Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

IBRC Bond Issues

Joe Higgins

132. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding developers bonds worth €7,517,371 that were held in the now liquidated Irish Bank Resolution Corporation for housing estates in the Fingal Council area. [36992/13]

Consumer Protection

Joe Higgins

480. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will consider introducing legislation to give effect to a cooling-off period for the purchase of goods or services that arise from unsolicited calls by sales representatives to citizens, similar to regulations that currently exist in Australia. [37649/13]

National Internship Scheme Eligibility

Joe Higgins

551. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is considering allowing job seekers to gain experience of workplaces without losing their social welfare payments; and if this is being considered, the conditions that will be in place to guard against job displacement or use of cheap labour. [36903/13]

Regeneration Projects Funding

Joe Higgins

843. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will report on the response to the request for a meeting from groups (details supplied) to discuss a local regeneration issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36823/13]

Assisted Human Reproduction

Joe Higgins

1282. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Health the work that has been done to date to bring forward legislation on stem cell research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36861/13]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Joe Higgins

1325. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Health if he will provide information on the waiting times for paediatric rheumatology services and if he will confirm his plans to provide more full time staff to this service to cater fully for the needs of patients [37253/13]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Joe Higgins

88. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 163 of 7 May 2013 and correspondence to this Deputy, his views on the case of a person (details supplied) who has been denied free fees on the basis that the springboard foundation course they completed was itself a major award [35608/13]

Homeless Persons Data

Joe Higgins

191. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons reported as homeless to local authorities in the first and second quarters of 2013; the way this figure compares with previous quarterly statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35712/13]

Agriculture Schemes Payments

Joe Higgins

229. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Cavan will receive his or her REP scheme, single payment, disadvantaged area scheme payment and grassland sheep payment for 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35712/13]

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Joe Higgins

9. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if the various Cabinet sub-committees have met in the last two months. [35070/13]

Official Engagements

Joe Higgins

29. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meetings with other Heads of State during the last EU Council. [35071/13]

Official Engagements

Joe Higgins

30. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he has met with the Greek Prime Minister; and if they discussed the issue of unemployment in Greece and the European Union. [35072/13]

Departmental Expenditure

Joe Higgins

424. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of an event held in the Pearse Museum in St. Enda's Park, Rathfarnham, last autumn which was addressed by the Minister of State in his Department, Deputy Brian Hayes, regarding the planned works in the park, if he will provide information on the content of the meeting; the way it was advertised and by whom; the other public representatives who were notified and the refreshments that were provided at the meeting at a cost to the Exchequer. [35008/13]

Human Rights Issues

Joe Higgins

890. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the allegations of forced human organ harvesting from prisoners in China; his views on whether there is a requirement to bring forward legislation to prevent such organs being used here in any way. [34636/13]

Child Protection Services

Joe Higgins

41. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the horrific occurrence of child abuse catalogued by Women's Aid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32356/13]

Child Protection Services

Joe Higgins

53. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extra funding she will make available to women and children refuges and advocate groups on behalf of abused children. [32357/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Joe Higgins

9. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reassure parents and teachers there will be no cuts to other education services following his announcement not to implement his planned cuts to resource hours. [32241/13]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

Joe Higgins

48. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider a reversal of all the cuts to special needs assistants and resource hours that have been implemented by his Government. [32240/13]

Ministerial Meetings

Joe Higgins

142. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on his meeting with Down Syndrome Ireland on 25 June 2013; and if he will provide the resource hours to children with Down's syndrome as requested by Down Syndrome Ireland. [32536/13]

Seanad Referendum

Joe Higgins

3. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach the timescale for the referendum on the abolition of Seanad Éireann. [27555/13]

Banks Recapitalisation

Joe Higgins

76. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Finance following the release of recordings of senior Anglo Irish Bank executives, his views on the apparent abuse of the bank guarantee scheme by Anglo Irish Bank to secure deposits from other institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31895/13]

Banks Recapitalisation

Joe Higgins

93. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Finance following the release of recordings of senior Anglo Irish Bank executives, his views on the apparent deception by Anglo Irish Bank on the level of recapitalisation required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31894/13]

Official Engagements

Joe Higgins

146. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his visit to Boston; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31783/13]

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Joe Higgins

147. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach the number of times the various Cabinet sub-committees have met since the last recess. [31784/13]

European Council Meetings

Joe Higgins

148. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meetings with other Heads of State during the last EU Council. [31785/13]

International Summits

Joe Higgins

149. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the cost to his Department of the G8 Summit in County Fermanagh. [31786/13]

Hospital Services

Joe Higgins

660. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Health when the psychiatric unit of Beaumont Hospital will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31705/13]

Northern Ireland Issues

Joe Higgins

9. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach when he will meet with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. [27358/13]

Residential Care Provision

Joe Higgins

75. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Health if he will consider making budgetary provisions for specialist care available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [30837/13]

Sale of State Assets

Joe Higgins

11. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he expects the possible sale of State assets to be discussed at a meeting of the Government. [29692/13]

Coillte Teoranta Harvesting Rights Sale

Joe Higgins

24. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he or his Department have examined the report on the sale of Coillte's harvesting rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29691/13]

Human Rights Issues

Joe Higgins

14. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the mechanisms being put in place at EU level to ensure Syrians entering the European Union seeking asylum will be given proper consideration in view of the treatment of refugees on BBC's "Newsnight" programme on 6 June 2013. [28371/13]

Garda Investigations

Joe Higgins

50. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update of the cold case file given to the Garda Commissioner on 11 March in relation to the Fr. Niall Molloy case and the promised report on the matter. [28370/13]

HSE Funding

Joe Higgins

193. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason funding for a residential assessment and placement with NUA Healthcare has been refused (details supplied). [28412/13]

Water Meters Installation

Joe Higgins

6. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the schedule for the installation of water meters in the different local authority areas. [28077/13]

Water Meters Installation

Joe Higgins

17. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has estimated the cost of fixing leakages that may be discovered in the course of the installation of water meters; and who will bear the cost of paying for the fixing of these leakages. [28078/13]

Student Grant Scheme Administration

Joe Higgins

90. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Student Universal Support Ireland should consider where a student is ordinarily resident on 1 October prior to their first point of entry into third level education or at the start of the approved postgraduate course they are undertaking (details supplied). [28364/13]

International Summits

Joe Higgins

2. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach the role he will play at the G8 Summit which will take place in Northern Ireland in June. [23968/13]

International Summits

Joe Higgins

3. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will raise human rights concerns regarding G8 member countries at the G8 Summit in June. [23969/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Joe Higgins

234. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 223 and 230 of 28 May 2013, the assistance his Department will provide to parents unable to find tutors who will work alone with a number of children with a severe or profound learning disability, as there are parents unable to fund tutors due to the challenging environment they would be working in when in previous years there was one-on-one tutoring for such children. [27310/13]

National Internship Scheme Administration

Joe Higgins

5. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection following the Indecon report into the JobBridge scheme, which revealed that an estimated 240 of the 7,300 companies surveyed are availing of the scheme to displace paid jobs and only 15 companies have since been banned from participating in the scheme, the measures she is putting in place to identify and exclude other companies engaged in this practice. [26240/13]

EU Presidency Engagements

Joe Higgins

10. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach when the next EU Council meeting is taking place; and if he will outline the key issues likely to be taken. [23970/13]

Schools Building Projects Status

Joe Higgins

70. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding will immediately be made available for the refurbishment, redevelopment and extension of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15. [25463/13]

Schools Building Projects Status

Joe Higgins

102. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that the extension to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15 is at tender stage in time to qualify for the stimulus package as announced in 2012. [25462/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Joe Higgins

230. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reverse his decision to allocate resource hours under the July provision to siblings based on the school grouping principle rather than to each child in their own right; if he will outline the assistance he will give to parents unable to find tutors that will work alone with a number of children with a severe or profound learning disability or autism. [25117/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Joe Higgins

232. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make changes to circular 02/05 to add Down's syndrome to the list of complex low incidence disorders to enable adequate resource hours to children. [25125/13]

Child Care Costs

Joe Higgins

593. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the varying levels of fees being charged by different crèches to parents with children in the community child care subvention programme; the steps she will take to ensure that charges are not a barrier to parents with low incomes availing of child care under this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25132/13]

Sale of State Assets

Joe Higgins

3. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his Department's intended schedule for the sale of State-owned assets. [24938/13]

Croke Park Agreement Implementation

Joe Higgins

10. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding the negotiations between the Labour Relations Commission and the public service unions that have taken place since the rejection of the Croke Park II proposals. [24670/13]

Schools Building Projects Administration

Joe Higgins

103. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress his Department has made in eliminating the problem of work arising from his Department's school building project falling into the hands of the black economy as detailed in correspondence to him from a person (details supplied) [24675/13]