296. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if his Department is reconsidering allowing post offices to become community banks, permitting them to provide all financial services and facilities that banks currently do but with increased advantages and value for communities and ensuring the survival of these important service providers into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55463/22]
233. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the failure to provide services on the new BusConnects 60 route in Ballyfermot; the measures that he intends to take to ensure that persons in this area of Ballyfermot have a functioning public transport system, given that the BusConnects programme removed the old 79 route for a planned hourly frequency of a new 60 route; if he will intervene directly with the National Transport Authority and Dublin Bus to ensure that a functioning and reliable service is provided, given the importance of encouraging persons to move to bus transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55450/22]
143. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department is reconsidering allowing post offices to become community banks, permitting them to provide all financial services and facilities that banks currently do but with increased advantages and value for communities and ensuring the survival of these important service providers into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55462/22]
135. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures that his Department has taken to ensure that the €200 electricity credit is received by groups who do not have an MPRN number, including persons on Traveller halting sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55319/22]
65. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has examined the recent UN report which found that globally, the world is nowhere near reaching targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees' Celsius, and is on course for warming of over 2 degrees' Celsius; his views on whether global failure is mirrored by Ireland’s ongoing failure to limit and reduce emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55316/22]
41. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has had any communication with the Port of Cork authorities in relation to their support for an LNG facility; if the authority is bound by Government policy in relation to the development of LNGs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55314/22]
17. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the actions that his Department has taken to ensure that SEAI schemes will not see homeowners forced to pay upfront the full costs of energy efficiency work undertaken by contractors from 1 January 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55317/22]
15. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has examined a recent report on offshore wind energy (details supplied); if recent withdrawals by named corporations from projects confirm the necessity of direct state involvement in offshore wind development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55318/22]
7. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will be attending the COP27 conference in Egypt; if his attention has been drawn to the grave human rights abuses of environmentalists and climate campaigners by the Egyptian state; if he will meet with representatives of human rights organisations while there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55315/22]
291. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 334 of 20 October 2022, if he will confirm that a person (details supplied) is carrying-out the second phase of the termination of pregnancy legislation review; if he will speak directly to the initial phase which included a report submitted by a UK university on service providers’ experiences of the implementation of legislation; if he will clarify whether this report from the university will be made available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53985/22]
152. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of times that the ECAS call system has been down in the past five years and when did these happen; and for how long for each occasion. [53986/22]
768. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the way that Ireland’s agriculture sector will reach it’s emissions reductions goals [53277/22]
767. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the UK-Australia beef trade deal and the effect that it will have on Ireland [53275/22]
603. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of qualified educational psychologists currently working within primary care services; the number of qualified educational psychologists currently working within children and adolescent mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52899/22]
504. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will investigate allegations of unacceptable behaviour by management of a hostel for Ukrainian refugees (details supplied) in County Cork; if he will outline the person or body that is responsible for and the way oversight of these centres is being carried out and maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53011/22]
499. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to a situation in a centre for Ukrainian refugees in Cork (details supplied), in which parents and their children have reported being very cold and requests to turn on the heating have been met with threats of eviction and foul language; the policy regarding heating in publicly-funded centres as winter approaches; if he will take steps to address this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52895/22]
343. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on a recent speech by a person (details supplied) in which they compared Europe to a garden and the world to a jungle; his views on whether these comments were inappropriate and insensitive; his plans to call for a retraction of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52941/22]
317. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on Ireland’s marine protected areas [53276/22]
283. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if there are plans to host a reception for the Irish women’s football team following their success in getting to the World Cup finals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52944/22]
176. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the Commission for Regulation of Utilities ceased to have any role in setting prices for household gas and household electricity prices; his views on whether this move was good policy; if he plans to introduce such a role for the Commission in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52755/22]
175. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has undertaken any research into the effects of the liberalisation on energy prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52754/22]
174. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the average annual cost of electricity and gas charged to households since 1990 to date; and the way that the cost relates to the average annual EU prices for same in tabular form. [52753/22]
334. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if the independent evaluation carried out by a university (details supplied) as part of the termination of pregnancy legislation review will be made publicly available; and when this will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52564/22]
301. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if a series of matters in relation to an organisation (details supplied) will be clarified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52561/22]
275. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify the position of the local employment services in Clondalkin and Tallaght, specifically the reason that 39 staff have been made redundant; if this is a direct consequence of her Department tendering out of services in local employment; the local employment services that are currently available to unemployed people in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52619/22]
133. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if the winter plans will result in any permanent increase in acute hospital bed numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52420/22]
122. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health when staff in private nursing homes will receive the pandemic bonus payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52419/22]
55. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date into any developments on an independent inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52421/22]
20. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in achieving the Istanbul Convention targets for refuge spaces for domestic violence victims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52422/22]
264. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of educational psychologists who are currently employed by the Health Service Executive; if the HSE intends not to employ educational psychologists in primary care and CAMHS services moving forward, given that trainee educational psychologists were excluded from the new funding provided for professional psychology training introduced in Budget 2023; his plans, if any, to ensure the recruitment and retainment of suitably qualified educational psychologists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52370/22]
119. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education the number of educational psychologists who are currently employed by the Health Service Executive; if the HSE intends not to employ educational psychologists in primary care and CAMHS services moving forward, given that trainee educational psychologists were excluded from the new funding provided for professional psychology training introduced in Budget 2023; her plans, if any, to ensure the recruitment and retainment of suitably qualified educational psychologists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52372/22]
118. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if her Department or the high-level working group, chaired by the Secretary General to examine the way in which the National Educational Psychological Services can best continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff, intend to meet or consult with an organisation (details supplied), to inform their interim recommendations in Q2 of 2023 regarding any other short-term measures required in advance of their final report to address supply issues of suitably qualified educational psychologists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52369/22]
99. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if her Department or the high-level working group, chaired by the Secretary General to examine the way in which the National Educational Psychological Services can best continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff, intend to meet or consult with an organisation (details supplied), to inform their interim recommendations in Q2 of 2023 regarding any other short-term measures required in advance of their final report to address supply issues of suitably qualified educational psychologists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52368/22]
719. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 391 of 6 October 2022, the reason that the Government is funding one cohort of trainees but not another, even though both are eligible for the same posts in child disability and psychology services post-qualification; the rationale behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51327/22]
565. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will intervene in the case of a number of Ukrainian refugees who are currently accommodated in Killarney attending a college (details supplied) and are completing courses for progression to third level, who have received two days’ notice that they will be moved to another hotel in County Mayo; the rationale for this repeated upheaval of Ukrainian refugees; if the uprooting of this particular group of students will be reconsidered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51536/22]
534. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 491 of 11 October 2022, if those in receipt of illness benefit will not be receiving the autumn bonus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51949/22]
281. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the €1,000 cost-of-living payment being made by two banks (details supplied) to their staff; if he will make inquiries as to the reason that staff of other banks are not being included in such a payment scheme; if he will encourage these financial institutions to follow suit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51464/22]
204. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications in relation to Question 131 of October 6 2022, if he will provide the actual timeframe for work being completed / commenced and the number of applicants awaiting the work to be done, as distinct from the approval time for any work (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51573/22]
328. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the increase in the childcare subsidy for parents from €0.50 to €1.40 per hour will affect those currently on means tested childcare supports or just those on the universal scheme who do not receive means testing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51015/22]
286. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the date that the social welfare double payment will be distributed; when the €500 payment for persons with a disability will be made; when the first €200 electricity credit will be applied to bill payers' accounts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50804/22]
211. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if the names of the companies that access the temporary business energy support scheme will be published by his Department; the timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50800/22]
174. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will clarify his Department's response to the current impediments placed on the ERO for security workers; if he intends to take action on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50801/22]