36 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when there will be a referendum here on the new EU constitution; the way in which this compares with the ratification timetable of other EU member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30267/04]
627 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason his Department chose not to reply to correspondence and notices of action from the European Commission and preferred to argue the case before the court, with its significant cost to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29675/04]
626 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason his Department failed to comply with EU Regulation No. 2037-2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29674/04]
629 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the mechanisms that are in place to ensure compliance with EU environmental regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29677/04]
628 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of Ireland’s record concerning compliance with EU environmental regulations, he will consider upgrading or consolidating enforcement mechanisms; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29676/04]
625 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason that between 1998 and 2003, Ireland has had the second highest number of environment infringement cases of all EU member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29673/04]
474 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if she considered acquiring a hall (details supplied) in Dublin 2 in order to provide future accommodation for students.
[30207/04]
473 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the demographic and other data used in determining the location of new schools; and if data on planning applications for dwellings is used as part of this process.
[30206/04]
398 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has an estimate for the amount of time spent by the Garda Síochána in the past year in responding to false alarms from automatic domestic alarms (details supplied); his views on whether this is a wise use of resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30203/04]
378 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he intends to publish the internal Garda review into the events at the reclaim the streets manifestation in Dublin city centre on 6 May 2002.
[29803/04]
296 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will reinstate the crèche supplement as it provides vital childcare support to children and families in disadvantaged communities in the absence of the required funding supports.
[30208/04]
263 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will be raising human rights violations in China with the Chinese Vice-Premier during his upcoming visit here; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29712/04]
262 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will be raising the persecution of persons (details supplied) with the Chinese Vice-Premier when he comes here in November 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29711/04]
261 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that according to the Irish Falun Dafa Association, a person (details supplied) due to make an official visit here in November 2004, took part in the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29710/04]
256 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has an estimate of the total peat resources remaining in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30202/04]
238 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Finance the amount of tax forgone to the Exchequer due to the tax relief afforded to creative artists; the number of persons who availed of this exemption; and the amount of relief granted to each person.
[30205/04]
226 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Finance if a golf club (details supplied) in County Dublin is exempt from capital gains tax; if changes were made in the 2002 budget that altered the club’s tax status; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29745/04]
198 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the action she is taking on foot of the recommendations in the most recent report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals.
[30204/04]
122 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether there are areas of tax convergence which can and will happen within the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29978/04]
190 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason a tender has only recently issued for the provision of software assurance and system testing services for electronic voting; and his views on whether such testing should have been carried out prior to the purchase of the equipment.
[29642/04]
189 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the Commission on Electronic Voting intends to release the results of its initial testing of the equipment acquired by the State for the purposes of electronic voting, in view of the fact that the legal impediments to doing so were removed by the Government in May 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29641/04]
165 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of staff members of the Equality Authority who wish to relocate to Roscrea in County Tipperary; the number of staff members of the Equality Tribunal who wish to relocate to Portarlington in County Laois; and the number of staff employed by each of these bodies.
[29589/04]
109 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which the advance payment element of European Social Fund expenditures to be audited having regard to the May 1997 datasheets.
[29582/04]
114 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the person who wrote the small business operational programme report and final report of 2002.
[29587/04]
113 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the person to whom a person (details supplied) reported the charge of fraud when it was formally levelled in January 1999 by phone and letter.
[29586/04]
112 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the identity of his officials who dealt with Brussels and the Department of Finance during the negotiation for Regulation 2064/97.
[29585/04]
110 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the identity of his Department personnel who attended the specially convened European Union meeting to express opposition to Regulation 2064/97.
[29583/04]
108 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which Regulation 2064/97 expected European social fund funds to be audited differently from European regional development funding.
[29581/04]
107 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the person who confirmed to the Department of Finance that Regulation 2064/97 was being implemented, as required by its circular 23/98.
[29580/04]
106 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the person who confirmed to Brussels that Regulation 2064/97 had been implemented by the latest date of 30 June 1998 as required by Article 9.
[29579/04]
105 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the identity of his Department officials who were responsible for implementing EU Regulation 2064/97 as it impacted the small business operational programme.
[29578/04]
104 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the persons who were the assistant secretary general, principal officer and assistant principal officer in charge of implementing and administering the small business operational programme between 1997 and 2000.
[29577/04]
103 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department maintained to the fraud squad in its statement of 26 April 1999 that it had assured itself that the invoices related to the alleged fraud had been paid; the way in which this can be explained, in view of the later admission by his Department that it was fairly typical to release grant payment when it had assured itself that the programme was generally on course; the reason attention was not drawn in the statement to the fraud squad, that invoices were not required to match incurred expenditure at the time of draw down; and the further reason the then Tánaiste informed Dáil Éireann on two occasions and her Department informed the accused in writing on another two occasions that all relevant information had been made available, when clearly the vital evidence had been withheld.
[29576/04]
10 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has a policy to promote the establishment of farmers’ markets and if she is liaising with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in view of the important roles which local authorities can play in supporting local development of agriculture.
[29375/04]
619 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason the international Aarhus Convention Agreement signed on 25 June 1998 has not yet been laid before Dáil Éireann as apparently required under Article 29.5.1 of the Constitution.
[29588/04]
106 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Defence if he will elaborate on his statement of 24 October 2004 that the situation in Iraq would have to be much more stabilised than it is now before he would commit troops to that country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28812/04]
97 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the Defence Forces September 2004 submission in favour of participation in the EU’s new battle groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28811/04]
271 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of chaplains who are employees of and are employed directly or indirectly out of moneys provided by the Exchequer in institutes of technology, teacher training colleges, constituent colleges of the National University of Ireland, other recognised colleges of the National University of Ireland, Trinity College, Dublin, Dublin City University and the University of Limerick; and the estimate of the aggregate current annualised payroll cost in each category.
[28722/04]
241 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the health concerns regarding the low level electro-magnetic fields from the Tetra radio system in the UK; and if he will fully investigate the health concerns surrounding this prior to considering adopting such a system for use by the gardaí.
[28738/04]
93 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the effect that the Chen judgment of the European Court of Justice will have on his Department.
[28169/04]
81 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the policy reasons behind the decision that involvement in the special saving investment accounts will be counted as means against any future social welfare payments.
[28168/04]
116 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position regarding work being funded through his Department on the refurbishment of the old courthouse at Clifden, County Galway.
[28013/04]
24 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will establish and fund a national Traveller accommodation agency to ensure the delivery of the required traveller accommodation.
[27582/04]
223 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he intends to reform the antiquated legislation relating to jury duty in view of the fact that the current fine for persons who do not appear is a mere €63; and if he will consider empowering the State to make a payment to those who serve on juries or to their employers in order to reduce the burden of their civic duties.
[27311/04]
127 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he intends to reform the antiquated legislation relating to jury duty in view of the fact that the current fine for persons who do not appear is a mere €63; and if he will consider empowering the State to make a payment to those who serve on juries or to their employers in order to reduce the burden of their civic duties.
[27262/04]
76 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider applying the principle of permanence to underpin Irish immigration policy in order that all immigrants are seen as potentially permanent members of society here and provided with equal rights to Irish persons.
[27310/04]
134 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Transport the analysis he has carried out on the construction of a new direct rail line between Dublin and Navan; the projected cost of building such a line; the projected demand for a commuter service from the areas serviced by such a line; and the length of time it would it take to construct the line.
[26887/04]
87 Mr. Cuffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she has satisfied herself that the Inspector of Mental Health Services has the necessary statutory powers in relation to taking action on complaints received.
[20817/04]