Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

109. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the need for cultural change in the Defence Forces and the Strategic Framework: Transformation of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42516/23]

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

115. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline the recruitment and retention challenges facing the Defence Forces; how the Strategic Framework: Transformation of the Defence Forces will address those challenges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42518/23]

Departmental Reports

Gino Kenny

116. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will reflect on the process of the Consultative Forums on International Security Policy; what the next steps in the process are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42517/23]

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

124. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline the details of the Detailed Action Plan on Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42520/23]

Official Engagements

Gino Kenny

13. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an update on his recent engagements at the UN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41807/23]

Disaster Response

Gino Kenny

25. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will update members on what role Ireland will play in providing support and relief following the floods in Libya; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41809/23]

Human Rights

Gino Kenny

51. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he can provide an update on the situation facing women in Iran; if he can outline what steps Ireland is taking at an international level regarding this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41810/23]

Middle East

Gino Kenny

66. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the details of any meetings he had at the UN regarding Palestine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41808/23]

Parking Provision

Gino Kenny

318. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department plans included plans to develop serviced parking for touring motorhomes close to sites and town in the overall tourism strategy; if, given the popularity of touring both inside and outside the State, he can elaborate on the number of these sites that are in the State; and to outline any proposed initiatives via local authorities where these serviced areas could be developed. [41243/23]

Cannabis for Medicinal Use

Gino Kenny

572. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health when the clinical review of the future of the medical cannabis access programme will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41391/23]

Cannabis for Medicinal Use

Gino Kenny

573. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health how many patients to date have been enrolled in the medical cannabis access programme; if he will provide a breakdown, on those enrolments, of the conditions for which they have been prescribed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41392/23]

National Treatment Purchase Fund

Gino Kenny

23. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that recent data has shown that 100,800 children are on some form of National Treatment Purchase Fund waiting list, with one in five of those 20,600 young people waiting longer than a year for treatment or assessment in public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40712/23]

Emergency Departments

Gino Kenny

34. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that an organisation (details supplied) has called for the emergency department taskforce to meet urgently to discuss how the HSE plans to tackle the persistent overcrowding problem in Irish hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40713/23]

Mental Health Services

Gino Kenny

35. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that an organisation (details supplied) recently published data showing that the mental health budget has declined as a percentage of the overall health budget from 13% in 1984 to 5.1% in 2023; if he is aware that the organisation has called for the mental health budget to be at least 10% of the overall health budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40711/23]

National Children's Hospital

Gino Kenny

40. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health when the new National Children's Hospital is expected to open; what the final cost of the project will be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40710/23]

Mental Health Services

Gino Kenny

45. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that there are only 51 CAMHS inpatient beds operational across the country at any one time, falling well short of the 130 beds recommended in the Government's 'A Vision for Change' strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40714/23]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Gino Kenny

1860. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that a person (details supplied) has still not been paid the pandemic bonus payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38931/23]

An Garda Síochána

Gino Kenny

798. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice how many residential properties seized by CAB are still under remit of CAB due to the property being sold by CAB or issued to a local authority by CAB. [35773/23]

An Garda Síochána

Gino Kenny

799. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice how many years a residential property seized by CAB is left vacant; and his views on whether property seized for more than two years should be given to the local authority. [35774/23]

European Council

Gino Kenny

14. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Taoiseach for a report on his attendance at the European Council on 29 and 30 June 2023. [34013/23]

Direct Provision System

Gino Kenny

205. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of persons in direct provision who have leave to remain getting eviction notices when they cannot find a place to live, and persons are being forcibly removed from direct provision centres (details supplied). [34545/23]

Direct Provision System

Gino Kenny

206. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can outline the IPAS policy on forcing persons out of direct provision centres if they cannot find accommodation within HAP limits, especially if this results in them having to leave employment or study if the centre they are told to move to is not in travel distance of employment or college. [34546/23]

Health Services Waiting Lists

Gino Kenny

237. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the average waiting period for any genetic test in the public health system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34449/23]

International Protection

Gino Kenny

57. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice what the new processes are that she introduced in 2022 to designate ‘safe countries of origin’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34024/23]

Work Permits

Gino Kenny

65. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will grant general employment permit holders full access to the labour market after two years rather than five years currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34025/23]

Immigration Policy

Gino Kenny

79. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if there are specific work permits, processes or procedures for migrant workers in the circus sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34023/23]

Residency Permits

Gino Kenny

88. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she is aware that the Irish residence permit costs €300 every year for most non-EU people over the age of 18, but an organisation (details supplied) estimates that the cost to the State of producing and delivering the permit is just €20.44; if she will reduce the cost of these permits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34022/23]

Asylum Seekers

Gino Kenny

514. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if fleeing Russia to avoid military conscription will be grounds for granting asylum in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32473/23]

Cabinet Committees

Gino Kenny

12. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on drugs policy will next meet. [32556/23]

Departmental Reports

Gino Kenny

68. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that the Government’s own Cost of Disability report indicated that people with disabilities incur between €9,482 and €11,735 a year on expenses related to their disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32470/23]

Equality Issues

Gino Kenny

72. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that Ireland ranks lowest in the EU for both its disability employment rate and disability employment gap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32472/23]

Departmental Reports

Gino Kenny

84. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will publish an action plan and allocate resources to support the findings of the Government’s own Cost of Disability report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32471/23]

Cancer Services

Gino Kenny

560. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he plans to lower the breast cancer screening age below the current level of 50 to 40 or 45 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32049/23]

Medicinal Products

Gino Kenny

665. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he has plans to progress drug availability in Ireland for rare forms of the neurological condition, spinal muscular atrophy, specifically adult types 3 and 4 (details supplied). [32647/23]

Health Services

Gino Kenny

411. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the progress he is making on expanding the national heel-prick test; how many diseases babies born today in Ireland are currently being tested for; when he will decide on including spinal muscular atrophy in newborn screening (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31721/23]

Legislative Measures

Gino Kenny

130. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he will make the order or orders required to bring the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31486/23]

Departmental Functions

Gino Kenny

5. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the non-statutory public service modernisation, development and reform functions for which his Department is responsible. [30980/23]

Pharmacy Services

Gino Kenny

679. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reason he has not engaged with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to pay for services, as required by the Public Service Pay and Pension Act 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30853/23]

Universal Social Charge

Gino Kenny

93. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Finance if he will announce in budget 2024 the abolition of the universal social charge for those earning under €100,000 per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30169/23]

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

70. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the Government’s recent discussions with the Women of Honour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29556/23]

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

76. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on a complaint made by Defence Forces representatives over the failure to pay proper overtime to their members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29558/23]

Naval Service

Gino Kenny

80. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on the deployment of the LÉ William Butler Yeats to the coast of Libya; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29557/23]

Defence Forces

Gino Kenny

100. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on how the role of the Irish Defence Forces would change if the Triple Lock were to be altered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29555/23]

Military Neutrality

Gino Kenny

101. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on the progress of the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29559/23]

International Relations

Gino Kenny

11. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that many journalists, trade union leaders, judges, civil society activists and politicians, including the Speaker of the Tunisian parliament (details supplied) have been arrested in Tunisia in recent weeks in concerted acts of state repression; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28774/23]

Human Rights

Gino Kenny

40. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the recent acts of severe repression carried out by the army and state institutions in Pakistan against opposition politicians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28775/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Gino Kenny

12. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that an organisation (details supplied) recently reported that the number of long-waiters for hospital treatment has increased by 12% since start of 2023 and has risen 22-fold over the past decade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26577/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Gino Kenny

35. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that 309 children are waiting for scoliosis-related surgery and that just 12 spinal fusions have been completed to date in 2023 in Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals, a third of the number completed in the same period in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26575/23]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Gino Kenny

57. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that an organisation (details supplied) recently reported that over 1.1 million people are waiting for some form of hospital care, with 888,600 people on National Treatment Purchase Fund waiting list and a further 250,000 people waiting for diagnostics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26576/23]

Medical Cards

Gino Kenny

67. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware it is almost ten years since the HSE has reviewed medical card eligibility on medical grounds, and the effectiveness of the system of assessment for a discretionary medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26574/23]