Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Tenant Purchase Scheme

Róisín Shortall

636. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the tenant purchase scheme review; his plans to amend the scheme to allow tenants in homes classed as apartments and duplexes to avail of tenant purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33439/20]

School Enrolments

Róisín Shortall

753. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to the lack of educate together school places to serve families in the Finglas, Dublin 11 area; the steps she will take to address same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32861/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Róisín Shortall

803. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education the reason her Department has issued advice to primary school principals instructing them that if a child must isolate on grounds of the Covid-19 emergency period public health advice and is continuing to do their school work at home, that they would no longer be marked present on the school’s roll book, but instead should be marked absent and that a note will be taken of the reason for the child’s absence; if her attention has been drawn to concerns raised by some parents that the recording of such absences on their child’s record may cause them to be automatically flagged with child protection services through no fault of their own; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33408/20]

Social Welfare Code

Róisín Shortall

876. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to reviewing the rules around maternity benefit in order that persons that have been on jobseeker’s benefit payment since before the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency period can have the same rules applied to them as applies to recipients of Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment and the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme, in that time spent on PUP and TWSS is treated as if such recipients are continuing to make insurance contributions at their normal social insurance class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32835/20]

Disability Allowance

Róisín Shortall

928. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection when a disability claim which has been upheld on appeal by the social welfare appeals office (details supplied) will go into payment; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33441/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Róisín Shortall

1115. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the level of compliance in filling out the passenger locator form on a weekly basis from 5 October 2020; the number of forms which were correctly and incorrectly completed on a weekly basis; and the number of persons that refused to fill out the form on a weekly basis, in tabular form. [33892/20]

Hospital Groups

Róisín Shortall

1152. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the values of the document of a religious order have not been amended or replaced in the constitution for a company (details supplied) which was published after the company registered with the CRO in August 2020, despite a commitment by a person in 2017 that the 2010 code would be amended and replaced in the constitution of the successor company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32433/20]

Hospital Groups

Róisín Shortall

1153. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the phrase voice for the voiceless which is a common citation for Catholic organisations when referencing abortion which is used in the constitution for a company (details supplied); if he has endeavoured to discuss this with the company with the view to having it removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32434/20]

Hospital Groups

Róisín Shortall

1154. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he has sought an explicit, public and legally binding guarantee from a company (details supplied) that it will not deny procedures which are legal here based on religious beliefs or the ethical code of the hospitals under its ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32435/20]

National Maternity Hospital

Róisín Shortall

1155. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if a company (details supplied) will retain the legal right to mortgage any or all parts of the publicly funded National Maternity Hospital under the current ownership agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32436/20]

National Maternity Hospital

Róisín Shortall

1156. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if, in view of Covid-19 and the grave need it has shown to retain public ownership of the health service, consideration will be given to ensuring the full public ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital by moving the site to Elm Park; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32437/20]

Health Services Staff

Róisín Shortall

1162. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his plans to address staff recruitment issues in homecare provision; if he has engaged with an organisation (details supplied) on this matter; and if he will conduct a social care workforce capacity review. [32475/20]

Substance Misuse

Róisín Shortall

1336. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when the emergency funding to offset the costs of delivering drug and alcohol services in the context of Covid-19, which was announced during the Dáil Éireann debate on the National Drugs Strategy on 10 September 2020 will be made available to drug and alcohol task force and to community drug projects; the level of emergency funding being made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33212/20]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

1367. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of persons seeking mental health supports in Galway city to date in 2020; the way in which this compares to the previous five years; if there were notable increases during the initial Covid-19 emergency period lockdown from 13 March 2020 to 18 May 2020 in those seeking mental health services in Galway city; if there was a change over the summer months with more relaxed restrictions; if his Department and the HSE are planning for increased resources for mental health services in Galway city through the current stage of restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33405/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Róisín Shortall

1368. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to differing implementation of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre’s Covid-19 guidance on visitations in long-term residential care facilities (details supplied); the way in which he plans to address varying adherence to the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33406/20]

HSE Agency Staff

Róisín Shortall

1462. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the details of the contract of a person (details supplied); if they are employed directly by the HSE or by a third-party company; the cost to the HSE of their contract; if the HSE pays part of the cost of the contract to a third-party company; the details of their selection for their current post; if the position was tendered; the qualifications sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33890/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Róisín Shortall

1463. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the details of the selection of a company (details supplied) to conduct recruitment for the additional staff for swabbing and contact tracing; the reason for the selection of the company and qualifications sought; the cost of the contract with the company to run the recruitment process for swabbers and contact tracers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33891/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Róisín Shortall

1464. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of follow-up calls made to incoming passengers on a weekly basis from 5 October 2020; and the number of calls which were successfully answered on a weekly basis, in tabular form [33893/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Róisín Shortall

1465. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to the physical and mental health benefits of allowing gyms to remain open during the current Covid-19 restrictions; if he plans to review the measure; and the reason for closing gyms which could operate while enforcing social distancing and infection prevention and control guidance [33896/20]

Covid-19 Tests

Róisín Shortall

1467. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if the sensitivity of the PCR test for Covid-19 used in Ireland differs from that used in other jurisdictions; if his Department has considered emerging evidence that a PCR test could identify trace amounts of the virus from a past infection whereby the person would no longer be infectious; the way in which his Department will address this in policy; the way in which the sensitivity of the PCR test compares to other types of tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33911/20]