749. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to clarify the options available to women who have cancer and require breast surgery as regards their access to support services including breast protheses, and, in particular, whether they can attend any facility which is approved by the HSE regardless of where they are located; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33533/25]
642. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the action his Department is taking to ensure that target processing times of visa applications to the South African visa desk in the Dublin Visa Office are being met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34219/25]
641. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visa applications submitted to the South African visa desk in the Dublin Visa Office, for each month, from July 2024 to 31 May 2025; the number of applications which have been processed in the same timeline, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34218/25]
587. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a person’s (details supplied) invalidity pension appeal; when a decision will be reached given that it has been lodged for nearly a year and that serious consideration would be given to granting this allowance due to the applicant’s circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34148/25]
165. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the action his Department is taking to progress the North Ring Road in Cork city; the level of funding will be allocated for the coming year in view of the large volume of traffic forced to travel through Mayfield, including traffic heading for the port facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34134/25]
146. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the progress of the northern distributor road, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34133/25]
387. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of appointments taken in SouthDoc in Blackpool, Cork, in each of the past 12 months; the number of patients that were unable to be seen in Blackpool and were referred to SouthDoc in Kinsale Road, Cork from Blackpool in the same time period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33241/25]
386. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm the current status of SouthDoc in Blackpool, as a number of users in the northside of Cork city have stated that the service appears to be wound down, that when they call to make an appointment that they are referred to a SouthDoc service on the southside of the city which is particularly difficult for people who have limited transport options; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33240/25]
344. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that the parents of a child (details supplied) who is blind and in receipt of a free travel pass would also receive a travel pass in their own right; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33462/25]
342. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of a person’s (details supplied) disability allowance review and appeal; when a decision is likely to be reached and that serious consideration would be granted to awarding this allowance due to their medical circumstances, which are outlined in the medical documentation provided with their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33437/25]
341. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of an invalidity pension application for a person (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be reached; that serious consideration would be granted to awarding this allowance due to the nature of their medical circumstances, which are outlined in the medical documentation provided with their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33422/25]
340. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the mechanisms available by which a person (details supplied) can increase the rate of their State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33421/25]
220. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport to confirm when the new stations under the expanded commuter rail programme for Cork, such as Blackpool, Blarney, Monard and Tivoli are due to be constructed; if there is a confirmed timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33293/25]
168. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that parents/guardians of children who are blind and in receipt of a free travel pass will also receive a travel pass in their own right; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33131/25]
103. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of making fuel allowance universal for everyone over 70; that consideration will be given to implementing this change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33132/25]
41. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide an update on the implementation of an appeals system for the power-up scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32907/25]
10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the further steps the Department is taking to support small and medium enterprises to reduce the cost of energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32906/25]
814. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) who has been on the waiting list for ophthalmology treatment for a long time will receive an appointment for surgery as it is urgently needed as per their medical documentation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32129/25]
168. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if an application (details supplied) for the warmer homes scheme could be prioritised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32301/25]
561. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the current services provided by her Department to parents who have suffered pregnancy loss or miscarriage; the additional plans she intends to put in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31608/25]
560. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to establishing a baby loss certificate for early pregnancy loss-miscarriage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31607/25]
558. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to extending the special leave with pay scheme, and that some form of long term support will be put in place for these workers, particularly in view that approximately 166 employees of the HSE are affected by long-Covid since 2020 as a result of working on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31601/25]
547. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health in view of the very welcome roll-out of free HRT, whether additional supports will be provided to the small cohort or perimenopausal and menopausal women, such as those with certain cancers and women with blood clotting disorders, who cannot take HRT; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31569/25]
507. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action being taken to reopen podiatry services in the Mayfield area in Cork in view of the fact it was temporarily closed and the patients transferred to Saint Mary’s Campus, Gurranabraher to which no additional staff have been assigned to cater for the increase in numbers that they now have to deal with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31433/25]
464. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will consider introducing miscarriage leave for those who have experienced a pregnancy, miscarriage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31610/25]
463. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will consider introducing miscarriage leave for those who have experienced a miscarriage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31609/25]
445. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when ACRES-CP payments will be issued to a farmer (details supplied) for 2023 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31347/25]
444. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants in the ACRES and ACRES-CP scheme who are awaiting payments for 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31346/25]
364. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of a school’s (details supplied) application for improved toilet facilities under the emergency works scheme, as a formerly single-sex school that has transitioned to a co-educational environment, the current toilet provisions are inadequate and do not meet the needs of all students; whether serious consideration would be given for urgent approval of this application due to the circumstances of the school and the needs of the students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31683/25]
171. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm the number of additional special school places delivered for Cork for the 2025-26 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31234/25]
132. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the action her Department is taking to increase the number of school bus drivers in view of ongoing recruitment challenges of bus drivers under the school transport scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31252/25]
60. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to set out the amount of funding allocated to Defence Forces infrastructure for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to 31 May 2025, in tabular form; the number of projects completed, the number of projects under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31221/25]
56. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the progress made to date in respect of current accommodation projects being carried out by his Department to accommodate members of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31220/25]
359. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to increase capacity in the neurological rehabilitation facility in Tower, Blarney, Cork from 20 beds to 50 beds and recruit the necessary staff, taking into account that there is up to a nine-month waiting time to get into the National Rehabilitation Facility in Dún Laoghaire; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31054/25]
1485. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when the new major trauma helipad at Cork University Hospital will be completed and ready for full usage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29872/25]
1470. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health her views on the findings of a report (details supplied) in relation to the development of a system of transferable exclusivity vouchers; whether she is supportive of the introduction of such a system at Irish and EU level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29794/25]
1469. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the development of a vaccine alliance, aimed at boosting the uptake of childhood vaccines and reducing vaccine hesitancy, which was first launched by the then-Minster for Health in September 2019 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29793/25]
1468. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the 34 new whole-time equivalent positions for the agencies involved in the HSE's medicines pricing and reimbursement system, as initially prescribed in February 2023 by the then-Minister for Health, have now been successfully filled; whether they have commenced their engagement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29792/25]
1467. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she is concerned by the latest data from the EFPIA Patient Wait Indicator 2024, indicating an average wait time of 645 days for access to new medicines in Ireland, which constitutes a further disimprovement on last year's figures; to outline what plans are underway to improve the structures and speed of the system, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to review the drugs reimbursement process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29791/25]
1466. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health for an update on her plans to implement the Programme for Government commitment to investigate new methods for earlier reimbursement of certain treatments, including early access schemes for rare diseases and cancer medicines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29790/25]
1465. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if her Department is aware of an academic study (details supplied) that shows increased public health benefits, including increased vaccine coverage rates, in France, following the decision of the French government to legislate for the HPV vaccine to be administered in pharmacies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29789/25]
1416. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of pulmonary function laboratories in Ireland; the number of laboratories with vacancies for respiratory physiologists; the number of respiratory physiologist vacancies per laboratory, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29568/25]
1084. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of a citizenship application; when it is likely that same will be completed, in view that it is over 28 months since the application (details supplied) was first lodged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30699/25]
975. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if consideration would be given to the provision of a mechanism to afford flexibility in certain visa cases, in particular for family members of skilled workers who are seeking a visa, in view that many of these skilled workers do not have a family support network in the country especially during difficult or urgent circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29040/25]
958. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of a domiciliary care allowance application by a person (details supplied) for their daughter who it is documented has having medical difficulties, that serious consideration would be given to granting this domiciliary care allowance due to these difficulties and the level of care required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30680/25]
933. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of a domiciliary care allowance appeal for a person (details supplied); that serious consideration would be given to granting this allowance, due to the child’s difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30019/25]
497. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm that a school (details supplied) will be permitted to open a fourth ASD class, where the school had offered places to children to open the new ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29029/25]
387. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if consideration will be given to amending the capital acquisition tax rules so that those who are childless can leave a greater sum to loved ones in their will without a large tax bill being incurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29011/25]
212. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the other grant schemes available, not including the SEAI grant schemes, for home energy upgrades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29014/25]