Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Schools Building Projects

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

336. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education what Departmental monitoring systems are in place to oversee the completion of construction works, including the completion of works on the snag list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42793/23]

Schools Building Projects

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

337. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if records are kept in her Department of all outstanding school construction works, including snags, to be undertaken associated with new school builds or major school renovations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42794/23]

Defective Building Materials

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

338. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education to ensure her Department puts in place the necessary measures to ensure the completion of the snag list and pyrite remediation works in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42795/23]

Vaccination Programme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

571. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if the HSE is sponsoring a vaccination campaign for a vaccination against shingles; if so, if the vaccination is available on the medical card and or drug payment scheme; and if not, if he will consider adding it to those schemes. [42173/23]

Labour Market

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

222. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what mechanisms he is examining to make it easier for teachers from outside Ireland to access teaching positions, in view of the current shortage of teachers; if teaching can be added to the critical skills list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41012/23]

Labour Market

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

232. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education what mechanisms she is examining to make it easier for teachers from outside Ireland to access teaching positions, in view of the current shortage of teachers; if teaching can be added to the critical skills list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41013/23]

School Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

254. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will ask her Department to investigate the case of a post-primary teacher (details supplied) whose request for incremental credits was refused in view of the fact that incremental credits have been allowed to primary teachers for service within the same school; and if she will review the procedures concerned to give equality between primary and post-primary awards for incremental credits in view of the shortage of teachers. [41205/23]

School Admissions

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

257. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education for an update on the case of a pupil (details supplied) whose school place has been delayed opening of their class but is currently not receiving any tuition as home tuition is not suitable or available; if she will confirm if the school will open in November 2023; and if an SNA in a mainstream school could be made available in the meantime. [41247/23]

School Meals Programme

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

365. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is any way for a school (details supplied) to be added to the hot school meals programme for primary schools for this year. [41019/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

387. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the criteria and policy for which a parent is paid children’s allowance where custody is shared, with particular reference to instances where children spend equal time with each parent; and to outline the reasoning behind the policy. [41500/23]

An Garda Síochána

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

396. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice the number and name of each of the Garda Youth Diversion programmes currently operating in each of the Garda divisions in the Dublin Metropolitan area; the number of officers assigned to the juvenile liaison teams and to set out, in tabular form, the numbers for each of the following years - 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40983/23]

Medicinal Products

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

509. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health what measures he will take to increase the awareness of the danger for abuse and misuse of the drug pregabalin among the medical community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40993/23]

Medicinal Products

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

510. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if she will make pregabalin a controlled substance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40994/23]

Further and Higher Education

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

613. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the issue created by the technological universities where posts in disciplines which are heavily industry focused remain unfilled due to targets set for PhD-qualified staff (details supplied); if he will review the TU legislation to see whether a more appropriate balance between professionally experienced staff requirements and those for PhD is restored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41237/23]

Further and Higher Education

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

614. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of plans to cut up to 20 courses from the Technical University Dublin; what support can be given to ensure that courses with strategic importance, such as geospatial surveying or architectural timber technology, can be identified and protected, even where there are lower numbers of students at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41238/23]

Further and Higher Education

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

615. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the SALI professorship awarded to TU Dublin has been advertised and filled. [41239/23]

Third Level Admissions

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

102. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the CAO process to ensure that students do not get excluded without warning due to clerical errors, such as missing exam numbers. [40748/23]

Student Accommodation

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

106. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what mechanisms, if any, are available to him to prevent third-level institutions from increasing rents in college-controlled accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40747/23]

Road Safety

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

105. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Transport if funding has been approved for school safety zone for schools (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40128/23]

Schools Building Projects

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

291. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education when the proposed school build project for a school (details supplied) is due to commence; and what the next steps are to provide a permanent building for the school which is currently in temporary accommodation. [39863/23]

School Accommodation

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

327. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education when funding for a school (details supplied) will be approved. [40129/23]

Equality Issues

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

372. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of research (details supplied) on non-religious teachers; what plans, if any, she has to legislate to protect all teachers from religious discrimination, giving teachers the same protections under the Irish system as in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40553/23]

Third Level Costs

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

1050. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that an increase in the State contribution towards graduate entry medicine from a rate of €11,950 per student in the 2021/2022 academic year to a new rate of €14,500 has not led to a decrease in cost to the students, and that, combined with the withdrawal of the only graduate loan programme for such students, it has resulted in students applying overseas; what measures he intends to take to increase access to graduate medicine entry in view of the shortage of doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39515/23]

Schools Building Projects

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

677. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding progress on the development of a new permanent school building for a school (details supplied). [38497/23]

School Facilities

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

678. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the transfer of a school (details supplied). [38498/23]

School Admissions

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

761. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education when a school (details supplied) will be able to provide the promised school place to a pupil; if there has been a teacher appointed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39159/23]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

765. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her Department has conducted any analysis of the impact of the removal of the special cleaning allowance made during Covid; if her Department has conducted a survey of what the increase in cleaning costs has been for schools; and whether she will ensure that schools can meet the rising costs of school cleaning. [39187/23]

Departmental Policies

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

767. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) can be allowed pay a substitute teacher where a fixed-term position is available but unfilled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39205/23]

Departmental Policies

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

768. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if the prohibition on paying a substitute teacher where no fixed term or permanent teacher can be found can be lifted for a year in view of the shortage of teachers as in the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39206/23]

Departmental Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

775. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if there has been any investigation into how many if any Irish schools have been affected by RAAC concrete issues such as those in the UK; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39306/23]

Departmental Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

776. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education what safety inspection measures are taken to ensure the structural safety of school buildings from problems such as dry rot, inferior materials and corrosion, and if her Department conducts any safety audits into school buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39307/23]

EU Regulations

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

952. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has made public the outcome of all consultations with stakeholders on the implementation of regulation 2021/57 regarding regulation of lead shot over wetlands. [39051/23]

EU Regulations

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

953. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will engage with an organisation (details supplied) to address its concerns over the process by which the mapping for protection of wetlands under regulation 2021/57 was decided. [39052/23]

Foreign Conflicts

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

40. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the crisis in the Artsakh Republic-Ngorno Karabach region; if any efforts are under way at national or European level to protect the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36001/23]

School Facilities

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

500. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the projected cost of ensuring every primary and secondary school has a school library, a school librarian, and access to the school digital library service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37008/23]

School Facilities

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

501. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the projected cost of ensuring every DEIS secondary school is funded for the provision of a JCSP library; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37009/23]

School Facilities

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

502. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education to outline the funding provided in each year since 2020 for the provision of school libraries; what current support streams are in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37010/23]

Departmental Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

503. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the current staffing schedule at primary level, for DEIS and non-DEIS schools; how many teachers are currently employed across the primary level system; the number employed in each year from 2018 to 2023, in tabular form; the cost of reducing the average class size to 20 pupils; the cost of each one-point improvement in staffing costs, and capital costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37011/23]

Departmental Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

504. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education to provide, in tabular form, the projected costs of reducing the staffing schedules for DEIS urban band 1 vertical schools to 17:1, DEIS urban band 1 junior schools to 15:1 and DEIS urban band 1 senior schools to 19:1; the costs for the 2024-25 school year; the current number of schools in each band; the staffing schedules that apply for DEIS urban band 2 and DEIS rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37012/23]

Departmental Data

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

505. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the current staffing schedule at second level; how many teachers are currently employed across the second-level system; the number employed in each year from 2018 to 2023, in tabular form; the cost of each one-point improvement in staffing costs, and capital costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37013/23]

Fee Paying Schools

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

506. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education how many children are enrolled in fee-paying private second-level schools in each year since 2018; the subsidy for teaching salaries and SNA posts in each of those years; the additional capital or grant expenditure provided in each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37014/23]

Mental Health Services

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

507. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the projected cost of the current pilot programme of counselling supports for primary school pupils; the projected cost of a nationwide roll-out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37015/23]

Education Schemes

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

508. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the projected cost of a 10% increase in funding for the school completion programme; the current financial and staff commitments in 2021-22 and 2022-23; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37016/23]

School Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

509. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of every ten additional home school community liaison positions; how many are currently in place; the current financial commitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37017/23]

State Examinations

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

510. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of permanently abolishing fees for sitting the Junior and Leaving Certificate for 2024; the projected number of students in each year, by exam; the cost of waiving the fee in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37018/23]

School Transport

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

511. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of abolishing school transport charges for concessionary students; if she will outline the changes in the fees for the scheme over the past two years; the current fees paid by students; the total fees collected this school year; the projected fees to be collected in 2023 for the 2023/24 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37019/23]

School Textbooks

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

512. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the full-year projected cost of free schoolbooks at primary level; the cost of expanding that to all secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37020/23]

School Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

513. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost to provide a permanent release day for administrative purposes every week to every teaching principal; how many would benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37021/23]

School Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

514. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of restoring the outstanding approximately 2,400 posts of responsibility in primary and special schools, for AP1 to reach 1,605, and AP2 to reach 8,592; the current level of positions in each; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37022/23]

School Staff

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

515. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of employing an additional 100 SNAs; the projected number of additional SNAs to be employed in 2024/2025 due to demographic pressures; the current number of SNAs at the end of 2022/23 school year; the current number of funded posts from September for the 2023/24 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37023/23]