Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Health Services Staff

Colm Burke

1334. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will give due consideration to expanding the number of advanced nurse practitioners WTE posts by 112 in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48598/23]

Health Services

Colm Burke

1342. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm when a child who has been fostered (details supplied) will receive an appointment for a speech and language therapist, considering that this service is urgently needed by the child given their circumstances and that their foster guardians have been informed that it could take up to 18 months for this service to be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48642/23]

Departmental Policies

Colm Burke

1357. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to enable a registered nurse to sign a declaration of death form for a patient who passes away in hospital or nursing home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48786/23]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1358. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide confirmation in relation to the anticipated start date for the newly appointed psychiatrist in CAMHS Infirmary Road, Cork (which serves the area of Cork North Central); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48787/23]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1359. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide information in relation to the days per week that a psychiatrist is employed in CAMHS, Infirmary Road, Cork (which serves the area of Cork North Central); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48788/23]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1360. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to outline what contingency measures are in place in circumstances where a psychiatrist employed by CAMHS is absent from work due to illness, in particular in cases where children have started medication and require adjustment/alteration of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48789/23]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1361. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide details in relation to the anticipated timescale for computerisation of CAMHS cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48790/23]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1362. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health what contingency measures his Department has in place in relation to cancellation of appointments with CAMHS psychiatrists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48791/23]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1363. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the relaunching of a public awareness campaign targeted at mitigating cancer risk, in particular the importance of education regarding exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing alcohol intake, in light of recent data which places Ireland as having the second highest rate of incidence of cancer among the 27 EU Member States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48792/23]

Medicinal Products

Colm Burke

1364. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the status of Pembrolizumab, used in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48793/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Colm Burke

1365. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of waiting times for persons referred for MRIs to determine possible breast cancer diagnosis in each of the eight cancer centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48794/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Colm Burke

1366. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps his Department has taken to date and plans to take in relation to reviewing capacity in each of the eight cancer centres (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48795/23]

Further and Higher Education

Colm Burke

1444. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what action his Department is taking to attract women into agriculture specific scholarships, educational programs and third level courses and increase female representation in these areas going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48839/23]

Community Development Projects

Colm Burke

1471. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development what action her Department is taking to promote gender diversity in rural development programs, particularly in the context of agriculture-related programs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48838/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Colm Burke

79. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the promised changes to the income supplement scheme under the bovine TB programme will come into effect, whereby these changes are to be backdated to 1 February 2023, given farmers whose herd have been identified with tuberculosis this year may be missing out on a month's income support from his Department as a result of the timeline between when TB was identified in the herd and when the infected livestock were removed from the farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46500/23]

Social Welfare Schemes

Colm Burke

56. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes she is making to her Department’s free travel scheme to support people with epilepsy and other medical conditions who cannot drive but are not in receipt of a social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46185/23]

Departmental Reviews

Colm Burke

330. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the results of the focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines relating to minimum setback distance for wind turbines from homes and residential areas will be released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46395/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Colm Burke

372. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider providing additional funding next year to the treatment benefit scheme, to increase optical benefit payments claims by dispensing opticians and optometrists under the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46536/23]

Departmental Policies

Colm Burke

407. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to the establishment of the position of a Victims Commissioner to represent victims of crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46643/23]

Departmental Advertising

Colm Burke

408. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will support the funding of a public information campaign to promote knowledge of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46644/23]

Domestic Violence

Colm Burke

409. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to increasing the number of refuge places to 470 from the current target of 280, to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations under the Istanbul Convention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46645/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Colm Burke

410. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will ring fence dedicated funding to fully implement her Department’s Zero Tolerance Action Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46646/23]

Closed-Circuit Television Systems

Colm Burke

411. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to the expansion of her Department’s Community-based CCTV grant aid scheme in order that small- and medium-sized businesses can avail of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46647/23]

Closed-Circuit Television Systems

Colm Burke

412. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will ring fence dedicated funding to support an alarm grant scheme to be made available for small- and medium-sized businesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46648/23]

Departmental Programmes

Colm Burke

413. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will set aside dedicated funding for the purposes of community rejuvenation and diversion programmes to support young people who are at risk of going into crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46649/23]

Victim Support Services

Colm Burke

414. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will support mandatory trauma-informed training for all of those who engage with victims/survivors of crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46650/23]

Agriculture Industry

Colm Burke

432. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the highlighting pathways to empower rural women to have sustainable and equitable livelihoods in farming, HER-SELF, research project; when it is envisaged same will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46501/23]

Hospital Appointments Status

Colm Burke

451. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an application for a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital’s, for a communication device to the children's disability network team assist with their communication, given their previous device broke; when a decision is likely to be reached in this case as it is urgently required by them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46065/23]

Disability Services

Colm Burke

452. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will be seen by a speech and language therapist in Cork from the children's disability network team to assist with their communication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46066/23]

Disability Services

Colm Burke

453. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will be provided with a wheelchair, as it is urgently required by them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46067/23]

Disability Services

Colm Burke

454. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will receive respite care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46068/23]

Health Services

Colm Burke

594. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when an increase to the fees payable to contractors for a standard eye examination under the community ophthalmic services scheme will be implemented, in view of the fact that he gave a commitment to implement this change in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46535/23]

Tourism Funding

Colm Burke

47. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to confirm how much Government expenditure was spent on tourism supports and projects in Cork in 2022 and to date in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45753/23]

Budget 2024

Colm Burke

60. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to outline what measures were included in Budget 2024 to support tourism; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45754/23]

Budget 2024

Colm Burke

129. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline the supports that have been made available for third level students, those attending further and higher education and apprentices in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45739/23]

Immigration Policy

Colm Burke

183. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the addition of a bespoke seasonal employment permit scheme for foreign workers for fruit-picking and other seasonal employments in the horticulture sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45895/23]

Naturalisation Applications

Colm Burke

249. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice to confirm the current status and provide an update on an application for citizenship (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45913/23]

Agriculture Industry

Colm Burke

261. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Ireland/New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism (JRM) pilot research initiative; what progress has been made to date on the four projects funded under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45897/23]

Voluntary Sector

Colm Burke

303. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of an application by an organisation (details supplied) to Pobal for funding for an additional full-time worker; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45759/23]

School Transport

Colm Burke

61. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the action her Department is taking to ensure that all pupils who apply for school transport next year will be facilitated in view that a number of bus routes that were oversubscribed this year leaving many students without transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45113/23]

School Transport

Colm Burke

77. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to a review of the current retirement age of school bus drivers and increasing the age limit beyond 70 years provided they hold the requisite licence and satisfy an annual medical examination, in view of the difficulty in getting school bus drivers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45112/23]

Driver Test

Colm Burke

145. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport if consideration will be given to the addition of a cancellation list for driving test appointments at test centres nationally to facilitate those who urgently require a driving test appointment in view of the current five-month waiting time for a test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45195/23]

Driver Test

Colm Burke

146. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the current average waiting time for driving tests nationally; what progress has been made to date in reducing the five-month waiting time for driving tests experienced by applicants earlier in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45196/23]

School Transport

Colm Burke

221. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if suitable transport can be identified for a total of 25 children (details supplied) to attend the school in view of the large number involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44735/23]

Housing Provision

Colm Burke

310. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of new houses and apartments which are managed by local authorities or voluntary housing agencies, and which have become available and are occupied for each of the years ending 31 December 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44727/23]

Naturalisation Applications

Colm Burke

393. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice to confirm the status of an application for Irish citizenship by naturalisation (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be reached, given that it is over 29 months since the application was submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45086/23]

Harbours and Piers

Colm Burke

433. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of funding applications made by Cork County Council to his Department in respect of the Old Pier at Keelbeg, Union Hall, County Cork, in tabular form, over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45198/23]

International Agreements

Colm Burke

591. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when he and his Department will be prepared to sign the Joint Ministerial Declaration on the Guarantee of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the European Union; the reason it was not possible to sign the declaration with the other Member States at the time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45168/23]

Health Services

Colm Burke

599. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the waiting list for podiatry appointments by CHO area and region including the length of time each person has been waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45201/23]

Health Services Staff

Colm Burke

600. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE posts vacant across all community healthcare services by CHO area and region, including the length of time the post has been vacant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45202/23]