Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Issues

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

35. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views on the progress made to date of the alternatives offered to turf cutters on special areas of conservation bogs, that is the uptake of compensation, free turf deliveries and any relocation schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54588/12]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Issues

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

114. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding turf cutting and the cessation of same, the number of persons under the previous compensation schemes that have yet to be paid at this stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4607/13]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Issues

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

115. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 163 of 23 January 2013, if he will provide the number of those who expressed an interest in relocation who qualified under the criteria of the scheme for relocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4608/13]

Departmental Funding

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

139. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the funds given by his Department to the Irish Environmental Network, which can be anything from €700,000 to €1,000,000 per year, are not accountable or made public by the Irish Environmental Network; the action he will take to bring clarity to the use to which the funds are put; if he will consider making the network available for scrutiny under freedom of information legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4717/13]

Local Authority Housing Maintenance

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

546. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he considers section 4 (1) c of Statutory Instrument 534 (2008), namely the exemption of local authorities from housing standards for rented houses regulations, to be appropriate to rented properties; the reason this should be the case; the grounds on which it can be justified that local authorities do not have to live up to the same standards of rental as all other landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4420/13]

Animal Welfare

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

609. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce legislation to update the use and applications of animal micro chipping; if he will, in view of safety concerns, consider making the animal owner's contact details available directly from the microchip readout; if he will consider legislating for the duties of animal pound operators and local authorities with regards to the actions they should take upon taking control of an animal with regard to contacting the owner; if he will consider a single piece of legislation to be more effective, in the area of animal control, to be more effective than the multitude of bye-laws administered by individual local authorities; if he will consider the benefits of such a system of direct access to the animal owner's contact details to overcome the current situation whereby animals are often pounded, and later destroyed, simply because of an inability to determine or contact the owner of the animal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3999/13]

Local Enterprise Offices Remit

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

52. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason both Galway City Council and Galway County Council have now got local enterprise offices when previously one county enterprise board served both city and county, in view of his policy to maximise value for money by amalgamating the county enterprise boards into the local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54019/12]

Flood Relief Schemes Expenditure

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

28. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will explain where the sum of €270,000 which was allocated to Roscommon County Council in 2010 for the purpose of flood prevention for Athleague Town, County Roscommon, has been spent; the reason the weir which was proposed for Lisnatea on the River Suck has not been constructed; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the residents of Athleague cannot get flood insurance in view of the fact that their houses are considered uninsurable by the insurance companies due to the high risk of flooding from the River Suck. [54052/12]

Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Application Numbers

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

163. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a breakdown on a bog basis, of those who applied for compensation for cessation of turf cutting; if he will supply figures for those who accepted compensation as an interim measure while awaiting a relocation bog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3458/13]

School Transport Provision

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

258. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make known the costs of engaging a private bus contractor to bring children to school in Glenamaddy and Glinsk in County Galway; the reason this contractor is still engaged, when the original reason for hiring the contractor was to ensure that all passengers had a seat with a seat belt, Bus Éireann now having installed seat belts on all their buses; the facility or mechanism that exists to ensure that moneys granted to Bus Éireann by his Department is spent efficiently and to ensure full oversight of expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58117/12]

Waste Disposal

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

626. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a waste disposal company in the Dublin area is now charging €9 for six plastic bags for households to segregate their recyclable waste; his views on whether this will discourage persons from recycling; the provision, if any, that has been made for a waiver for those on social welfare who cannot afford to pay for such bags; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57890/12]

Garda Investigations

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

756. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if any investigation is ongoing into the matter of alleged fraudulent milk metering at a co-op (details supplied) between the years of 1986 and 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58115/12]

Coillte Teoranta Lands

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

848. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding mineral rights and the sale of Coillte assets via the new era project; if the mineral rights in the grounds beneath the forests form part of the sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57972/12]

Coillte Teoranta Lands

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

853. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the purpose to which the funds resulting from the sale of 1109 acres, 449 ha. of forest near Ballybofey, County Donegal will be put; if the funds will be diverted into the pensions of Coillte workers; if this sale has anything to do with the sale of State assets via the NewERA project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58052/12]

Companies Law Issues

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

858. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is currently investigating the matter of share allocation and share certification relating to the amalgamation of companies (details supplied); if he will confirm that the awarded shares to co-op members who are, in value terms, at a par with the shares allocated to the members of another co-op; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58118/12]

Water Fluoridation

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

930. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his views on the reason that 10 local authorities and seven urban district councils have voted to ban fluoridation of water supplies and yet his Department and the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health continues with a policy of fluoridation; if he will ask the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health to address the position adopted by the 10 local authorities and to analyse their reasons for doing so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58016/12]

Medical Products

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

973. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if his Department or the Health Service Executive have indemnified suppliers of replacement hips (details supplied) [58012/12]

Taxi Regulations

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

1142. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider amending the proposed Taxi Regulations Bill 2012 to allow for the transfer of taxi licences upon the death of the owner or in circumstances when the owner is no longer in a position to operate their taxi due to ill health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58114/12]

Regional Airports

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

3. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has examined the competitive impact of the Shannon Airport support package on neighbouring airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock and on the region it serves; his national aviation priorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57537/12]

Medicinal Products Licensing

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

5. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health when he will introduce legislation for the provision of cannabis-derived products for the relief of pain, spasticity and other effects of ailments such as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57362/12]

Drug Treatment Programmes Funding

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

78. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will allocate €100,000 to the mother and child facility at Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Dublin, in order that 20 young women, who have overcome their addiction and urgently need therapeutic care, can enter the residential therapy with their babies; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that if they cannot get the therapy the majority of them will relapse; his views on whether this will cost the health and prison services three times the budget for delivering therapy to these addicts later in their lives and that statistics show that those who relapse are at serious risk of dying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56532/12]

Household Charge Exemptions

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

137. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider removing executors of wills from the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011. [57176/12]

Land Reclassification

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

5. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for Castlerea Town Trust, Cow Park Trust, County Roscommon; his position regarding appointing new trustees to such a trust; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56184/12]

Tax Code

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

147. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether vehicle registration tax is in compliance with the Treaty of Rome; in particular if he will consider Article 25 of the treaty to be fully complied with as it states that an excise or custom duty cannot be redesignated as a tax; and if he will accept that this may be the case as Ireland was given a derogation under Article 14 on import duty on vehicles up until 31 December 1992 when the vehicle registration tax was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53918/12]

Sale of State Assets

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

235. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a breakdown of where the funds from the sale of Coillte assets will go; the sums that will go to bridge the €135 million deficit in the Coillte employees’ pension fund and the Coillte €170 million debt mentioned in their 2011 annual accounts, the sum that is currently the target price for the Coillte assets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54413/12]

Planning Issues

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

402. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason local authorities do not have to make the details of their own planning applications available online as it the case with other planning applications; if he will agree that they should be available for viewing on line and that quite often such applications are of great public interest as they often relate to public works, road realignments and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54304/12]

Sale of State Assets

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

482. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a clause can be built into any sale of Coillte forests to guarantee the current supply of round logs to the sawmilling industry here; if a similar clause is being put in place to protect and guarantee the supply of timber to the Coillte board plants at Waterford and Clonmel; if he will instruct NewERA to establish a guarantee within any sale documents drafted by NewERA or Coillte to protect and guarantee the present supply of round logs to the Irish sawmilling industry, as has been done recently in New South Wales on foot of the mistakes made in New Zealand, or if this guarantee is not to be included; the plans in place to replace the loss of the 12,000 jobs currently employed in the timber industry should the supply of round logs to the sawmilling sector here not be protected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54414/12]

Forestry Sector

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

529. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason Coillte failed to correctly predict the future supply of round logs that was to be available to the sawmilling industry here from the forests it manages; his views on whether the prediction of a rising future supply of round logs encouraged sawmillers to invest in plant, thus creating a competitive sawmilling industry with more processing capacity than the annual supply of mature round logs could meet; if anyone has been held to account for this misdirection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54412/12]

Forestry Sector

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

530. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the threat that the sale of Coillte forests will pose for the future of the sawmilling industry here and the thousands of jobs therein and that the sale of such national assets will also threaten the future of downstream processing of timber as timber will be exported in the round to other countries; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this happened in New Zealand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54415/12]

Garda Investigations

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

197. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will enquire into the case of the Garda Ombudsman appointing a Ballinasloe based Garda to investigate a Gort based Garda; the reason an appeal for the same investigation has not made progress (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53354/12]

Bus Éireann Services

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

149. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the decision to cut bus routes is taken by the National Transport Authority, Bus Éireann or his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49429/12]

Bus Éireann Services

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

161. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the fact that Bus Éireann is no longer adhering to it's social charter and continues to cut bus routes in lower population areas, if he will consider selling it off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49428/12]

Single Payment Scheme Payments

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

541. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are funds within his Department to make single farm payments; if he will confirm that he has had hundreds of calls to the disadvantaged payments section of his Department regarding the delay in payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51380/12]

Domestic Violence Incidence

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

558. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason abused men who deal with an organisation (details supplied) are forced to deal with women when the women's refuge does not even let men near their building; her views on whether men with trust issues with women should have to endure this; her further views on whether the stigma attached to reporting is bad enough without this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50960/12]

Health Services Provision

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

260. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway has no allocated funding under the health care system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50333/12]

Social Welfare Payments Waiting Times

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

104. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection the origins of the term "headline rates of social welfare" and the meaning of the term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50112/12]

County and City Enterprise Boards Grants

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

430. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if it is realistic to expect the county enterprise boards to process the disbursement of grants to entrepreneurs in a time period of about six weeks or less, in view of the fact that the CEBs have to seek and access applications, approve applications at board level, potential clients have then to lodge three quotations for expenditure, secure bank finance, the CEBs have then to inspect purchases of equipment, draw the funds from his Department, and then send it on to successful clients, all to be completed by 15 December; if he will explain the reason that his Department has left it so late in the year to disburse funding to the CEBs when they were first asked for clarity of this funding in March and again in June; his further views on whether this is an efficient way to support organisations at the heart of job creation here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47878/12]

Criminal Prosecutions

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

775. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons who have a criminal record for cannabis possession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47593/12]

Agri-Environment Options Scheme Conditions

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

880. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if farmers in special areas of conservation designated lands have any priority in accessing the agri-environmental options scheme; if so, the weighting that SAC status is given in assessing applicants; in view of the restrictions placed on farm activities in SAC designated lands and the high degree of investment that farmers had to make to comply with REP scheme criteria in the past, if he will consider giving a higher priority to those farmers who farm SAC lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47860/12]

Bus Éireann Services

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

1210. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way we arrived at a situation where Bus Éireann no longer has to live up to a Public Service Requirement; the reason expressway bus routes were designated as commercial in the first instance and now that they are being abandoned on commercially criteria; what he will instruct Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority to replace them with; if he is satisfied with the fact that CIE and Bus Éiereann no longer live up to their mandates as providers of transport to all parts of our country, densely populated and sparsely populated alike; his views on whether the reduction in services provided by Bus Éireann in particular contribute to the decline of life in rural communities and smaller towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47869/12]

Asylum Seeker Accommodation

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

19. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider postponing the closure of Lisbrook House, County Galway; if his attention has been drawn to the long term effects of closing this facility; his views on whether moving families to new locations will impact negatively on the education and development of children of asylum seekers, persons who in many cases have been uprooted and moved already; if he will consider closing the direct provision of accommodation and allow asylum seekers to acquire their own accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46306/12]

Public Sector Staff Remuneration

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

76. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform what the savings to the Exchequer would be if all civil and public servants had their salaries capped at €80,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46647/12]

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Eligibility

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

92. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the case of a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon who has been refused the back to school clothing and footwear scheme allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46629/12]

Turbary Rights

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

160. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No.182 of 17 of October 2012, if he will provide figures, on a bog by bog basis, of those who have actually received compensation for loss of turf cutting rights on bogs classified as special areas of conservation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46648/12]

Medicinal Products Licensing

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

231. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the reason this country needs to put cannabis based medicines of which Sativex is one such brand through clinical trials when the products are already clinically approved by the Mutual Recognition Procedure which operates throughout Europe; if the Irish Medicines Board has already approved such medicines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46550/12]

Birth Certificates Administration

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

334. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will amend the Civil Registration Act 2004 to include for the registration of deaths of Irish citizens abroad; her plans to do so, and, when might such amendments may be likely; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45887/12]

Semi-State Bodies Mergers

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

704. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the administration costs of CIE and Bus Éireann; the percentage of their total budget in administrative costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45638/12]

Public Transport Provision

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

705. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the decision to cut bus routes is taken by him, The National Transport Authority or Bus Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45726/12]

Medical Card Applications

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

228. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will consider granting a medical card to a child (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45468/12]

Medical Products

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

241. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the reason it is expected to take at least 18 months to bring legislation to Dáil Éireann for the introduction of cannabis based medicine for the relief of pain for certain ailments such as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and others; if it is necessary to run clinical trials when the medicine has already been tested and approved in the UK and Belgium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45541/12]