Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

JobsPlus Scheme

John Halligan

48. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether the higher subsidies for employers who employ a person who is two years unemployed under the JobsPlus scheme as against a lower payment for persons unemployed for a shorter time will inevitably encourage employers to ignore applications from those out of work for a shorter period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43414/13]

Public Sector Staff Issues

John Halligan

5. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of public sector workers currently employed here; the number of job losses which will be seen up to the end of 2015; his views on whether his plan to further reduce the numbers of public service workers is flawed and will ultimately result in already stretched Departments reaching breaking point; his views on whether having a public service that currently barely functions having no cover for either sick leave or maternity leave seriously affects the service it provides; his views on whether the backlogs in various Departments are accumulating as a direct result of the cutbacks and reduced staffing levels; if he will commit to putting in place an alternative strategy to reach the €1 billion in spending cuts he hopes to achieve by 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42740/13]

Teachers' Remuneration

John Halligan

102. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that he has indicated that he will continue to pay ASTI members the annual supervision and substitution allowance of €1,769, gross, the amount he intends to allocate for this allowance in budget 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42184/13]

Mortgage Resolution Processes

John Halligan

19. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Finance his plans to put pressure on banks to arrive at more permanent and sustainable solutions for distressed mortgage holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41473/13]

Corporate Tax Regime Issues

John Halligan

39. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Finance if he will introduce measures in budget 2014 to increase the tax contribution of highly profitable corporations through the introduction of a minimum effective corporation tax rate by closing off loopholes which facilitate aggressive tax avoidance by some corporations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41474/13]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

John Halligan

98. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm the rationale behind the decision to introduce the supplementary allocation panel for special needs assistants; the reason entry onto this panel is only open to special needs assistants who have been working for the past school year and were to lose their positions on 31 August; the way a panel such as this could so blatantly discriminate against special needs assistants who had the misfortune to lose their positions at an earlier date; the number of persons currently on this panel; if a school is obliged to state on any job advertisements that applicants will be taken from the panel only; if there should be an obligation on his Department to have those best suited for the available positions added to the panel; the way he can justify this panel as it stands; and if he will make a commitment to look into the implications of this oversight and make the necessary arrangements to have entry to such panels opened to all qualified applicants [41563/13]

Foreign Conflicts

John Halligan

28. Deputy John Halligan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will condemn the closure of Gaza from both the Israeli and Egyptian sides, which has resulted in a severe shortage of medicine and medical disposables entering the Gaza Strip and which combined with electricity shortages has placed nearly one thousand patients at risk of death; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41183/13]

Foreign Conflicts

John Halligan

49. Deputy John Halligan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a large sewage treatment plant being constructed in Gaza with funding from the World Bank may not become operational due to a shortage of required electric power, and that an appeal for more electricity made to Israel has been ignored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41184/13]

Pension Provisions

John Halligan

68. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company has prepared a funding proposal in relation to the funding status of the defined benefit pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40888/13]

Back to Education Allowance Eligibility

John Halligan

129. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale behind the recent decision to impose an obligation on those moving from a VTOS payment to a back to education allowance, BETA, payment to apply for a jobseeker's payment before being assessed for BTEA; if she will acknowledge this change is causing undue stress to those wishing to move to a BTEA in 2013; if she will commit to enable those persons in the VTOS system to move seamlessly to a BTEA payment and restrict the change to new entrants to the schemes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40167/13]

Asylum Applications

John Halligan

181. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of asylum seekers currently awaiting a decision; the average waiting time associated with applications for asylum; the number of residential establishments currently housing asylum seekers in the State; the weekly cost to the State to provide residential accommodation for each asylum seeker; during these placement's the attempts made at preparing these persons for future integration into the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/13]

Garda Operations

John Halligan

182. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current guidelines covering the correct and appropriate use of pepper spray by An Garda Síochána; his views that the recent use of this agent against Irish citizens outside Dáil Éireann was both warranted or necessary; if he will make a commitment to review the use of pepper spray in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40168/13]

Aquaculture Development

John Halligan

210. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the guidelines and parameters that have been set down by his Department to govern the oyster and mussel collection by a company (details supplied) at Woodstown Beach, County Waterford; if any restrictions have been placed on this company in relation to bringing heavy machinery onto the beach; the regulatory checks carried by his Department in relation to the irrevocable damage and destruction being caused on the beach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40166/13]

Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations

John Halligan

51. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the conclusion of the recent Common Agricultural Policy negotiations, if he will confirm if Ireland will retain its current funding levels under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2; if the level of funding has been reduced; if he will further confirm the level of funding has been approved for Ireland under each pillar; if his Department has begun the process of determining what the elements of the new programme will be; the elements of the current programme which are to be retained; if he will further confirm when his proposed programme for implementation for 2014 to 2020 will be put to the commission for their consideration; the timeline for delivery of commitments arising from same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39615/13]

VAT Rate Application

John Halligan

208. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a commitment to keep the VAT rate at 9% to benefit the hospitality sector which will have a positive knock-on effect for all of those linked with the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37837/13]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

John Halligan

321. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in terms of the criteria set down by the student grant scheme, which state that an applicant is judged as having dependent/independent residence from the October prior to their first point of entry into higher education unless they have had a break of three years or more between courses, if an application is made prior to applicants' 23rd birthday they are automatically deemed to be dependent on their parents regardless of their personal situation, if he will clarify if his Department has any plans to review these criteria; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that very many students who are living independently from their parents and who are fully supporting themselves are having their applications refused on the basis that they are dependent on their parents even though the vast majority of them have very clear evidence to the contrary; if he will commit to revising these criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37710/13]

Fisheries Protection

John Halligan

771. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on whether the conservation levels of salmon stock in both the Suir and in the Nore have reached acceptable levels and they have therefore been reopened for net snap fishing, if he will confirm that once the conservation levels of the stock of salmon on the Barrow has also been reached and snap net fishing is reopened there, if it will then follow that this will lead to the traditional drift net fishery being reopened on the Suir further down where the three rivers flow together; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37715/13]

Public Broadcasting Charge Introduction

John Halligan

800. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the fact that every household, business or institution here with a television or equipment capable of receiving a television signal must have a television licence which is a certificate that states that they have paid the appropriate fee to the Government and contributed to the cost of public service broadcasting in Ireland; if he will confirm what service is provided by public service broadcasting for this fee where the household also pays a monthly subscription to an independent television provider for satellite service; if the Government is receiving VAT on inter alia the initial television purchase, the television service provider subscription fee and the ESB usage associated with the television set; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37845/13]

Fire Service

John Halligan

910. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm the number of false alarm calls that have been made to Waterford city and county fire services in each of the past five years; the number of calls in these years that were categorised as having malicious intent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37711/13]

Garda Vetting Applications

John Halligan

1003. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will address the delay in receiving Garda clearance (details supplied). [36993/13]