444. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if the WRC or other body will take action or investigate employers that are implementing unilateral pay cuts often while availing of the temporary wage subsidy scheme but insisting their employers work normal weekly hours, as a result of which is resulting in new hourly rates that are below the national minimum wage or agreed sectoral hourly rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8713/20]
200. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the Department responsible for the Covid-19 working group for the English language education sector has sought or will seek the opinions and input of teachers in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8733/20]
199. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to ensure that representatives of teachers in English language teaching colleges are represented and heard at the Covid-19 working group for the English language education sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8732/20]
154. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the campaign by parents in Crumlin, Dublin 12, for the re-opening of a school (details supplied) as an ASD specific school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8362/20]
70. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance the supports in place or that are planned to be implemented to aid small businesses (details supplied) that in attempting to reopen their business, find that employees previously availing of the temporary wage subsidy scheme are unable to return to work, leaving many small businesses with no option but to recruit new employees that they cannot avail of the temporary wage subsidy scheme for. [8707/20]
1010. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the actions she plans to take regarding the closure of a business (details supplied); and if changes in legislation are planned to prevent employers taking similar actions in the months ahead specifically in respect of redundancy legislation and the provisions of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003. [8124/20]
1009. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason for stopping the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment to residents in direct provision centres who lost their jobs as a result of the crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8123/20]
1008. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending maternity leave to all women currently on leave or who were on leave prior to the passing of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 for three months or until that legislation is revoked. [8122/20]
915. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide the details of road passenger transport operators that received payments in respect of the acceptance of the free travel pass on their bus services; and the list of routes for which these operators received payment for 2019. [7432/20]
631. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of patients released from acute hospitals to residential nursing homes since January 2020; if a protocol was in place in relation to Covid-19 in the transfer of these patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8198/20]
630. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the interventions made by his Department and the HSE in meat processing plants in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak; and the inspections undertaken by public health bodies in these plants. [8197/20]
519. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his views on the recent transfer of land earmarked for the development of the new national maternity hospital by an organisation (details supplied); if the land will be owned by the State or owned by an organisation and leased by the State; if it is leased, the terms and duration of the lease; and if the organisation will have a mandate or influence in respect of the ethos of the hospital. [7140/20]
330. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the impact on applicants that need or seek a new or renewed visa application after 20 May 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7197/20]
1343. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of units for emergency accommodation currently being used in hotel settings. [5965/20]
1342. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the RTB should hear cases from tenants who have had their deposits retained by landlords or other disputes, who are not in tenancies covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 but who have faced issues of eviction and non-refunding of deposits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5963/20]
1243. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have applied for SWA since March 2020; and the number of those that are on the wage subsidy scheme. [6157/20]
1178. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of workers who have been placed on the wage subsidy scheme but also informed or have had to apply for supplementary welfare payments due to the fact that their earnings on the scheme are too low. [6155/20]
714. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the interventions made by the HSE and the HPSC in direct provision centres, specifically on-site visits or inspections of these sites by public health teams and staff. [5968/20]
713. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the location and date of the first Covid-19 positive cases identified in residential nursing homes. [5967/20]
712. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if positive cases of Covid-19 were identified in a facility (details supplied) among residents in the direct provision system by the HSE; and if so, the date on which these were confirmed or suspected as Covid-19 cases. [5966/20]
594. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her views on cases in which workers are told their company is accessing the WSS and in which this results in a payment significantly below the PUP €350 or the regular jobseeker’s payment due to the fact the calculation is based on earnings for January and February 2020 and the workers concerned may have had little net earnings due to the fact their work is seasonal in nature; the remedy open to workers in this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6154/20]
571. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to empower the HSA to close down workplaces that are in breach of Covid-19 safety guidelines and ensure the protection of employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5970/20]
570. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to ensure the HSA can carry out on-site inspections of workplaces as a result of complaints from workers over unsafe practices in regard to Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5969/20]
441. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the safeguards and oversights in place to protect direct provision residents who are forced to self-isolate; and if dietary and other needs at a centre (details supplied) have been deemed as suitable for residents self-isolating. [5972/20]
440. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of positive Covid-19 cases and clusters in direct provision centres; and the number of these occurring in new centres opened specifically as a response to the Covid-19 crisis. [5971/20]
438. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number and causes of deaths in direct provision and emergency accommodation centres in 2019 and to date in 2020, in line with the recommendations of the 2020 report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. [5896/20]
254. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a series of matters will be clarified regarding the situation in respect of third level courses such as social care studies that require students to finish placements of up to 800 hours in a workplace (details supplied). [6266/20]
92. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance the number of employees who have been placed on the wage subsidy scheme and whose earnings are below €350 from this scheme and are not in receipt of any top-up from their employer; and the amount of weekly subsidy these workers receive from the scheme in bands below €350 (details supplied). [6158/20]
86. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if payments or expenses are being paid to a person (details supplied) for services provided during the Covid-19 crisis to the Government and An Taoiseach. [5962/20]
85. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance the number of transnational corporations availing of the wage subsidy scheme; the number of their employees on the scheme; and the sectors of industry in which they operate. [5961/20]
84. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance the number of employers, registered for tax purposes as offshore, that have availed of the wage subsidy scheme; and the cost of the scheme in these cases. [5960/20]
83. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if he will instruct the Revenue Commissioners to defer collection of the LPT from those affected by the Covid-19 crisis, that is, those on the pandemic unemployment payment or in the wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5959/20]
998. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is satisfied with the resourcing of the office of the Just Transition Commissioner and team in terms of finance, budget and staffing; his views on whether the role which is part-time should be full-time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4861/20]
526. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the laboratories and companies that will conduct the new HPV testing for cervical cancer screening; if more than one company is involved; the expected percentage of the overall testing to be done by each laboratory concerned; the location of the laboratories and institutions concerned; his plans to repatriate the service fully here; and the criteria and the weight given to costs in awarding the contracts to the laboratories and companies. [4239/20]
347. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the documents that are uniquely required for the category of short-stay spousal visa in circumstances in which an Irish citizen and his or her spouse are making a visa application online; the financial amount considered sufficient for the applicant and the person concerned or a sponsor (details supplied) to have at the time of application; the way in which the applicant can satisfy the State via documentation or statements that he or she is obliged to return to the applicant's country of origin after the visit; and if qualifications such as university qualifications and language certificates such as the international English language testing system, IELTS, affect the likelihood of obtaining a visa. [4204/20]
55. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance if persons that had previously a history of having purchased a home but that have since relinquished a holding in the property with no financial gain will be considered for the help-to-buy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4165/20]
25. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his officials have been lobbied or received a representation from the Chinese Embassy in relation to the use of the Convention Centre in Dublin by a group (details supplied); and the reason for the refusal of the centre to host the show. [4161/20]
1086. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of early years practitioners that participated in the Better Start CDP initiative in 2019; the number of practitioners that paid for their attendance; the rate of pay they received; and the amount spent on the initiative. [3088/20]
753. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if an apartment built in 1997, which complied with fire safety regulations at the time, is now obliged to upgrade its fire alarm systems in order to comply with 2013 regulations. [52916/19]
625. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the need for a women’s refuge in County Carlow will be examined in order to provide safe accommodation for women in emergency situations (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53181/19]
451. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 445 of 10 December 2019, the details of the English study referred to; the location in the study in which the figure of 20% discordance in relation to false negatives compared to high grade abnormalities in view of the fact the study suggests a discordance of 14.9%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53223/19]
67. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the additional resources allocated to address low pay in the Defence Forces and the expected increases in pay across various grades in 2020. [53017/19]
59. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to recognise representative associations for members of the Defence Forces; his plans to allow such bodies to join a union (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53015/19]
129. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the funding and expenditure not spent by each Department and returned to the Exchequer in 2019. [51923/19]
114. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Finance his plans to extend the first-time buyers help to buy incentive scheme to cover second-hand houses and apartments and not just new builds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51925/19]
62. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if income limits for access to the social housing waiting lists will be examined in view of recent reports that show the difficulty of persons accessing affordable housing and the inability of many to qualify for mortgages but who are above income limits for local authority housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51863/19]
53. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of children in emergency accommodation in each local authority area; the average period of time spent by children in accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51864/19]
683. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the €20 million allocation for retrofitting homes in the midlands under the just transition plan is funding from the SEAI or from other sources; the amount that will be spent in 2020 and thereafter; the counties to which the allocation will be targeted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49389/19]
446. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if the exact same standards of measuring of that which constitutes a discordant slide upon review as opposed to a concordant slide are employed by the ongoing slide review involving cases of cervical cancer in the UK referenced by a college (details supplied) and its own methodology used in a recent review. [51753/19]