113 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department recognises third level qualifications held by persons who gained those qualifications in recognised British universities; if there is a system in place which requires the holders of such qualifications to be assessed by his Department; and the reason for this system and if it amounts to a failure of his Department to recognise qualifications from competent third level institutions in Britain.
[18898/04]
45 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s position on the proposal to create an EU internal security agency as recommended by the report of the Venusberg Group entitled A European Defence Strategy published on 27 May.
[18869/04]
15 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s position on the proposal to create an EU Security Council as recommended by the report of the Venusberg Group entitled A European Defence Strategy published on 27 May.
[18868/04]
48 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the incidences in which employers are not paying the benchmarking awards agreed under recent social partnership agreements contrary to the terms of those agreements; if so, the actions he intends to take to ensure employers are complying with terms of the agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17948/04]
179 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether some persons with sensitive dispositions are suffering from multiple health problems from phone mast emissions; if his attention has been drawn to the number of persons suffering in this way; and if he has plans to take measures to protect persons so effected.
[18563/04]
9 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children the status of the Hanly report recommendations; if these recommendations have been amended; the way in which it is proposed to proceed with implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18490/04]
55 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on whether low-paid workers have not benefited from recent partnership agreements; the steps she will take to deal with the problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[17953/04]
47 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, further to Question No. 56 of 13 May 2004, the details of the meeting which she held in June 1999 with representatives of a number of high-tech companies at which the issue of trade union recognition was on the agenda; the context in which trade union recognition was put on the agenda at that meeting; if she was asked by the representatives of the high-tech companies for any commitments regarding the non-introduction of trade-union recognition; if she made any commitments to those companies regarding the introduction of trade union recognition; the positions outlined by all parties present at the meeting regarding trade union recognition; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[17954/04]
106 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will remove the €107 cap on rent supplement in view of the hardship it is causing.
[17541/04]
85 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will reverse the decision taken in budget 2004 to restrict the back-to-work allowance to those who are three years or more unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13950/04]
196 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way in which he proposes to protect the almost 800 Traveller families living on unauthorised sites while they wait for local authority accommodation from being prosecuted and having their homes confiscated by the Garda under section 24 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002; if he, as the Minister responsible for accommodation, will take this matter up with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17098/04]
195 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason after five years, and after the expenditure of so much money, so little has been achieved under the Housing (Travellers Accommodation) Act 1998 for Travellers still living on the side of the road with no facilities; if he will introduce real legislative measures to ensure that Travellers do not have to wait another five years to find that they still have not had their accommodation needs met; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17097/04]
197 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that local authorities do not believe there is an obligation on them to provide accommodation to members of the Traveller community; if his attention has further been drawn to the number of disabled children who are living in completely substandard caravans due to the view of local authorities that the only obligation on them is to provide basic halting sites; and if he will take steps to ensure that there is a legal obligation on local authorities to provide adequate accommodation for Travellers living on halting sites when they are not in a position to provide accommodation from their own resources, particularly when they are unable to repay a local authority loan, which may be all that is available to them for the purpose of acquiring a home.
[17099/04]
139 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children when adequate home help services will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Louth.
[17120/04]
71 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the last round of funding to resource the drugs task force programme was allocated in 2002; and if he will assign additional funding for the project as a matter of urgency.
[16780/04]
75 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount which has been allocated to the health boards to specifically fund the drugs task force programme; the way in which the money was spent; and when the money will be allocated in regional areas in which this funding has not yet come on board; and the way in which it will be used.
[16781/04]
9 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the findings of the EPA report entitled Ireland’s Environment 2004 which found that greenhouse gas emissions for this State are 29% above 1990 levels; if the Government believes this State will be able to reduce levels to 13% above 1990 levels by 2008 to comply with the Kyoto Protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16571/04]
4 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures he is undertaking to redress the predicament whereby single persons, in particular single men, who make up 32% of the 48,000 on housing waiting lists, find it virtually impossible to secure social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16674/04]
382 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the procedures which are in place for the purpose of re-establishing residency of social welfare applicants when a community welfare officer has revoked that residency; her views on the cases of persons (details supplied) in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[16250/04]
103 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if new work permits will be issued to foreign nationals whose current employers decide to replace them with workers from the EU accession countries in order to save the €500 work permit renewal fee; if termination of employment under these circumstances qualifies as unfair dismissal; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[16194/04]
26 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Transport the measures he is taking to reduce the rate of private car ownership and the volume of road traffic in view of the fact that the traffic rate has already reached levels predicted for 2010.
[15885/04]
206 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 174 of the 12 May 2004 and 195 of 19 May 2004, if the implication of his replies are that the system of compensation to be paid by the State upon the abolition of ground rents would mirror the system used to determine the purchase price for the acquisition of the fee simple in dwelling houses as contained in the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents)(No. 2) Act 1978 and the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Act 1984; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15863/04]
277 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will intervene to ensure that a nursing home bed at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Longford, will be made available for a person (details supplied) in County Longford who is due to be discharged from Mullingar General Hospital and who is in need of constant medical attention; the reason a bed has not been made available for the person; and when he expects a bed to be made available.
[15307/04]
209 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends to test existing local government housing stock for radon levels; if new local authority houses will be tested for radon levels before being allocated to new tenants; and his plans for radon testing.
[14910/04]
122 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science when approval will be given for the extension to a school (details supplied) in County Louth; the length of time the construction stage will take; the financial cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14911/04]
195 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 174 of 12 May, his views on whether ten to 15 times the annual ground rent to be paid by the State to the landlord with regard to the income they will forfeit through the abolition of ground rents represents an adequate system of compensation.
[14698/04]
88 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the EU Foreign Ministers have agreed a timeframe and increments by which all EU members states will reach the UN target of 0.7% GNP to ODA.
[14609/04]
26 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if all increases in Irish and EU ODA will be exclusively poverty focused and not connected to broadened OECD/DAC criteria on counter-terrorism clauses.
[14610/04]
390 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends to increase the loan limits under the affordable housing and shared ownership schemes in line with inflation; if not, the reason therefore; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14178/04]
384 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number in total and by type of traveller accommodation units yet to be provided by each local authority under their respective five year traveller accommodation programmes 2000-2004.
[14130/04]
361 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if charges will be brought against members of the British armed forces who entered the State at Edentubber, County Louth, on 9 May 2004 while in possession of weapons and who did not have firearm certificates in respect of those weapons; when these charges will be issued; if these persons will be extradited to this State to answer those charges; and if they will be subject to due process of law.
[14118/04]
98 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse; and if he has a strategy in place for addressing the urgent needs of victims of abuse in schools.
[14250/04]
53 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science the actions he has taken to fulfil his pre-election commitment to school building renovation.
[14249/04]
156 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Transport if applications were made for an operating licence for a Newry, Dundalk, Dublin bus route in 2003; the number of applications that were made for the route; when his Department received applications; and the details of applicants.
[13980/04]
48 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the fact that trade union recognition is a fundamental right of all workers which must be enshrined in law; if she will bring forward legislation for the recognition of trade unions; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13855/04]
36 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on whether the State’s failure to ratify the UN convention on the rights of migrant workers and their families is indicative of the lack of priority which the Government has given to the prevention of exploitation of migrant workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13854/04]
3 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of employment task forces her Department or the agencies responsible to it have been involved in since July 1997; if a cost-benefit evaluation of these task forces has been undertaken by her Department; and the number of jobs created as a result of these task forces in each case compared with the job losses in each case in which a task force was established in response to major company closures or job losses.
[13963/04]
174 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the contention of the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Constitution outlined in its ninth progress report that there are no constitutional barriers to the abolition of ground rents; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13754/04]
413 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will investigate the case of a person (details supplied) in County Louth; the reason this person is being forced to return to an abusive environment; the further reason this person, whose income is €159.60 per week, is expected to pay rent of €150 per week; the further reason her Department puts persons is such positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13158/04]
396 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of new houses expected to be built in Dublin in each of the next five years; and the proportion of these which will be for social and affordable housing.
[13503/04]
354 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of community gardaí operating in Dublin; if a review has been undertaken or is planned of their operation and the cost to the State of providing this service..
[13481/04]
353 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of cocaine seized in the Dublin area for each of the past three years.
[13480/04]
352 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of heroin seized in the Dublin area for each of the past three years.
[13479/04]
351 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí deployed in each Garda station in the State and in each Garda division.
[13478/04]
293 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children when progress will be made in the cases of survivors of symphysiotomy; if an independent obstetrician has been identified to review cases; when this person will be appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13618/04]
206 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science the rate at which he expects demand for places in primary schools in Dublin to increase over the next five years; and the plans he has to meet this demand.
[13490/04]
205 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary and secondary schools in Dublin on the waiting list for the schools building programme; and the percentage that were given approval to go ahead to construction in 2004.
[13489/04]
91 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of community employment places lost in Dublin for each of the past five years; and the number of community employment schemes shut down in Dublin for each of the past five years.
[13500/04]
90 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of grant aid which has been given by State bodies to non-indigenous companies in each of the past five years.
[13499/04]