Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

1014. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who did not meet the criteria of the scheme, that is, were not cutting turf on their plots in any of the five reference years or where their plots are cut out and have no raised bog remaining, categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014, in Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12065/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

1015. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of compensation payments made to applicants which her Department has sought or is now seeking to have repaid to the Department, categorised by year for the years 2011 to 2014, in Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12066/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Relocation Options

Michael Fitzmaurice

1016. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who have applied for relocation and the number of applicants who have been successfully relocated from Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12067/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Relocation Options

Michael Fitzmaurice

1017. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the names of bogs to which her Department has successfully relocated applicants from Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway, the number of plots available for relocating applicants in each of these relocation bogs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12068/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

1018. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of plot owners who were paid money for turf plots in Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway under schemes other than the current cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme; the amounts paid to each recipient in such instances, categorised by year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12069/15]

Coillte Teoranta Lands

Michael Fitzmaurice

1019. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the area of bog owned by the State in Ardgraigue Bog (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12070/15]

Education and Training Provision

Michael Fitzmaurice

42. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the exact criteria for the training support grant from her Department nationwide, with particular emphasis on hazard analysis and critical control points training within the catering sector. [10607/15]

Land Parcel Identification System

Michael Fitzmaurice

254. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to recent Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine eligibility land parcel identification system inspections on extensive farmland, his views on the potential environmental, economic, and social consequences for rural Ireland, as outlined in correspondence (details supplied) to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, recently published by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association, supported by a range of environmental organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10478/15]

Land Parcel Identification System

Michael Fitzmaurice

283. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the criteria used by his Department's inspectors during inspections under the land parcel identification system to determine whether sufficient agricultural activity is present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10437/15]

Land Parcel Identification System

Michael Fitzmaurice

284. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the criteria used by his Department's inspectors in determining under-utilisation when carrying out inspections under the land parcel identification system and land eligibility inspections on sites with Natura 2000 designations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10438/15]

Land Parcel Identification System

Michael Fitzmaurice

285. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department did not carry out the appropriate assessment process in advance of making significant reference area reductions on Cloghaun, Kilbeg, Kilnagappagh, Gortnaglea, Derrybrien West, and Keelderry commonages, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10439/15]

EU Directives

Michael Fitzmaurice

286. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the precedence of two scenarios in respect of the European Union birds and habitats directives (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10440/15]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Michael Fitzmaurice

632. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the potential nature conservation implications for extensive farmland and upland Natura 2000 sites outlined in correspondence (details supplied) to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and recently published by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association, supported by a range of environmental organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10459/15]

Social Welfare Code

Michael Fitzmaurice

52. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will consider creating a status analogous to being on the live register for previously self-employed persons who, following the financial crash, are now de facto long-term unemployed, enabling them to apply for positions or employment schemes, often with State agencies on a part-time or a temporary basis, where there is a stipulation that the applicant must be long-term unemployed and on the live register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9747/15]

Felling Licences Applications

Michael Fitzmaurice

110. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide copies of all general and limited felling licences associated with a development (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9622/15]

Land Parcel Identification System

Michael Fitzmaurice

112. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that all commonage land parcel identification system reviews, from 2009 to date in 2015, have been carried out in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner, with specific regard to notice and the provision of reports to the affected applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9629/15]

State Properties

Michael Fitzmaurice

271. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the area of bog owned by the State in an area (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9607/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

272. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the names of bogs to which her Department has successfully relocated applicants from (details supplied); the number of plots available for relocating applicants in each of these relocation bogs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9608/15]

Wildlife Conservation

Michael Fitzmaurice

274. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if adequate measures were put in place on Sliabh Ban, Doughill Forest, County Roscommon, to protect wildlife populations prior to the commencement of works on the Sliabh Ban wind farm project (details supplied), in view of the fact the frog spawning season has commenced and spawning areas have been disturbed by works undertaken to date by the wind farm developer; if she will direct the National Parks and Wildlife Service to carry out an urgent survey of all protected species on this site prior to recommencement of these works in order that mitigation measures will be implemented to protect wildlife populations and the habitats they depend upon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9627/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

275. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who applied for compensation under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014 in Barroughter bog, (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9632/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

276. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who received monetary compensation and turf deliveries categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014 in Barroughter bog, (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9634/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

280. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of compensation payments made to applicants which her Department has sought or is now seeking to have repaid to the Department categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014 in Barroughter bog, (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9702/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

284. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who have applied for relocation, and the number of applicants who have been successfully relocated, from Barroughter bog (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9706/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

285. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of plot owners who were paid money for turf plots in Barroughter bog (details supplied) in County Galway under schemes other than the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme; the amounts paid to each recipient in such instances categorised by year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9715/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Eligibility

Michael Fitzmaurice

287. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who did not meet the criteria of the turf cutting cessation scheme, that is, were not cutting turf on their plots in any of the five reference years, or where their plots are cut out and have no raised bog remaining, categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014, in an area (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9792/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Payments

Michael Fitzmaurice

288. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of turf plots on which multiple compensation payments were made and the specific amounts paid for each such multiple plot, categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014, in an area (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9793/15]

Departmental Staff Relocation

Michael Fitzmaurice

53. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm receipt of a valid request in respect of a person (details supplied) to transfer from her Department's County Longford office to the Department's offices in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, which is now in excess of three years; if she will facilitate this transfer request; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9426/15]

Ministerial Correspondence

Michael Fitzmaurice

269. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the contents of an open letter to him, dated 19 February 2015, from the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, which is supported by 21 other organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8887/15]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Payments

Michael Fitzmaurice

623. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of persons who received compensation in the Barroughter, Cloonmoylan and Ardgraigue bog complexes; the number that are individual plot owners; and if one, or more, family members are claiming on the same turf bank. [8891/15]

Disability Activation Projects

Michael Fitzmaurice

204. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in view of the outstanding performance of the disability activation project also know as Project DAWN in the Roscommon Disability Support Group DALE Centre, Derrane, County Roscommon, in exceeding its targets in the first seven month of operation, if she will make provision for the extension of European Social Fund co-funding beyond April 2015, thereby preventing the negative impact the project's termination would have on its 170 participants, their families, and the six employees who will lose their jobs and their families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8071/15]

Pension Provisions

Michael Fitzmaurice

62. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in view of the Government's claims that the Irish economy has turned the corner and is in recovery, if he will amend the temporary Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts to reduce the impact of the pension related deduction on the pensions of retired public servants, specifically those on modest pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7341/15]

Education Policy

Michael Fitzmaurice

195. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reverse the 15% cut to resource hours made by the previous Minister during the economic emergency; if she will reverse the resource hour cuts to pupils with dyslexia and general mild learning disabilities made by the previous Government in 2005 during the reign of the Celtic tiger; if she will reverse the cuts to English as an additional language teachers; if she will reverse the cuts to resource teachers for Travellers; if she will reverse the cuts to counsellors; if she will increase the number of learning support teachers to support our youngest children with potential learning difficulties, as per the learning support guidelines of 2000; if she will increase the number of learning support teachers, enabling schools to support gifted pupils in accordance with the Education Act 1998; if she will implement the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, which appears to have remained in a state of perpetual deferral since its enactment; if she will reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in schools here and put an end to overcrowded classrooms for the betterment of our children and society as a whole; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7252/15]

Garda Complaints Procedures

Michael Fitzmaurice

326. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a review by an independent panel into a complaint against the Garda Síochána, arising from an incident with a person (details supplied) in County Mayo on 14 July 2013 will be completed. [7101/15]

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Michael Fitzmaurice

37. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the figures, categorised on the basis of sex, for the number of persons who are currently in receipt of reduced State contributory pensions, due to the rate band changes she implemented on 1 September 2012, whereby rate band 20 to 47 was abolished and replaced by rate bands 20 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 to 47; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6253/15]

Public Sector Reform Implementation

Michael Fitzmaurice

253. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason he has not sought the opening of formal negotiations on giving effect to the various elements of the Civil Service renewal plan with the public service unions; if his attention has been drawn to the unions that have indicated their willingness to participate when his Department issued the prerequisite invitation to discussions; the delay in opening implementation negotiations on this priority issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5962/15]

Court Procedures

Michael Fitzmaurice

336. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans, if any, to review and, if necessary, to amend the 1986 regulations contained in Statutory Instrument No. 15 of 1986, specifically in relation to Order 40, subsections (6), (9) and (15), which impose a strict requirement for the accurate inclusion of the prescribed information in all circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5640/15]

Physical Education

Michael Fitzmaurice

513. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the merits of expanding the University of Limerick’s health and sciences faculty's third study into flexibility and neuromuscular development in adolescents in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5735/15]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Michael Fitzmaurice

553. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if recognition will be provided by Student Universal Support Ireland towards insolvency arrangements in the calculation of reckonable income for the purposes of student grant awards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6115/15]

Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision

Michael Fitzmaurice

574. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of contracts which were put out to tender by the local authorities in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for water services, that is for waste water treatment, water treatment, bore holes, pumping stations and so on; if he will provide a breakdown of these figures per each individual local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5564/15]

Water Services Provision

Michael Fitzmaurice

597. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm, that in order to comply with the water framework directive, legislation is required for the registration and licensing of all private wells; the charge that will be applied for private well registration and licensing, if water charges are applied to water extracted from registered and licensed private wells; is the forthcoming registration and licensing of private wells the reason Irish Water insists in retaining account records for those whose sole water supply is from a private well and who are not now and never intend to be, Irish Water customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6028/15]

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Michael Fitzmaurice

299. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the way the partnership is being structured; the position on the investor-state dispute settlement element of the proposed partnership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5002/15]

UN Conventions Ratification

Michael Fitzmaurice

357. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the likely ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Irish State; when this ratification is likely to happen; if there is a reason it has not been ratified already; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4683/15]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Michael Fitzmaurice

532. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a student whose parent is a State employee earning in the region of €65,000 per year, but who is engaged in the insolvency process and consequently has no disposable income whatsoever, is eligible for the student grant scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4783/15]

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Michael Fitzmaurice

115. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has negotiated a summer works grant scheme for which schools may apply; the size of the budget available for the scheme; when applications will be accepted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3486/15]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Michael Fitzmaurice

117. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the pupil teacher ratio in two, three and four-teacher schools will be reduced prior to the commencement of the new school year in September; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3487/15]

Student Grant Scheme Administration

Michael Fitzmaurice

122. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the threshold relating to the third level grants scheme will be raised to accommodate the children of working persons, including teachers, who can no longer afford to pay for third level education due to the imposition of pension levies and the universal social charge; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3338/15]

Departmental Properties

Michael Fitzmaurice

131. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if adequate funding will be provided to maximise the potential of the apprenticeship training centre in Mount Lucas, County Westmeath; the rent that is being paid to Bord na Móna for the property; the duration of the lease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3341/15]

Capitation Grants

Michael Fitzmaurice

136. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will restore the capitation grant for primary schools to its previous level to help the survival of these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3342/15]

School Curriculum

Michael Fitzmaurice

139. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on having transition year used for a series of pre-mini apprenticeship courses allowing students to better explore their prospective further education choices before embarking on the course proper, thereby reducing the drop out rate and expenditure on uncompleted courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3339/15]

Schools Building Projects Status

Michael Fitzmaurice

147. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills when building works on schools (details supplied) in counties Leitrim and Roscommon will commence; when both new schools are scheduled for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3340/15]