Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Hospital Staff Recruitment

John Halligan

632. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm the official figure for spend on agency staff within Waterford University Hospital, formerly Waterford Regional Hospital, for the years 2013 and to date in 2014; if his Department has any plans to lift the moratorium on recruitment within the sector and to advertise full-time positions to ensure staffing within the hospital is at the correct level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27203/14]

Schools Building Projects Status

John Halligan

3. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether best practice has been used by his Department regarding the length of time a school (details supplied) has been waiting to be placed on a buildings project list; if he will acknowledge it is utterly unacceptable that this school has been waiting patiently for 29 years in prefabricated accommodation for permanent structures to be provided for its students; his views on whether the circa €1.8 million spent renting and maintaining these prefabricated structures represents value for taxpayers' money, especially when the estimated amount to construct permanent structures on this site would have been less than that figure; if he will acknowledge further that this school already owns its own site, has full planning permission for construction and is ready to proceed; if he also will acknowledge this school has waited longer than any other school in the country and should be on top of his list; if he will commit to adding this school to the current buildings project list without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23539/14]

Summer Works Scheme Expenditure

John Halligan

6. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to his recent announcements regarding school improvements under the summer works scheme, in which only applications within categories 1 to 3, inclusive, 5 and 6 have received funding, if his Department has any plans to make any further announcements regarding applications received within the other categories; if he will be in a position to make any further funding available to cover unsuccessful applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23358/14]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

John Halligan

10. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the serious issue of large class sizes within the education system; his views on whether the current pupil-teacher ratio is far in excess of where it needs to be in order to provide a comprehensive education to our young students; the way our pupil-teacher ratio compares with other EU member states; if he will make a firm commitment to reduce the ratio over the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23359/14]

School Enrolments

John Halligan

39. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he will be making a formal decision in relation to school enrolment policy; when we can expect to see legislative proposals; if he will be broadly following in the UK's footsteps by bringing enrolment policy in line with postcodes, now that we are to be allocated postcodes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23361/14]

Special Educational Needs Expenditure

John Halligan

42. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he or his Department has plans to make additional funding available for psychological services and employment of special needs assistants within the system; his views on whether cutbacks to the services over the past few years have resulted in hundreds of students who are in desperate need of assistance failing to qualify for same; if he will acknowledge that in order to create a calm and productive educational environment for all students, those both with and without special needs requirements, it is vital that all students who require assistance are provided with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23360/14]

Commission for Energy Regulation

John Halligan

494. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources following the establishment of the Commission for Energy Regulation, the extent of the authority this body has to direct energy providers to make changes to its processes and its dealings with customers based on its findings; if there is a penalty for non-compliance with the directions of the CER where it has found in favour of a complainant and advised an energy provider to implement its decisions; the number of complaints in relation to Electric Ireland that have been received by the CER since its establishment; his views regarding a case (details supplied) where Electric Ireland executives refused to respond directly to a customer's complaint and further to this declined to implement the findings of the CER following a formal complaint and assessment of Electric Ireland's dealings with a complainant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22591/14]

Television Licence Fee Collection

John Halligan

670. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will confirm in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 the number of persons that were convicted for non-payment of their television licences; if she plans to follow the recent precedent set within UK courts not to prosecute persons for such offences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22587/14]

Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage

John Halligan

787. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if he will review the details of a case (details supplied) where a patient who has recently undergone a serious medical procedure now finds that the items-products required to aid their recovery are not covered by either their medical card or the drug refund scheme and the personal cost of same is prohibitive; if he and his Department have any current plans to review the lists of products and medications covered by medical cards and the DRS; his plans to lift the Health Service Executive embargo on new products being added to these lists; if he will acknowledge that there are many other products and treatments regularly prescribed by GPs and consultants that should be added to the lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22590/14]

HSE Legal Cases

John Halligan

3. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health the cost of medical negligence claims to the State in 2013; the amount of that sum that went on legal fees for those defending the Health Service Executive; his views on whether, in cases of negligence at birth, the HSE has a tactical policy of deliberately delaying or withholding admission of liability, resulting in a lengthy litigation process for vulnerable families; his views on whether a radical overhaul is needed of the way clinical negligence is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21354/14]

Hospital Services

John Halligan

29. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm the assurances given by him and his Department that certain services would be retained by Waterford Regional Hospital and reinforced by the move to hospital trusts; the original timeframe given in relation to these assurances; his views that the lack of progress in this area is raising serious concerns in the local community in relation to the move from WRH to the establishment of hospital groups and the transition then to independent hospital trusts; if he will reiterate his promise to the people of Waterford and the south-east region that WRH will continue as the hub for the south-east renal services and will continue to be a regional trauma centre; if he will ensure WRH continues to provide the full range of elective and trauma orthopaedic services and invasive cardiology services and will also implement a 24-7 cardiology service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21145/14]

Hospital Staff Data

John Halligan

33. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if the physiotherapy posts in Waterford Regional Hospital have been filled; the number of persons working within the unit; if he will confirm on average the number of patients that come under their remit; the average waiting times for patients; his views on whether these are acceptable timeframes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21147/14]

Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times

John Halligan

55. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health the current average waiting time, compared with last year, for patients on trolleys before they are admitted to Waterford Regional Hospital; the extent to which these waiting times have improved; his views on whether sufficient improvements have been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21146/14]

Hospital Staff Recruitment

John Halligan

59. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Waterford Regional Hospital is currently struggling to cope with lists of patients waiting to be seen and-or awaiting medical procedures, as the hospital is operating without a full complement of consultants; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that both the dermatology and urology departments currently have no consultants and that many other departments have limited cover; his plans to ensure the vacant positions are filled as soon as possible; if he will confirm that the reason consultants are not taking up these positions is that the remuneration packages being offered are well below the national average for identical positions within the health system and are simply not attractive to potential candidates; if he agrees that in order to attract competent professionals to take up these positions, the package offered needs to be in line with the rest of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21144/14]

Hospital Waiting Lists

John Halligan

166. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health the current status of circa 5,000 patients who were outsourced from Waterford Regional Hospital, WRH, in the past year; the facilities to which these patients were outsourced; the number of these patients who have received their recommended complement of procedures in full; the number of these patients who are currently in the process of completing their treatment; the number still waiting to be seen at the facilities to which they have been outsourced; if any of the patients' case files have been returned to the remit of WRH; if he is confident that the decision to outsource these patients resulted in the most efficient and complete episode of care possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21355/14]

Community Radio Stations Funding

John Halligan

123. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the fact that community radio stations make a major contribution to life in local areas across the country and that they are currently struggling to survive due to both the current economic climate and the many cutbacks to funding, his plans to address the shortfall in their funding and to offer a more substantial level of support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19945/14]

Electricity Transmission Network

John Halligan

129. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to previous questions in relation to EirGrid's plans to install overhead pylons in County Waterford and other areas of the countryside, where this process now stands; if his Department has taken steps to request an international assessment of EirGrid's proposal; if EirGrid has consulted with him following the initial consultation process; the outcome of these discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19944/14]

Insurance Industry

John Halligan

155. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Finance if he is monitoring the situation regarding the collapse of Setanta Insurance which is affecting over 75,000 Irish citizens, some of whom have been left without cover or reimbursement for premiums paid and others who have been left uncovered during claim proceedings; if his Department has plans or authority to intervene in the situation in view of the fact that the European Commission is to investigate the closure and indeed the EU legislation which allowed it to sell insurance here; if he has sought clarification from the Financial Regulator here regarding this foreign regulation; if he will be sending a representative from his Department to represent Irish interests at the meeting of creditors being held in Malta next week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20123/14]

Mobile Telephony Services Provision

John Halligan

273. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department has investigated the high charges imposed by mobile telephone providers here; his views on whether the charges are excessively high in direct comparison with the rest of mainland Europe; if he will now commit to addressing the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19946/14]

Job Creation

John Halligan

3. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale behind taxing income gained through employment on Tús programmes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17796/14]