2055. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 942 of 12 July 2022, if he will provide an update on the delivery of a primary care centre on Inisbofin; the details of any engagement that his Department or the HSE has had since June 2022 with the Department of Media, Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht and Sport as well as Galway City Council with a view to progressing the purchase of the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44217/22]
2054. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the progress to date of negotiations on a special scheme of paid leave for public health service employees with long-Covid; the expected timeline for the commencement of this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44216/22]
2053. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a matter (details supplied); the engagement that he or his Department has had with the affected patients and their families; the engagement that he has had with the Dental Council in relation to resolving this issue; his plans to provide an alternative care plan to the affected patients as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44215/22]
2052. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the information available from the HSE regarding uterine fibroids; his plans to ensure that accurate, up-to-date information on fibroids and fibroid treatments in Ireland is accessible to all women, and in particular those in marginalised communities; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the HSE website does not list fibroids in its A-Z list of conditions, despite the high prevalence of the condition among women, and its potentially debilitating side effects; the reason for this omission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44214/22]
2051. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1943 of 26 July 2022, the status of the development of the new outpatients department in Merlin Park Hospital; if a building contractor has been appointed to date; if construction has started to date; the expected timeline for the new outpatients department to be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44213/22]
2050. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1941 of 26 July 2022, the amount of the €557 million budget sanctioned for the Covid vaccination programme in 2022 that has been spent to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44212/22]
1780. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the organisation structures and rationale of groups (details supplied) within the HSE; if he will confirm the person or body that has oversight over each of these groups; if he will outline to whom each of these groups are accountable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42999/22]
1779. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the body of evidence used to inform the recent recommendation by the National Women and Infants Health Programme that no woman who lives further than 30 minutes away from a maternity hospital or maternity unit can give birth at home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42998/22]
1778. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of monkeypox vaccines available; the anticipated number of persons who will require a vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42997/22]
1777. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the criteria applied to determine the person or body that is eligible for a monkeypox vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42996/22]
1776. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of monkeypox vaccines administered to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42995/22]
1729. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a scheme for the automatic provision of medical cards for the survivors of abuse by a person (details supplied) many of whom continue to suffer mental and physical health effects as a result of the abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42848/22]
1728. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to meet representatives of the survivors of abuse by a person (details supplied) in relation to establishing an inquiry into the Lourdes Hospital and Fair Street Consulting Rooms in terms of the way that this abuse continued for so long; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42847/22]
1649. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of student nurses and midwives in University Hospital Galway who have received the pandemic recognition payment to date in 2022; the percentage of student nurses and midwives that that figure represents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42521/22]
1648. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of student nurses and midwives nationally who have received the pandemic recognition payment to date in 2022; the percentage of student nurses and midwives that that figure represents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42520/22]
1631. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to include catering assistants in the pandemic bonus payment working in healthcare settings during Covid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42483/22]
1282. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a timeline for the publication of the legislation underpinning the mother and baby institutions redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44224/22]
1281. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has received an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth pursuant to recent reports of the discontinuation of the promised independent review of testimony given by former residents of mother and baby institutions to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; his plans to appear before the committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44223/22]
1280. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the promised independent review of testimony given by former residents of mother and baby institutions to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; if he will make a statement on reports (details supplied) that plans for an independent review have been abandoned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44222/22]
1188. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis that her Department has carried out into increasing the rate of maternity benefit in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44202/22]
1187. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis that her Department has carried out into extending payment of maternity benefit beyond the current 26 weeks, particularly in view of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44201/22]
1036. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the membership of the school transport scheme review technical working group; the details of all meetings of the technical working group to date; if minutes are taken in respect of these meetings; if so, her plans to publish them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44179/22]
1035. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the membership of the school transport scheme review steering group; the details of all interim reports that have been received to date from the review steering group; her plans for the publication of same; the details of all meetings held by the steering group to date; if minutes are taken in respect of these meetings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44178/22]
1034. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the status of the review of the school transport scheme; the terms of reference of the review; the timeline for the completion and publication of the review; the details of all meetings held by the review group to date; if minutes are taken in respect of these meetings; if so, her plans to publish them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44177/22]
1033. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the status of the establishment of a national advisory group on school library provision, as per recommendations 7 and 19 of the May 2022 report on Leaving Certificate reform by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; the terms of reference of the group; the membership of the group; the expected timeline for all primary and post-primary schools to have a school library, school librarian and full access to the school digital library service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44176/22]
1032. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the analysis that her Department has carried out in advance of Budget 2023 into expanding the number of Junior Certificate school programme libraries in secondary schools from the existing 30 as per the 2005 DEIS plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44175/22]
1031. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a campaign (details supplied); her plans for the upcoming Budget 2023 to maintain the Budget 2022 €20 million investment in books for rebuilding schools’ library stocks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44174/22]
1030. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the engagement that she has had with Bus Éireann with regard to extending eligibility for bus drivers on the school transport scheme over the age of 70 years, subject to a medical assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44173/22]
1029. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education her plans to urgently increase capacity on the school transport scheme given the increase in demand for the 2022/2023 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44172/22]
791. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of the products or services delivered to the Irish Defence Forces in return for the €1.06 million paid to date to NATOs Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System Group Executive; the benefits that Ireland has gained in regard to the security and defence of Irish territory from this expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43234/22]
790. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the equipment and gear being carried by the Air Corps PC-12 (details supplied) which is currently stranded in Uganda after being used to collect equipment and gear left behind by Defence Forces members who evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in mid-August 2022. [43223/22]
785. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Defence his views on a statement by the European Union Vice President High Representative for Foreign Affairs (details supplied); his views on whether it is a European Union competence to change the State's foreign policy, particularly regarding the declaration of war; his views on whether the statement reflects an agreement to which the Government has given its assent in the Council of Europe; the action that he will take at European Union level to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42851/22]
778. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress that has been made to date on increasing the budget for overseas development aid to 0.7% of GNI, in line with the Programme for Government; if his Department is on-track to meet this target by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44196/22]
777. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of permissions granted for overflights by foreign military aircraft in Irish airspace granted in each of the years 1998 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44195/22]
776. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of United Nations peacekeeping mission Operation MONUSCO; Ireland’s involvement in the mission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44194/22]
775. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the provisions that were included in his Department’s statement of strategy and high-level strategic goals to ensure that Ireland would take a more proactive approach to bring about a consensus at European Union level towards a negotiated and lasting peace process in the Middle East in the context of the programme for Government entitled Our Shared Future; the outcomes and performance indicators with regard to the promotion and protection of human rights that were identified in these plans; if the implementation of these goals has been reviewed; the result of such reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44157/22]
774. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will issue a public statement calling on Israel to rescind the terrorism designation made without evidence against Palestinian human rights organisations and demand that Israel desists from any further action which would threaten the work of these organisations, including raiding their offices, arresting their staff or preventing them going about their legitimate work, or interdicting finances given Ireland’s condemnation of Israel’s night-time raid on Palestinian human rights organisations on 18 August 2022 and Ireland’s support for a vibrant and independent Palestinian civil society, and taking into account that Israel is likely planning further raids on these organisations as they return to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44156/22]
754. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason that Ireland is incurring administrative costs of between €66,000 and €107,000 a year for rent and phone bills to pay for a staff presence at NATO headquarters given that Ireland is not a NATO member and that any support work needed by the Irish ambassador to Belgium as part of their duties as Ireland's official representative to NATO could be carried out at the Irish embassy in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43236/22]
753. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason that Ireland recently contributed €407,328 to the renovation of NATO office spaces in view of the fact that NATO is an extremely well-funded organisation and that there should be no need for non-members to contribute to the upkeep of its offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43235/22]
752. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reasons given by the Sudanese authorities for the refusal to give the Air Corps PC-12 (details supplied) which is currently stranded in Entebbe airport in Uganda permission to depart, given that it had received permission to depart Entebbe airport for the Democratic Republic of the Congo just a few days earlier. [43224/22]
737. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on a statement by the European Union Vice President High Representative for Foreign Affairs (details supplied); his views on whether it is a European Union competence to change the State's foreign policy, particularly regarding the declaration of war; his views on whether the statement reflects an agreement to which the Government has given its assent in the Council of Europe; the action that he will take at European Union level to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42850/22]
736. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of persons who have travelled from Ireland to fight in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on 24 February 2020; the number who have died; the number who remain in active combat there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42849/22]
734. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the total number of United States military aircraft overflights that were granted in each of the years from 1998 to 2021 and date in 2022, in tabular form. [42793/22]
733. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs to total number of United States military aircraft landings at Shannon Airport in each of the years from 1998 to 2021 and date in 2022, in tabular form. [42792/22]
578. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 623 of 26 July 2022, when the full-time vacancy officer will be in place in Galway City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43018/22]
418. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Finance the actions that have been taken by his Department pursuant to the 2019 judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union in joined cases (details supplied); the amount of aid money which has been recovered to date as a result of this judgment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44200/22]
379. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Finance his plans to assist those earning between €20,000 and €30,000 to deal with the cost-of-living crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43015/22]
217. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the total number of overflights granted over Irish sovereign territory in each of the years from 1998 to 2021 and date in 2022, in tabular form. [42791/22]
216. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the total number of United States military contract landings at Shannon Airport in each of the years from 1998 to 2021 and date in 2022, in tabular form. [42790/22]
215. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the total number of permits issued for the carriage of munitions of war through Ireland or Irish airspace in each of the years from 1998 to 2021 and date in 2022, in tabular form. [42789/22]