348 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a target in the National Climate Change Strategy for Ireland 2000 (details supplied); and the progress which has been made towards meeting this target; and the goals outlined elsewhere in the strategy.
[3048/05]
193 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made representations to the Indonesian Government concerning the dispersal of aid to all areas of Indonesia affected by the tsunami disaster; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2809/05]
92 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the Irish aid effort to Asia following the tsunami disaster; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2808/05]
172 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider redeploying persons processing asylum claims to the section dealing with citizenship, in view of the decline in numbers of asylum applications.
[2253/05]
171 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the waiting period for applicants for naturalization; and the number of civil servants involved in processing the applications.
[2252/05]
170 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if there have been cases in which citizenship was withdrawn in the past ten years.
[2251/05]
169 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who have been granted citizenship in the past ten years under the naturalisation, post nuptial declaration schemes; and the main reasons for the refusals.
[2250/05]
168 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who have made applications for naturalisation in the past ten years.
[2249/05]
167 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to circumstances surrounding the visit of the Vice Premier of China to Dublin in November 2004 (details supplied); if it is not the role of Garda to ensure that visiting politicians do not see protests against them; if the Garda will not become involved in such blatant political favouritism again.
[2248/05]
38 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will review her stance on genetically modified crops on the basis that guarantees cannot be given into the future for health and safety in the absence of long term intergenerational health and safety assessments.
[1937/05]
348 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Finance if progress has been made with amending the State Property Act to ensure that the Companies Office notifies his Department if a residue has accrued to the State from companies that have been struck off the Register of Companies.
[34596/04]
124 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Brussels on 21 November 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1521/05]
98 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Defence the number of complaints received from members of the armed forces since the bullying in the workplace initiative was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1520/05]
115 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passports for Irish children under the age of 18 which have been issued by his officials to the parents of Irish children; the number of Irish children recorded on the passports of their parents in the knowledge that a parent or parents were to be deported imminently in the past three years.
[32576/04]
71 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he plans to take measures to ensure that community employment schemes are extended to a broader range of persons, particularly to those with a disability.
[33849/04]
27 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has commissioned or carried out studies on the effects of the rising age profiles on regulations governing employment and, in particular, on regulations governing retirement; and if he will report on the conclusions of these studies.
[33850/04]
89 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes, in cash terms, affecting the welfare cuts announced in November 2003.
[33467/04]
41 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of sub-post office managers who made occupation benefit contributions but have received no benefit due to the fact that they were defined as agents and not employees.
[33466/04]
329 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his Department is responsible for the payment of direct provision allowances; if there is a unit with responsibility for the payment and for the welfare needs of persons living in direct provision.
[33336/04]
328 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the breakdown of the figure of €350 million, which he says was spent on asylum seekers two years ago; the direct beneficiaries of the largest payments; the amount of it that goes directly to asylum seekers; and the amount of this of which persons who are not allowed to work.
[33335/04]
310 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in the past three years, the gardaí have seized any heroin here which, upon analysis, was found to contain rat poison; if so, the dates on which the heroin was seized, the quantity that was found to contain the rat poison and the concentration of the rat poison in the heroin.
[33036/04]
208 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the direct provision allowance is €19.10 for an adult and €9.60 for a dependent child; if this rate of payment has not increased since it was introduced in 1999; and if so, the reason therefore; the way in which he ensures that the other needs of children are met, such as clothing and educational materials; the efforts that are made to ensure that asylum seekers are not at risk of poverty; and if he will report on the success of these efforts.
[33337/04]
64 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the person by whom €4.5 million in grants were repaid to Údarás na Gaeltachta in the years 1998 to 2002, inclusive, according to its annual reports; the reason these sums were repaid; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33280/04]
43 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason it was necessary for Údarás na Gaeltachta to make an exceptional provision for depreciation in 2002, ten times the normal annual provision; if the previous policy on depreciation was inadequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33281/04]
235 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the national climate change strategy for Ireland 2000 states on page 50 that, in the commercial sector, a mandatory energy rating system will be developed to promote greater awareness of the cost of energy as a portion of the overall costs of building rental and adjustments to the tax treatment of leases will be made if it becomes clear by 2003 that the energy rating system is not providing the necessary incentive on its own to reduce energy use in the sector; the progress that has been made towards meeting this specific target and the goals outlined elsewhere in the strategy.
[32851/04]
232 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the level of registration by landlords with the Private Residential Tenancies Board; and the action he intends to take to ensure greater compliance.
[32932/04]
15 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will be seeking the advice of independent experts who have an intimate knowledge of the archaeology and history of the area in regard to the proposed M3 motorway through the Tara Skryne area (details supplied); and if he grants permission for this development through the Tara landscape will he, in consideration of the exceptional sensitivity of this landscape, insist that an independent archaeological authority oversee this work to ensure standards of best archaeological practice shall be observed at all times.
[32793/04]
37 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans for the development of local government; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32815/04]
3 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in regard to the proposed M3 motorway through the Tara-Skryne area, he has declared that he is seeking archaeological advice before making an informed decision on the matter; if he will seek the advice of independent experts who have an intimate knowledge of the archaeology and history of this area; and if he grants permission for this development through the Tara landscape, if he will, in consideration of the exceptional sensitivity of this landscape, insist that an independent archaeological authority oversees this work to ensure standards of best archaeological practice shall be observed at all times.
[32931/04]
164 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the Government will address, through the provision of postal votes to prisoners, the inconsistency in a system that concedes that prisoners have the right to vote but chooses not to allow them the capacity to exercise that most fundamental of rights, a position which the European Court of Human Rights found contravened the European Convention on Human Rights earlier in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32584/04]
42 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will introduce a pilot needle exchange in prisons here in view of the conclusions of the study, Prison Needle Exchange: Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of International Evidence and Experience.
[32573/04]
40 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has satisfied himself that procedures are in place to protect prisoners from hepatitis C infection through the use of non-sterilised equipment by prison barbers.
[32574/04]
424 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he is taking to make Ireland’s concerns regarding the Sellafield nuclear plant known to the British Government and to ensure its closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32052/04]
423 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has plans to increase recycling options for recipients of the 2.4 million new telephone books distributed annually to households here; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32051/04]
183 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason responsibility in the Disability Bill 2004 for personal advocacy services is given to Comhairle, while the Bill proposes that interpreting services be contracted out; if strict criteria will be attached to a service provider awarded the tender for interpreting services (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32053/04]
106 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider introducing support mechanisms for rail freight transport such as exists in other European countries, for example, the direct subvention of rail freight or the provision of tax exemptions for every kilometre of road freight transport that is diverted to rail.
[32395/04]
129 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if a transparent consultation and planning process will be put in place to ensure that the redevelopment of the Central Mental Hospital will be in line with best international practice.
[27279/04]
115 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the latest figures for the number of anti-depressants prescribed in the Dublin area; the reason for the increase in the amount of drugs prescribed; the steps she is taking to ensure that fewer are prescribed; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[31711/04]
69 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether stress causes much illness; her further views on the latest Feasta review that much of this stress is due to the economic system and in particular to inequality in society here; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[31710/04]
119 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she has plans to review the Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[31603/04]
432 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider granting to asylum seekers, who do not qualify for recognition as refugees but who are in need of protection, leave to remain on humanitarian grounds.
[31113/04]
431 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider granting residency rights to persons who have been waiting more than two years for a decision on their asylum application.
[31112/04]
430 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider granting residency rights to non-Irish parents with children born here who had applied for residency prior to the Supreme Court decision of January 2003.
[31111/04]
429 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider giving the right to work to asylum seekers whose applications have not been processed within six months of arrival here.
[31110/04]
135 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has asked for research to be carried out on the potential production of ethanol from existing industrial facilities such as sugar processing plants; and the supports which might be required to encourage private industry to switch to such processing methods.
[31238/04]
107 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the amount of wind energy generation capacity connected to the grid; and the new capacity he expects to come on line in 2005.
[31237/04]
31 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if she intends to review sex education in second level schools in view of the increase in pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases; her views on the provision of contraception in second level schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30629/04]
79 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the contacts he has had with the Palestinian Authority following the death of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat; his views on the impact which the president’s death will have on the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30266/04]