510. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills with regard to means testing for Student Universal Support Ireland grants, if consideration will be given to an applicant's outgoings as well as income, particularly in cases where it can be proven that a large proportion of an applicant's assessed income is used to serve residual bank debt and failure to secure this grant would cause the applicant undue hardship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17822/15]
426. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the research his Department has undertaken to identify if there are any negative effects on human health in communities where industrial-sized wind turbines have been installed in close proximity to persons' homes; if not, the research his Department is relying upon; his plans to undertake independent research in this area, in view of the extent of wind energy development currently under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17890/15]
248. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when she expects Carbury Garda station, County Kildare, to reopen in view of the fact that the district Garda station is 40 km away in Leixlip, County Kildare, the measures that have been put in place to ensure adequate Garda coverage in the area in the interim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17264/15]
185. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with regard to public procurement, the requirements regarding the publication of awards; the reason only 18% of awards were published in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17805/15]
184. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of the total number of Government tenders for the years 2011 to 2014 and 2015 to date; and the number of contracts in each year that were awarded to Irish small and medium-sized enterprises. [17804/15]
183. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is aware that, in spite of his Department's Circular 10/14: Initiatives to assist small and medium enterprises in public procurement, many local authorities are still not applying the principles of the circular in their procurement, and as a result, Irish small and medium-sized enterprises are still largely excluded from Government tenders, with a very high percentage of our procurement going outside the country; the steps he and the Office of Government Procurement are taking to ensure that the above circular is implemented, in order that Irish small and medium enterprises, which find it impossible to compete with foreign multinationals, are not precluded from, or disadvantaged by, tendering for Government contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17803/15]
127. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Finance the steps he is taking to ensure that the 4,000 Standard Life shareholders, who opted to receive their money from the sale of the business as a capital payment, will not suffer a financial loss or be subject to tax as a result of significant postal delays, through no fault of their own; if he will liaise with the Revenue Commissioners, and introduce a measure similar to that undertaken in 2014, in a similar incident with Vodafone shareholders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17216/15]
438. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the roll out of the housing assistance payment scheme; and when he expects it to be rolled out by Kildare County Council. [16728/15]
553. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his goals in shaping the post-2015 development agenda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15352/15]
552. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the locations that Ireland House exists in around the world; his plans to expand this concept to other locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15351/15]
211. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide, in tabular form, the countries in receipt of overseas development aid from the Irish Government; if he will indicate, in each case, whether the funding goes to a Government or State or to a non-governmental organisation or to both; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15284/15]
176. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland has identified countries with which it can share good practice from the peace process on this island; the extent to which such sharing takes place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15285/15]
253. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to connect the Dunnstown and Taghadoe stations under EirGrid's draft strategy, to develop Ireland's transmission grid; if so, the further information he will provide regarding the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13645/15]
234. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to the housing adaptation grant scheme and the mobility aids grant scheme, if he is aware of the difficulty experienced by some contractors in getting paid for their work, in cases where local authorities make the relevant payments directly to the tenant, and the tenant subsequently keeps the money and withholds payment from the contractor; the steps he will take to ensure that there is adequate oversight of these schemes across all local authorities, in order that the system is not abused by tenants who withhold money for work completed; if he will ensure that contractors who participate in the schemes are protected, receiving their due payment in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13623/15]
663. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a survey (details supplied) which indicates that noise sensitivity is particularly problematic for 40% of children with autistic spectrum disorder who are hypersensitive to sound; the steps being taken to address the concerns of the parents of these children in north County Kildare who live in close proximity to a proposed wind farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13227/15]
62. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of employees in semi-State companies with pensions; the number of persons in each company who have deferred pensions; if she envisages allowing persons with deferred pensions to have a say in who will represent them on boards of trustees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12614/15]
178. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 498 of 10 March 2015, the determinants that a school must attain to be included in the initial cohort of schools where politics and society will be trialled at leaving certificate level; when schools will be allowed to express their interest in participating; the circumstances under which the national roll-out might be halted after the trial period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12347/15]
940. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of the subsidies received by Irish wind farms and wind developers for the years 2011 to 2014 and 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11384/15]
939. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with regard to the proposed wind farms in the midlands, the plan that a organisation (details supplied) has in place for the future dismantling of obsolete turbines; in the case where the developer has moved on or is no longer trading, his plans for the future decommissioning of turbines to prevent them from becoming a blight on the landscape; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11382/15]
938. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with regard to the proposed Maighne Wind Farm in north County Kildare, the model that was used to forecast the wind speeds for the midlands project; if the data used was based on actual data from weather stations in the midlands or on a computer model for the British Meteorological Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11381/15]
884. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the process behind the allocation of funding, per county, under the Leader programme; the criteria to determine the level of funding allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11486/15]
785. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional funding will be made available for the building of additional classrooms in a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11495/15]
541. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health his views on a survey (details supplied) which states that noise sensitivity is particularly problematic for 40% of children with autistic spectrum disorders who are hypersensitive to sound; the steps being taken to address the valid concerns of the parents of these children in north County Kildare who live in close proximity to the proposed Maighne wind farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11375/15]
108. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health in view of the current overcrowding issue in Naas General Hospital, County Kildare, the steps he is taking to address the problem; if temporary buildings could be put in place to alleviate the overcrowding until a longer-term solution can be found; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10715/15]
603. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport regarding the allocation of funding for local authority swimming pools, if all of the allocated funding has been drawn down to date; if there is a deadline beyond which funding not yet drawn down will be re-allocated; and if so, if he will consider the north Kildare area, in view of its young and growing population as a suitable location for a new local authority swimming pool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10432/15]
498. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 492 of 30 September 2014 the progress made with regard to the introduction of a politics and society module to the leaving certificate curriculum; if she will provide a brief outline of the outstanding issues highlighted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, as outlined in her response to that question; if these issues have been addressed; if a deadline has been set for the implementation of this subject in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10493/15]
477. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills with regard to the new junior cycle student award, the way she will address concerns expressed by teachers of English that they have received incomplete and inadequate continuing professional development training and support material; that there are practical issues still to be addressed regarding the introduction of the oral component of the course; that there is no forum for feedback from teachers to improve the course, where necessary; in view of these concerns and issues which need to be addressed, if she will delay the implementation of the English specifications for the 2014-2015 class, similar to the recommendation in the Travers report, to delay the science specifications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10305/15]
470. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps her Department is taking to address the significant shortage of post-primary school places for children with autism in north west Kildare for September 2015; her views that transporting children upward of 50 km for suitable post-primary school places is unacceptable for children on the autism spectrum; the plans in place to adequately provide for the significant number of children who will progress from primary school autism units in north-west Kildare to post-primary level beyond September 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10110/15]
237. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in view of the ongoing discussions with regard to pay increases, if consideration has been given to revisiting the Haddington Road agreement, with a view to improving the rates of pay for new teachers who are currently receiving much lower salaries than their colleagues for the same work; if he will prioritise this particular group in any future pay discussions with the teaching unions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10125/15]
615. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures in place to ensure that private bus operators who have been found to use illegal fuel are disqualified from tendering for Coras Iompar Éireann bus routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7669/15]
211. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is an average waiting time of three months for National Car Test testing; the steps he is taking to alleviate the issue; if ardaí will employ discretion in dealing with drivers who, due to this backlog, cannot secure an appointment before their National Car Test certificate expires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7439/15]
135. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made by the Health Service Executive and hospital groups in developing three-year strategic plans; the measures that will be included to facilitate staff who wish to transfer between hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7445/15]
223. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of developments where the only means of broadband access is through a fixed wireless system; the way these developments will be facilitated under the national broadband plan; if residents in the development (details supplied) will be able to avail of the faster and more reliable broadband service, which will be available to their neighbours, through the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7387/15]
241. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements in place with regard to shared services in the Institute of Technology Tallaght, particularly with regard to shared library services with other institutes of technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5206/15]
532. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when Leader funding will be made available under the rural development programme; the EU regulations groups must meet to avail of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3682/15]
292. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason the unit to train attack dogs is gone from Wheatfield prison; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3422/15]
62. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available for the development of a primary care centre in Johnstownbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2346/15]
24. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the planned construction of phase 3C of Naas General Hospital, County Kildare, including the much needed endoscopy unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2347/15]
515. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an examination by her Department of the capacity of existing schools in an area (details supplied) in County Kildare; if a review has been completed of the purchase of land at a school; the plans in place for the site; the proposed site and capacity of the school to future-proof enrolments in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2316/15]
182. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a yearly breakdown from 2004 to 2014 of the number of complaints handled by the Pensions Ombudsman; the number of complaints successfully upheld in each year; the three most common types of complaints each year; the average timeframe for investigating complaints; the reason complaints lodged in 2013 are expected to take five years to investigate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2694/15]
205. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason her Department has not sanctioned funding to maintain the third stream in a school (details supplied) in County Kildare despite the clear demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1901/15]
792. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills regarding the primary online database, if she will provide in tabular form the Government Departments including her Department, agencies and others who will have access to or are provided student information from the database; if she will provide a list of the precise information or parts of the system that each will have access to; the reason information should be retained until the child reaches the age of 30; if additional comments added at the discretion of the school will be visible to Departments, agencies and others or could be transferred as part of the process of migrating the student file to another school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1338/15]
347. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to add Japanese knotweed to the noxious weed list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1784/15]
623. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the recent National Competitiveness Council’s report, which warned against the State's over-support of wind turbines and recommended a full cost benefit analysis of wind energy, the steps he will take to implement these recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47848/14]
146. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available for the endoscopic unit of Naas General Hospital, County Kildare, under the supplementary budget for his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47516/14]
134. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health further to the lifting of the embargo on recruitment in the public sector by him if that decision will facilitate the transfer of Health Service Executive staff between hospitals, particularly within hospital groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47459/14]
454. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his Department's policy regarding a renewable energy mix for Ireland; the targets that are in place for each type of renewable energy to achieve a sustainable renewable energy mix; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46755/14]
244. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Defence regarding the army's widows' and orphans' pension, the reason contributions continue to be deducted from members after the 31 year contribution period; the reason any overpayments will be repaid at the rate at which members paid 31 years ago as opposed to at the current higher rate paid by members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46763/14]
128. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when funding will be made available for the N7 upgrade, Osberstown interchange and Sallins bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46399/14]
61. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the exemption of commercial rates recently granted under the Valuation Bill 2014 to community or not-for-profit early child care facilities will be extended to all early childhood education facilities providing the early childhood care and education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46493/14]