Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Departmental Policies

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

104. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the Towns First policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4037/24]

Departmental Funding

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

105. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be another round of the Community Recognition Fund in 2024. [4039/24]

Departmental Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

114. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how her Department will work with local authorities to encourage them to apply for new funding for the town and village renewal scheme; if there will be a minimum submission requirement for each local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4040/24]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

126. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the average, median, maximum and minimum primary school class sizes for the Cork city and Cork County Council area from 2019 to date in 2024, in tabular form. [3312/24]

Pensions Reform

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

150. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the proposed auto enrolment scheme. [3306/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

151. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the actual number and the percentage of working family payment claimants, respectively who are also claiming the one parent family payment. [3307/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

152. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of claimants over each of the past five years of claimants who lose the working family payment due to the claimant moving from the one parent family payment to the jobseeker’s transitional payment when their youngest child reaches seven years of age. [3308/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

153. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection for a breakdown of the average wait time for a decision on an appeal, for each social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3309/24]

Rail Network

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

192. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport whether he supports the provision of electric trains to Cork in early 2024 for the purposes of expansion of the Cork area commuter rail; and if he has had discussion with Iarnród Éireann in relation to this. [3018/24]

An Garda Síochána

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

998. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost to the Exchequer to provide ten additional Garda youth diversion programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56412/23]

Youth Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

114. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he and his Department have mapped the existence of youth-focused community projects and staff across the State; and if they are aware of gaps in coverage, or large and populous areas without or with inadequately resourced projects, and how they intend to resolve this. [49716/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

359. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of a €1 increase in each of the social insurance schemes, social assistance schemes, other weekly schemes and other scheme payments, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55959/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

360. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of introducing a child benefit double payment. [55960/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

361. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of raising the earnings disregard for the one parent family payment by €1. [55961/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

362. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of raising the earnings disregard for the jobseeker’s transitional payment by €1. [55962/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

363. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost to the exchequer of the JobPath scheme. [55963/23]

State Pensions

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

364. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of reintroducing the State pension for 65-year-olds who choose to retire. [55965/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

365. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost to the Exchequer of the benefit payment for 65-year-olds. [55966/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

366. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the qualified child increase by €1 for children under the age of 12 years and €1 for children over the age of 12 years, respectively. [55967/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

367. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the current young jobseeker’s rate of €129.70 by €1 per week. [55968/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

368. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of including the working family payment as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. [55970/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

369. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the annual carers support grant by €1. [55971/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

370. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing child benefit by €1. [55972/23]

Employment Support Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

90. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reviewing the wage subsidy scheme for people with disabilities, in particular the fact that the subsidy an employer is paid has not kept pace with the increases in the minimum wage. [54238/23]

Community Employment Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

92. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the pay claim submitted by the rural social scheme and Tús supervisors to the Department for pay parity with community employment supervisors. [54239/23]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

109. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the fact that, standard disregards for maintenance that apply in the means testing of other payments, do not apply in the means testing of the Guardians payment non-contributory. [54244/23]

Public Procurement Contracts

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

117. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the tender for EmployAbility which was due to be published in April 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54242/23]

Legislative Measures

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

154. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the proposed legislation on child maintenance system changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54241/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

155. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the Guardians payment, specifically where a relative is approved for child benefit, that this would then lead to the automatic signposting to the Guardians payment for the relative. [54240/23]

Departmental Consultations

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

156. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the consultation of the ‘working age payment’ model mentioned in the Green Paper on Disability Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54243/23]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

165. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the strategic objectives underpinning the provision of subsidies for the transportation of freight to the offshore islands. [52724/23]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

166. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to explain the metric on which the maximum pricing for the transportation of freight to the offshore island set by her Department is based; if the maximum pricing applies to all islands equally regardless of distance from the mainland; and if so, the reason for this. [52725/23]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

167. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the ongoing monitoring mechanisms that are in place to oversee that the service provided by subsidised offshore island freight operators is working in the best interests of island residents. [52726/23]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

168. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there are minimum equipment requirements specified for subsidised freight operators on the various routes and for the island piers; and to outline how this is monitored. [52727/23]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

169. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there is any PSO element in the freight contracts between her Department and the various operators; and if not, the reason for same. [52728/23]

Housing Policy

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

290. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether there is a national policy which requires adults moving into a local authority home to have been on the housing list before being accepted on to the rent book. [50637/23]

Library Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

3. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development about the need to provide capital funding for new library buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50005/23]

Community Development Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

4. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be a round of community halls funding; when this will be; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50006/23]

Flexible Work Practices

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

9. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will advise of the recent engagement her Department had with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on remote working to support rural workers and communities, in view of the recent passing of legislation that will provide the legal right to request remote working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49719/23]

Departmental Funding

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

14. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be another round of the Community Recognition Fund in 2024. [49717/23]

Regeneration Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

15. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the Towns First policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49715/23]

Rural Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

32. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how her Department will work with local authorities to encourage them to apply for new funding for the town and village renewal scheme; if there will be a minimum submission requirement for each local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49718/23]

Childcare Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

41. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what action he intends to take to address the severe shortage of childcare places in Cork city. [48399/23]

Childcare Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

56. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how his Department facilitates childcare providers staying open when there is a change in management. [48400/23]

Road Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

273. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the L2455 road improvement scheme, Lehenaghmore, Cork; and whether funding remains in place. [48483/23]

National Lottery

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

348. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide an update on the Independent Review of the Distribution and Utilisation of National Lottery spending; if he will confirm the timeline for delivery of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47570/23]

National Lottery

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

349. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the amount of funding that has been contributed from the national lottery; the breakdown of expenditure over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47571/23]

Flood Risk Management

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

359. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if his Department has considered any proposals for flood relief works at Ballinhassig, Cork; and, if not, whether he will now consider same. [47779/23]

Local Authorities

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

633. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what guidance has been given to local authorities regarding variable rate mortgages provided by the local authorities and whether the Department agrees with local authorities passing on said rate increases to the mortgage holders. [47784/23]

Tax Reliefs

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

634. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the mortgage interest relief scheme proposed by his Government will also include those on local authority mortgages that are affected. [47785/23]