22. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the action his Department is taking to reduce the timeframe for the SEAI warmer homes scheme application process, in view that the timeline for each stage has steadily increased over the past 12 months, whereby it is now taking approximately 24 months from approval to completion, in view that many applicants are elderly, live in low BER-rated property and require their property to be urgently updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18008/25]
1092. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there has been any engagement between his Department and the Department of Health in respect of adopting a joint approach about the management and maintenance of burial grounds which are under the management or control of the Department of Health or HSE, with a view to adopting a joint approach as to how these burial grounds would be best managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16955/25]
802. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm that consideration would be given to permitting a child (details supplied) attending an ECCE service before commencing primary school in the autumn to continue to attend a school aged childcare facility during the easter break and summer months, as the family have been informed that due to new Tusla regulations, this is no longer possible, but the facility have confirmed to the family that a place would be available for the child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16656/25]
565. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a school place for a child (details supplied) with additional needs be made available for the school year 2025/2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17580/25]
493. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the current status of an additional accommodation project application by a school (details supplied); when they can proceed to the next phase; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16906/25]
158. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education to confirm the details of the new special school for Cork based in Carrignavar and, in the interim, Fermoy; when applications for the school will open; the way parents can apply for children for same; if criteria have been developed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17212/25]
152. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the number of additional special school places that have been provided for Cork for the 2025-2026 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17213/25]
103. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the up-to-date position in respect of the Blackpool flood relief scheme in view of the fact that there was major flooding over 12 years ago, that it was agreed that a flood relief programme would be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16045/25]
102. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if his Department has now received an up-to-date environmental impact study in respect of the Blackpool flood relief scheme; the timeframe for when the public consultation will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16046/25]
94. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if his Department has now received an up-to-date environmental impact study in respect of the Blackpool flood relief scheme; the timeframe for when the public consultation will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16513/25]
42. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider increasing the age related tax exemption to income tax from €18,000 per annum where an individual is aged 65 years or over, and €36,000 per annum for married couples and civil partners, jointly assessed to tax, where either individual is aged 65 or over, in view of the fact that there have been increases to the State pension in the past number of years and this exemption has not been increased since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16043/25]
40. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider increasing the small gift exemption for capital acquisitions tax from €3,000 to €5,000 from each person per year, as it has not been increased for a long number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16044/25]
342. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason why women with stress incontinence are not offered mid-urethral sling surgery as an option, despite the national clinical guidelines recommending that women have a choice of procedure and that the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022, providing for their legal right to make informed decisions about their health; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16280/25]
338. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the current chief medical officer has provided an update on the pause of mesh for the surgical treatment of stress incontinence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16234/25]
337. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the National Mesh Oversight Group has produced the report it was commissioned to complete by the end of 2023; if so, when this report will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16233/25]
336. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the 19 recommendations made by the chief medical officer in his 2018 report "The use of Uro-Gynaecological mesh in surgical procedures" have been addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16232/25]
335. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason the pause on mid-urethral sling surgery has not been lifted even though national guidelines which were commissioned, endorsed and published by the HSE in January 2023, recommend that all women who need surgery for stress urinary incontinence should be offered this as an option alongside all other appropriate surgical operations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16231/25]
334. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the "pause" of mesh for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence that has been in place since July 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16230/25]
323. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of recipients of the HSE treatment abroad scheme aged 25 plus years of age who have travelled outside of Ireland for specialised cancer treatment not available in Ireland in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; including the total number of applicants to the scheme seeking to avail of specialised cancer treatment for each of those years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16145/25]
322. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of recipients of the HSE treatment abroad scheme aged 0 to 24 years of age who have travelled outside of Ireland for specialised cancer treatment not available in Ireland in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; including the total number of applicants to the scheme seeking to avail of specialised cancer treatment for each of those years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16144/25]
321. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to detail the circumstances where air or sea travel fares are covered for patients, or a travelling companion, under the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16143/25]
320. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the financial supports for travel expenses, and other related costs, available to patients, or their travelling companion, under the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16142/25]
319. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if State supports for those looking to quit nicotine inhaling products, such as e-cigarettes and vapes are being considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16141/25]
318. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide the total number of people who received a cancer diagnosis via a pigmented lesion rapid access clinic, for each quarter from 2016 to 2025, respectively, in tabular form. [16140/25]
317. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide the total number of people who attended a pigmented lesion rapid access clinic nationally; including the number who were offered an appointment within the recommended timeframe, for each quarter from 2016 to 2025 to date, respectively, in tabular form. [16139/25]
316. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide a list, including the geographical breakdown, of each of the businesses offering sunbeds who notified the HSE Environmental Health Service, based on the latest available data. [16138/25]
315. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of businesses offering sunbeds according to the HSE National Environmental Health Service in each of the years 2014 to 2025, in tabular form. [16137/25]
314. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the progress made to alleviate the pressure that pharmacist staff at the HSE corporate pharmaceutical unit (CPU) are working under because of resource challenges; the total current personnel numbers for the CPU (including whole-time equivalent data) and comparative data for March 2024 and March 2023; the plans that exist to address resource challenges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16130/25]
95. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance the volume of nicotine pouch sales recorded in the off-trade, by volume, and monetary value in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16146/25]
48. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department is taking regarding succession in farming, in view that this is a critical issue which must be urgently addressed by the delivery of a comprehensive succession policy with the outcome of a succession scheme that specifically addresses the barriers to entry for young farmers into the agricultural sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13797/25]
10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts being made by his Department to prioritise improvements in farmer mental health and well-being supports, in particular supports for rural mental health programmes, recognising the unique challenges faced by those in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13798/25]
422. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the status of an application by a school (details supplied) under the emergency works scheme given a revised itemised cost breakdown was submitted to the Department on 18 February 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15653/25]
251. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if an exemption could be made for an SEAI warmer homes scheme application (details supplied), in view that the applicant is the spouse of the person in receipt of the qualifying social welfare allowance, which is a requirement in the eligibility criteria of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15050/25]
128. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding provided to community groups in Cork by his Department in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14531/25]
105. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding provided to community groups in the north-west local electoral area of Cork city by his Department in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14537/25]
60. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the Higher Education Authority has reached agreement with third level institutions to increase the number of training places for dental students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14520/25]
42. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current the position in respect of the number of new medical students registering at each third level education institution from 2020 to 2024; the number of new Irish students in each institution and the number of international students in each institution in these years; the progress that has been made with the Higher Education Authority with a view to increasing the number of training places for Irish students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14521/25]
264. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the position in respect of the supply and delivery of enhanced inactivated influenza vaccines for older people for the winter season 2025-2026 as the HSE have now withdrawn from the tendering process for enhanced vaccine for this period; whether the HSE will reopen discussions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14557/25]
47. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Finance if he will liaise with the relevant authorities to review the current system for claiming tax relief regarding the purchase of Gluten free foods by those with a diagnosis of coeliac disease as the current system places a considerable administrative burden on them, since each item purchased must have a receipt and some retail outlets do not issue same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14558/25]
837. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if there has been any engagement between her Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of adopting a joint approach about the management and maintenance of burial grounds under their management or under their control; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14089/25]
836. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if her Department and the HSE have entered into arrangements with local authorities for the management and maintenance of these burial grounds and if any process is in place to transfer the control of same to the local authorities in the respective areas where these burial grounds are situated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14088/25]
835. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the process that has been put in place by her Department and the HSE to help identify the names of the people who are buried in these burial grounds under their management or under their control, and the institutions from which they resided in prior to their death; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14087/25]
834. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the details of the process in place throughout each of the HSE areas in respect of the management and maintenance of burial grounds which are in their ownership or under their control; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14086/25]
833. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the burial grounds which are under the control of her Department and the HSE, by county and which were previously managed by the local health authorities or the health boards, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14085/25]
832. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if an audit has been carried out by her Department and the HSE to identify all of the burial grounds which are in the ownership or under their control, and which said grounds were used for the burial of persons from mental health facilities, mother and baby homes, industrial schools, and other institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14084/25]
746. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she has plans to open a public procurement competition for the provision of clinical genetic testing in Ireland; if so, the anticipated timeline for implementation; and the plans she has for retaining genetic testing within Ireland using an accredited laboratory testing centre. [13652/25]
745. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the guidance provided by the HSE to public consultant clinicians on where patient blood samples should be sent for genetic testing; what countries Irish patient blood samples are sent to for testing; the process for validating and approving these testing laboratories; if they send the samples to ISO 15189 accredited laboratories in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13651/25]
744. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health her plans for developing a national genomic processing service; when this will be done; if accredited companies located in Ireland will be included in the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13650/25]
743. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health her plans to address the shortage of accredited genetic testing services for patients in Ireland; her views on public hospital laboratories not having the resources, equipment, or accreditation to meet the clinical genetic testing needs of patients and clinicians; how she proposes to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13649/25]