Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

School Accommodation

Michael Lowry

121. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to an additional accommodation project for a school (details supplied) which is with her Department since October 2020; if she will request that her Department makes contact with consultants who are acting on the school's behalf and are still awaiting feedback from her Department since their meeting in July 2022 regarding defining a template to streamline stage 1 reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52446/22]

School Staff

Michael Lowry

123. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to correspondence from a person (details supplied); her plans to address the concerns raised by this school principal; the measures that are being taken to alleviate the obstacles and alleviate the current crisis in obtaining substitute teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52448/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Michael Lowry

136. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans to address the pay scales and current pay rates of the community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors, given the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors and assistant supervisors provide in running CE schemes and in delivering local based community services; the measures that are being taken to alleviate the financial difficulties which community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors working in this sector are experiencing; if additional funding will be made available to such local-based community service organisations to provide pay increases to their staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52278/22]

Work Permits

Michael Lowry

168. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to extend the remit of eligibility for work permits to bus drivers from third countries given the acute shortage of same within the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51772/22]

Taxi Regulations

Michael Lowry

235. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the substantial delays experienced by taxi operators when booking appointments to recalibrate and seal their meters for the new fare regime which came into force from 1 September 2022 (details supplied); the measures that are being taken to alleviate the obstacles in having additional appointments made available to have these meters recalibrate and resealed given that operating without a meter being sealed is an offence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51395/22]

Electric Vehicles

Michael Lowry

237. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Transport if he will urgently seek a deadline extension to applicants who have received approval for funding through the eSPSV grant scheme to purchase an electric vehicle (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51403/22]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Michael Lowry

563. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if an application for ECCE time extension exemption for a child (details supplied) which was refused will be reviewed on the basis that this child is waiting on an assessment with the child and disability team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51320/22]

Youth Services

Michael Lowry

579. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will urgently seek a review concerning the level of funding for youth services such as Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service in Budget 2023 (details supplied); the measures that are being taken to alleviate the financial difficulties and obstacles that youth service organisations are experiencing; if additional funding will be made available to such organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52018/22]

Health Services

Michael Lowry

675. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health the number of patients waiting on radiation therapy since January 2022 until the end of September 2022, by county and radiotherapy centre in tabular form; if he is satisfied that there are enough radiation therapists working in the HSE to carry out radiation therapy treatment to those on waiting lists; the measures that are being taken to alleviate the obstacles to having radiation therapy provided to patients in the earliest timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51105/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Michael Lowry

878. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the environmental report grant as set out in circular 13/2022 will be payable on afforestation files planted in 2023 and payable in 2023 or afterwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51813/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Michael Lowry

879. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with the environmental report grant as set out in circular 13/2022, if the “report from an external ecologist” must be an NIS or does a habitat survey or ecology survey qualify for the environmental report grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51814/22]

School Equipment

Michael Lowry

88. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education when an applications for assistive technology for a child (details supplied) which was submitted by the child's school will be reviewed and a decision issued on same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50488/22]

Heritage Sites

Michael Lowry

291. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 4 October 2022, the engagements that he has had concerning the OPW's engagements with the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage, Kilmainham Gaol and the National Graves Association on plans to move the remains of the Invincibles from the grounds of Kilmainham Gaol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50116/22]

School Facilities

Michael Lowry

443. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 185 of 5 October 2022, the reason that a school (details supplied) cannot get a broadband connection given that it can be serviced with a full fibre connection with speeds up to 2Gbps, super-fast broadband from commercial operators; the measures that are being taken to alleviate the obstacles to have this school connected to broadband within the earliest timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50204/22]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Michael Lowry

557. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the Government intends to introduce a minimum wage for the apprenticeship sector in line with national minimum wage guidelines given that some first-year apprentices can earn on average only €7 per hour or approximately €274 for a full working week (details supplied); the measures that are being taken to alleviate these income irregularities in the apprenticeship sector compared with the national minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49607/22]

Mental Health Services

Michael Lowry

650. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide mental health beds within County Tipperary; his further plans to ensure that persons in need of secure psychiatric beds are not transferred to services outside County Tipperary due to a lack of availability of these beds within the county; his views on such a case in County Tipperary in which persons have been transferred to facilities in Ennis or Kilkenny due to the fact there were no secure mental health beds available in the County; the measures that are being taken to alleviate these irregularities and to address the lack of mental health beds in general including secure mental health beds within County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49644/22]

Thalidomide Victims Compensation

Michael Lowry

738. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health when his Department and the State will publicly acknowledge the wrongdoing that occurred to pregnant women who were prescribed thalidomide in the 1950s and 1960s as a treatment for morning sickness; when women and their children impacted by the use of thalidomide can expect a public apology for the wrongdoing that occurred; when the State will deliver an appropriately specialised thalidomide-related healthcare and compensation package for thalidomide suffers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50156/22]

Brexit Issues

Michael Lowry

4. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide details of the Government’s recent engagement with the United Kingdom Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concerning the Northern Ireland protocol; the other engagement that has taken place with other European Union member states, EU institutions and globally in support of Ireland’s Brexit priorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49453/22]

Legislative Measures

Michael Lowry

330. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice if changes will be made to The Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 concerning the theft of family pets (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49336/22]

Wind Energy Generation

Michael Lowry

58. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department conducted a feasibility study regarding the reopening of Derrybrien windfarm considering that this windfarm is able to provide additional power into the national grid within a matter of weeks once recommissioned; the additional measures that are being taken to alleviate the risk of electrical blackouts or controlled grid shutdown this winter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48790/22]