419. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 532 and 533 of 9 May 2023, if he can detail the steps his Department takes in cases where a service provider has beached the terms of the core funding agreement; If a company (details supplied) has broken the terms of core funding by imposing a charge on parents for afterschool/out-of-term services, regardless of whether parents use this service and by making payment of this charge a condition of the continued use of the regular service, where previously parents who did not avail of out-of-term afterschool hours were not charged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23771/23]
172. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can outline his plans to address the crisis in elderly accommodation in the private rental market in light of a recent reports (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23480/23]
155. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can clarify the measures that he intends to take in situations where a landlord or property owner is refusing to engage with councils or approved housing bodies on the sale of a property with in-situ tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23479/23]
256. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on a report (details supplied) which highlighted that one in four employees stating they suffered from moderate levels of burnout, vicarious trauma and moderate or high levels of “compassion fatigue”; if he will acknowledge the disparity between contracts for teachers and coordinators and managers of the organisation, with the former having clearly defined roles in terms of time, pay and conditions, while the organisation’s coordinators’ work is not specified in their contracts and their pay is lower; if he plans to examine this with a view to recognising the diversity of work that the organisation’s workers carry out; if he will consider establishing equivalent levels of pay, conditions and status as their secondary education, further education and training sector colleagues; if he will outline a timeframe for such a review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23383/23]
481. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if he can clarify, given the crisis in Sudan, the pathways that exist for family reunification for Irish citizens with family members still trapped in Sudan; the efforts being made to support the relatives and families still there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22395/23]
468. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to increase the rate of pay for those working on jobs initiative schemes in light of significant increases in the cost of living, given that most of these workers are doing substantial work in their communities and are struggling to make ends meet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23082/23]
393. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify the position on defective building materials; the agency responsible for oversight in this area; if he will further clarify the protections that are available to new homeowners in terms of current house building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22424/23]
254. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he can clarify whether the TFI Real Time information app will have the same coverage and scope as the current Dublin Bus app; if he will further clarify whether route-60 will have real-time information on the TFI app; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23140/23]
181. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide clarity on three issues concerning legislation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23131/23]
69. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if she can clarify, in relation to delays with certain school building projects, when a project is at the stage where a tender report is under review by her Department; if consideration is given during this review of the possibility of builders or other contractors pulling out of the project because of protracted delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22846/23]
231. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to help evacuate the relatives of Irish citizens still trapped in Sudan; if the State will fast-track applications for family reunification or issue emergency visas to ensure family members can come to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22304/23]
71. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of recent actions by a company (details supplied) which are aimed at unilaterally changing the work contract of senior staff and separately the changing of hours and remuneration of delivery staff; if he will meet with worker representatives on foot of these moves to examine their concerns on the limitations of current legislation that governs protection of workers contracts and earnings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22142/23]
533. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if recent moves by a childcare provider (details supplied) are a breach of any undertaking not to increase child care fees under the core funding model; if the attempt by the company to charge parents for after-school fees while the child is out of school term represents a back-door way to increase fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21146/23]
532. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a company (details supplied) has signed up to the core funding model for childcare and in doing so agreed to freeze fees at 2021 levels. [21145/23]
262. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if she will urgently complete the stage 3 tender review currently with her Department (details supplied) and allow the school to progress the building programme as soon as possible; if she will acknowledge concerns about rising building costs affecting tenders meaning further delays for schools if tenders are not responded to quickly; if she will take into consideration that the disrepair of the prefabs in question is worsening daily including asbestos issues; when a decision will be forthcoming; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21058/23]
12. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [21534/23]
260. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the reason that the community neuro-rehabilitation team in CHO7 has not progressed, despite funding being made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20937/23]
82. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that the ongoing collapse of bus services in the lower Ballyfermot area, specifically the Number 60 route, is driving people away from public transport options and undermining confidence in public transport; if he is further aware of the refusal of the NTA to revise its failed plans; the issues that have arisen with BusConnects in relation to similar withdrawn or reduced services in other areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20795/23]
79. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he can detail the position in relation to public transport companies hiring bus drivers; if shortages in staff are being addressed; the current number of staff shortages affecting Bus Éireann, Go Ahead and Dublin Bus; if he or his officials have had any discussion with these companies on plans to attract and retain staff, specifically in relation to improvements in pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20796/23]
32. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether a report (details supplied) on free public transport is correct in its estimate of the impact of free public transport; the reason similar fare-free public transport schemes in other cities and regions have had a significantly greater impact than that suggested by the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20793/23]
26. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he can detail any plans to provide funding for the installation of bike bunkers in urban areas; the funding that might be allocated to such schemes; if there are any plans to roll out such projects; if the recent withdrawal of plans by Dublin City Council can be reversed by Department policies aimed to encourage active travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20794/23]
461. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he has plans to introduce legislation in the area of safeguarding for vulnerable adults; the status of the legislation; when it will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20654/23]
325. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 474 of 8 February 2023, if an exclusion order against a named person (details supplied) remains in place; if it was in effect on 3 February 2023 when the person was photographed at Shelbourne Park Stadium with a representative of Greyhound Racing Ireland after their greyhound finished first in a race; if this constituted a breach of the exclusion order which prohibits the excluded individual from being on any greyhound track; if so, the action that will be taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20757/23]
297. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if he has plans to amend Article 19A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which allows for the provision of counselling therapy records of a victim of sexual abuse to be made available to the accused abuser; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20609/23]
285. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if the review (details supplied) of the effects of the Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2020 has been published and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas; if not, if he will clarify what the delay was, given that he has replied several times that the review was imminent; if he will now clarify the date for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20425/23]
341. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can detail in relation to the building blocks grant scheme, the total number of applicants who applied for these supports; the number of applicants who failed to receive the grant; the number of successful applicants, in tabular form, per county council area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20133/23]
340. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can clarify the reason an application for the building blocks grant from (details supplied) was rejected; if such service providers have any right to appeal such decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20132/23]
314. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1097 of 21 March 2023, if the e-vetting of applicants for 2023 is being processed ahead of applicants for 2021 and 2022; the reason this is happening; the length of time the e-vetting process will take for 2021 and 2022 applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20111/23]
299. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made on proposed new legislation which would give workers who have been laid off a higher rate of jobseeker's allowance depending on their previous income in the period following their loss of employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20146/23]
241. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department has been notified about proposed layoffs at a company (details supplied) in Dublin; if he will meet with representatives of the company in relation to these layoffs; the supports available for the workers facing redundancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20145/23]
143. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will explain the rationale for granting ten prospecting licences to an Australian mining corporation in east Mayo in view of the potential negative impacts this could have on water quality in the area. [19783/23]
142. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if recent statistics released by the SEAI on retro fitting programmes are compatible with the targets for deep retro fitting previously announced by the Government; if he has any concerns on the nature of most of the work that has been carried out; if such work will result in any substantial or verifiable reduction in CO2 emissions from energy use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19784/23]
137. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he can detail proposals to increase the staff numbers and expertise working in the Commission for Regulation of Utilities specifically in order to deal with the administration of a proposed windfall energy tax on profits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19786/23]
89. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if current Government policy which sees large tracts of the State licensed for mining for rare elements and minerals in order primarily to facilitate the electrification of the private car fleet is sustainable or environmentally sound; if any reappraisal of the one million EV targets would result in a changed policy with regard to licensing mining operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19785/23]
84. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will clarify reports on the Government support for LNG of some sort in the State and specifically how such a proposal is compatible with the State's climate obligations and targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19782/23]
71. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he can clarify the position in respect of proposals to build a liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminal in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20127/23]
53. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will call in the Israeli ambassador to Ireland to establish the steps that are being taken in relation to the escalating violence by Israel on Palestinians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19618/23]
317. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that a park (details supplied) has been promised regeneration since the first Traveller Accommodation Plan was introduced 23 years ago in 1999; the status of a funding application for the regeneration of the park which was made by Dublin City Council to his Department on 3 December 2022; if a response to DCC is imminent given that it is over 19 weeks since the application was submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19061/23]
4. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the current situation in regard to the development of a national security strategy. [18283/23]
33. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he can detail the position in relation to public health teams; if the number of public health doctors have been increased; the plans to ensure same are resourced to deal with any future public health crisis such as a pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17655/23]
18. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he can report on the review of the legislation on the Termination of Pregnancy Act; if he will bring proposals to Cabinet on foot of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17654/23]
1810. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide details (details supplied) in relation to a research centre hosted by University College Dublin. [16712/23]
1533. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health when free GP-visit cards for children aged six and seven years of age will commence as announced in Budget 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17096/23]