Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Departmental Properties

Colm Burke

546. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice the long-term plan for the old Cork prison, in view of the fact that it has been vacant for a number of years; her plans to redevelop the prison; if there have been any discussions with Cork City Council or with any other bodies which may find it suitable for development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57445/22]

Arts Policy

Colm Burke

45. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the way in which funding provided by her Department in the arts sector is helping revitalise rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56911/22]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Colm Burke

116. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will confirm that consideration will be given to immediately increasing the ECCE capitation paid to service providers from €69 per child to €76 per child to assist in meeting costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56368/22]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Colm Burke

127. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way and when parents can avail of the indicated 25% average reduction in childcare fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56908/22]

Tax Code

Colm Burke

152. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if consideration will be given to removing VAT from the supply and installation of solar panels to assist those who wish to be more eco-friendly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57061/22]

Special Educational Needs

Colm Burke

198. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if an application has been made for an ASD class by a school (details supplied) given that over 20 children from the area have had to go to schools in other areas due to the lack of an ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57059/22]

Special Educational Needs

Colm Burke

199. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if her Department has liaised with a school (details supplied) on the possibility of providing an ASD class given that over 20 children from the area have had to go to schools in other areas due to the lack of an ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57060/22]

Social Welfare Payments

Colm Burke

220. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if the planned €500 disability support grant announced in Budget 2023 will be amended to include those who were in receipt of the disability allowance but have moved to FET training allowance given that these families and the organisations supporting them anticipated they would be eligible for the grant and had planned accordingly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57062/22]

Medicinal Products

Colm Burke

183. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the dates that the manufacturer of evusheld initially offered availability of the treatment in Ireland and applied for reimbursement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56868/22]

Flood Risk Management

Colm Burke

91. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will clarify the current position in awarding a contract for the Glashaboy flood relief scheme; the likely date when the contract will be awarded; when work is due to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56367/22]

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Colm Burke

126. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will confirm that his Department has now signed off on the proposals submitted to it by the Department of Health in respect of the elective hospital for Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56366/22]

Tax Code

Colm Burke

196. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that biofuels will not be subject to carbon tax or excise duty if they are used for heating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56157/22]

School Transport

Colm Burke

340. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a school transport service will commence for a pupil (details supplied) who started attending a special education class in September 2022 and who was awarded school transport under the school transport scheme for 2022-23; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56436/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Colm Burke

369. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to increasing the level of pay that community employment supervisors receive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56148/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Colm Burke

370. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to giving increases in pay to community employment supervisors similar to that which was received by those working in the public service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56149/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Colm Burke

371. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that community employment supervisors did not receive increases to their pay recently that those in the public service did, even though they are paid by the Department of Social Protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56150/22]

Vaccination Programme

Colm Burke

501. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the way in which recommendations from the NIAC on immunisations are interpreted by his Department; the role the Immunisation Policy Team have in both implementing them and ensuring we are procuring the right vaccines where possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56154/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Colm Burke

581. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the way in which non-HSE and section 39 workers who worked in healthcare settings during the Covid-19 pandemic, but no longer work in the role, will be able to apply for their pandemic recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56614/22]

Work Permits

Colm Burke

170. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to amending the rule for employment permits, whereby after serving one year in employment with the original employer, the employee can then accept an offer from an alternative employer without notifying the original employer, given the original employer would receive notification of this change in view of the complications that may arise wherein the original employer will be unaware their employment permit is cancelled and the employee may still be working for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55957/22]

Disability Services

Colm Burke

303. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the process in place in relation to the allocation of HSE transport funding towards adult disability day service users in County Cork; the new qualifying criteria, if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55964/22]

Healthcare Policy

Colm Burke

126. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that the necessary support services would be provided to women who have opted for a home birth delivery, and that no new guidelines or regulations would be put in place which would place restrictions on such a service where the person is not living immediately adjacent to a maternity unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55740/22]

Work Permits

Colm Burke

81. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to extending the quota for employment permit applications for the role of dairy farm assistant, in view of the fact that dairy farmers are having difficulty in recruiting employees, and taking into consideration that employment permit applications for this role have been returned since the quota was reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54603/22]

Work Permits

Colm Burke

82. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of employment permit applications for the role of dairy farm assistant that have been returned, in view that the 100 general employment permits established under this quota for dairy farm assistants have now been granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54604/22]

National Transport Authority

Colm Burke

240. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details of the budget provided to the National Transport Authority in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55550/22]

National Transport Authority

Colm Burke

241. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the number of whole-time equivalent positions in the National Transport Authority in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55551/22]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Colm Burke

707. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to increasing the allowances available under the household benefits package to assist those who cannot qualify for fuel allowance due to the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55270/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Colm Burke

708. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost-of-living measures available to those living in congregated settings, in which all are over 70 years, to assist them with their energy bills; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55271/22]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Colm Burke

709. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm that her Department will give serious consideration to recognising Covid-19 as an occupational disease in health and social care and in domiciliary assistance and, in a pandemic context, in sectors where there is an outbreak in activities with proven risk of infection as advocated by the EU Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55272/22]

Hospital Staff

Colm Burke

973. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of medical consultants who are employed under the consultant contract who have applied for category C status, by speciality; the number who have received approval by the category C committee of the HSE; the number who are still awaiting; the length of time that each is waiting for a formal letter from the HSE CEO to confirm their approval for the change in contract type; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54434/22]

Medicinal Products

Colm Burke

997. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if his Department will put in place a strategy which will help to improve the time period where patients can get access to newly approved cancer medicines in Ireland, given that the average time period to the reimbursement decision following European Medicines Agency approval is in excess of two years, which is double the time for the EU-15 average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54531/22]

Healthcare Policy

Colm Burke

998. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the way in which his Department intends working to improve the net survival rate for all invasive cancers, in view of the fact that in the five-year average, Ireland is in the middle or the lower end of the survival rates distribution across different cancer types in the EU-15 countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54532/22]

Medicinal Products

Colm Burke

999. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the strategy that his Department intends to put in place to improve the reimbursement timelines for new cancer medicines, in view of patient access to newer cancer medicines being lower and taking a longer time period in Ireland in comparison to other EU15 countries, and also taking into account that the provision of access to new, more effective treatments, whilst operating on constrained budgets, is shared by all countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54533/22]

Medicinal Products

Colm Burke

1000. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to reviewing the rigorous statutory assessment arrangements in Ireland, regarding the reimbursement process for new cancer medicines, given the five-year net survival rate for all invasive cancers averaged 65% for cancer patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2018, which is in the middle and lower end of survival rates across all invasive cancers in the EU15 countries during the same time period, to improve survival rates and save additional lives of cancer patients going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54534/22]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1001. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to the introduction of additional nationwide organised screening programmes for two of the four major cancers in Ireland, namely, prostate cancer and lung cancer, taking into account that nationwide screening programmes for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer have led to the early detection of cases in recent decades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54535/22]

Health Services

Colm Burke

1012. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that he will carry out an independent review of radiation therapy to deal with recruitment and retention in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54569/22]

Health Services Staff

Colm Burke

1013. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the measures that his Department and the HSE are taking to address recruitment and retention in the radiation therapy sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54570/22]

Health Services

Colm Burke

1014. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that his Department will develop a long-term strategy which will assist in the radiation therapy sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54571/22]

Fishing Industry

Colm Burke

1261. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of all payments made to fishermen and fish processing companies in County Cork for each of the years 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54443/22]

Work Permits

Colm Burke

7. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update in respect of recent changes to the way that doctors can access employment permits and visas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53593/22]

Work Permits

Colm Burke

31. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the considerations that have been given towards merging or streamlining the employment permit and visa application processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53592/22]

Departmental Schemes

Colm Burke

74. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when successful applications under the rural regeneration and development fund will be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53594/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Colm Burke

96. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of the way that her Department's Budget 2023 measures will benefit persons living in rural areas in dealing with the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53595/22]

Tax and Social Welfare Codes

Colm Burke

196. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm what home tutors are considered self-employed for tax and pension purposes when engaged in the July Provision/Summer Programme as teachers who are employed by her Department who participate in the said programme, are considered as PAYE, receiving an A class contribution from their employer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53976/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

208. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to instituting a review to classify home tutors as employees of her Department in view that continuity of work is not recognised even when a home tutor has worked for a number of years with students in providing home tuition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53973/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

209. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if her Department will carry out a review as to the employment status of home tutors (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53974/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

210. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the reason that home tutors are not regarded as employees of her Department in view of the fact that the Revenue Commissioner regard them as employees of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53975/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

211. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm that consideration will be given to instituting a review to ensure that home tutors governed by the home tuition scheme, would be afforded the right and made eligible for sick pay and holiday pay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53977/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

212. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm that consideration will be given to instituting a review of an amendment to current working conditions for home tutors as set out by her Department ensuring that home tutors governed by the home tuition scheme will be afforded the right to secure similar work outside of the official school calendar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53978/22]

Home Schooling

Colm Burke

213. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to instituting a review on amending current working conditions for home tutors as set out by her Department in order that they can claim travel expenses such as those made available for Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate supervision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53979/22]

School Accommodation

Colm Burke

223. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if the board of management of a school (details supplied) will be entitled to rent additional space in order to accommodate the students in the school in a safe manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54050/22]