to in-school sporting activities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30353/20]

Coillte Teoranta

Holly Cairns

603. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding provided for the forestry activities of Coillte under the Forestry Programme 2015 to 2020, including the amount per annum in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30346/20]

Forestry Grants

Holly Cairns

604. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount owed to his Department for the repayment of forestry grants and premiums, including details of the length of time the sums have been due, the amount of that sum that is redeemable and the amount that will be written off in tabular form. [30347/20]

Forestry Sector

Holly Cairns

605. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the cost benefit ratio for the forestry programme 2015 to 2020 was calculated in 2014 as 1:1.18; and if so, the reason for this decision. [30348/20]

Forestry Sector

Holly Cairns

606. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the cost benefit analyses of the forestry programme 2015 to 2020 included the tax treatment of forestry; and his plans to include this income forgone by the tax exemption status of forestry in the cost benefit analyses for the new application for permission for state aid 2021 to 2025. [30349/20]

Just Transition Fund

Holly Cairns

78. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications the definition of a just transition; and if the information on which the definition is based will be provided. [29509/20]

Public Service Obligation Levy

Holly Cairns

79. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications his views on ring-fencing a percentage of the public service obligation levy for community-owned renewable energy projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29510/20]

Disability Allowance

Holly Cairns

213. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on increasing disability allowance payments by €25 in budget 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29508/20]

Budget Statement

Holly Cairns

219. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration his views on investing €1.5 million in an assistive technology passport in budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29507/20]

Direct Provision System

Holly Cairns

237. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons in direct provision; the number of households in direct provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29505/20]

Disability Services Funding

Holly Cairns

241. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ring-fence funding for support services for persons with disabilities to enable the 2,900 persons with disabilities living in congregated settings to live in homes in the community in budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29549/20]

Disability Services Funding

Holly Cairns

302. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the statement by a federation (details supplied) that the €10 million in aid allocated to disability services in the winter plan is not enough to meet the needs of service users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29499/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Holly Cairns

303. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of HSE medical or therapeutic staff, including dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, SLTs and OTs, that have been deployed to Covid-19 contact tracing or testing duties on a weekly basis between 1 May 2020 and 1 October 2020, inclusive; and the breakdown of the professional roles of each in tabular form. [29500/20]

Afforestation Programme

Holly Cairns

333. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the implementation of the 27 recommendations in review of approval processes for afforestation in Ireland the Mackinnon report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29502/20]

Afforestation Programme

Holly Cairns

334. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeframe for commencing a new national forestry programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29503/20]

Fishing Industry

Holly Cairns

335. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the report of the fishing and seafood development programme from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29504/20]

Sick Pay Scheme

Holly Cairns

157. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to reports that an organisation (details supplied) is refusing to engage unions on issues relating to sick pay for workers in meat plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28252/20]

Job Losses

Holly Cairns

158. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will intervene in situations in which employees of meat processing plants are laid off due to the fact they live in direct provision. [28253/20]

Road Traffic Accidents

Holly Cairns

212. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the road collision reporting guidelines produced by an organisation (details supplied); his views on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28250/20]

Bus Services

Holly Cairns

213. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to plans by Bus Éireann to close a number of its intercity routes, including the x8 from Cork city to Dublin city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28256/20]

Weather Events

Holly Cairns

290. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to the visit by the Minister of State for the OPW, if he will seek reports from the local authorities on the recent flooding events in west County Cork during August 2020 to address flood mitigation works for the areas concerned. [28254/20]

Asylum Seekers

Holly Cairns

598. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice if she will expand the plans to lease properties in Galway city centre to house asylum seekers nationwide and to remove asylum seekers from congregated settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28249/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Holly Cairns

657. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if Covid-19 testing centres in west County Cork will be reinstated. [28255/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Holly Cairns

171. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the 40% restart grant plus top-up will be extended to pubs nationally that have to remain closed due to public health restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26979/20]

Post Office Network

Holly Cairns

188. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to a statement by a union (details supplied) that transactions in post offices are estimated to be down by 25% which heightens serious viability challenges facing the network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26556/20]