79. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the promised changes to the income supplement scheme under the bovine TB programme will come into effect, whereby these changes are to be backdated to 1 February 2023, given farmers whose herd have been identified with tuberculosis this year may be missing out on a month's income support from his Department as a result of the timeline between when TB was identified in the herd and when the infected livestock were removed from the farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46500/23]
71. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what action his Department is taking to increase opportunities for women in agriculture, given women are under-represented in the Irish agri-sector; if data collection will be undertaken in the current CAP programme to inform the design of schemes in future programmes in such way as to increase their opportunities in agriculture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46499/23]
594. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when an increase to the fees payable to contractors for a standard eye examination under the community ophthalmic services scheme will be implemented, in view of the fact that he gave a commitment to implement this change in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46535/23]
454. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will receive respite care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46068/23]
453. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will be provided with a wheelchair, as it is urgently required by them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46067/23]
452. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital will be seen by a speech and language therapist in Cork from the children's disability network team to assist with their communication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46066/23]
451. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an application for a child (details supplied) who is currently attending Crumlin Children’s Hospital’s, for a communication device to the children's disability network team assist with their communication, given their previous device broke; when a decision is likely to be reached in this case as it is urgently required by them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46065/23]
432. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the highlighting pathways to empower rural women to have sustainable and equitable livelihoods in farming, HER-SELF, research project; when it is envisaged same will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46501/23]
414. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will support mandatory trauma-informed training for all of those who engage with victims/survivors of crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46650/23]
413. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will set aside dedicated funding for the purposes of community rejuvenation and diversion programmes to support young people who are at risk of going into crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46649/23]
412. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will ring fence dedicated funding to support an alarm grant scheme to be made available for small- and medium-sized businesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46648/23]
411. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to the expansion of her Department’s Community-based CCTV grant aid scheme in order that small- and medium-sized businesses can avail of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46647/23]
410. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will ring fence dedicated funding to fully implement her Department’s Zero Tolerance Action Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46646/23]
409. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to increasing the number of refuge places to 470 from the current target of 280, to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations under the Istanbul Convention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46645/23]
408. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will support the funding of a public information campaign to promote knowledge of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46644/23]
407. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will give consideration to the establishment of the position of a Victims Commissioner to represent victims of crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46643/23]
372. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider providing additional funding next year to the treatment benefit scheme, to increase optical benefit payments claims by dispensing opticians and optometrists under the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46536/23]
330. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the results of the focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines relating to minimum setback distance for wind turbines from homes and residential areas will be released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46395/23]
109. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection when the new system to enable long-term carers to qualify for a State pension will take effect; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46186/23]
56. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes she is making to her Department’s free travel scheme to support people with epilepsy and other medical conditions who cannot drive but are not in receipt of a social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46185/23]
261. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Ireland/New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism (JRM) pilot research initiative; what progress has been made to date on the four projects funded under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45897/23]
249. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice to confirm the current status and provide an update on an application for citizenship (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45913/23]
183. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the addition of a bespoke seasonal employment permit scheme for foreign workers for fruit-picking and other seasonal employments in the horticulture sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45895/23]
129. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline the supports that have been made available for third level students, those attending further and higher education and apprentices in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45739/23]
83. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to confirm the number of students who will benefit from measures aimed at those in further and higher education in budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45740/23]
60. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to outline what measures were included in Budget 2024 to support tourism; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45754/23]
47. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to confirm how much Government expenditure was spent on tourism supports and projects in Cork in 2022 and to date in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45753/23]
303. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of an application by an organisation (details supplied) to Pobal for funding for an additional full-time worker; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45759/23]
603. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration would be given to the inclusion certified athletic therapists in the CORU regulation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45206/23]
602. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm if any further progress has been made to date by his Department regarding the inclusion of certified athletic therapists in the CORU regulation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45205/23]
601. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on progress made to date by his Department on work to develop a policy framework to guide policy on the regulation of health and social care professionals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45204/23]
600. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE posts vacant across all community healthcare services by CHO area and region, including the length of time the post has been vacant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45202/23]
599. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the waiting list for podiatry appointments by CHO area and region including the length of time each person has been waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45201/23]
591. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when he and his Department will be prepared to sign the Joint Ministerial Declaration on the Guarantee of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the European Union; the reason it was not possible to sign the declaration with the other Member States at the time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45168/23]
433. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of funding applications made by Cork County Council to his Department in respect of the Old Pier at Keelbeg, Union Hall, County Cork, in tabular form, over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45198/23]
393. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice to confirm the status of an application for Irish citizenship by naturalisation (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be reached, given that it is over 29 months since the application was submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45086/23]
310. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of new houses and apartments which are managed by local authorities or voluntary housing agencies, and which have become available and are occupied for each of the years ending 31 December 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44727/23]
221. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if suitable transport can be identified for a total of 25 children (details supplied) to attend the school in view of the large number involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44735/23]
146. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the current average waiting time for driving tests nationally; what progress has been made to date in reducing the five-month waiting time for driving tests experienced by applicants earlier in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45196/23]
145. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport if consideration will be given to the addition of a cancellation list for driving test appointments at test centres nationally to facilitate those who urgently require a driving test appointment in view of the current five-month waiting time for a test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45195/23]
77. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to a review of the current retirement age of school bus drivers and increasing the age limit beyond 70 years provided they hold the requisite licence and satisfy an annual medical examination, in view of the difficulty in getting school bus drivers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45112/23]
61. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the action her Department is taking to ensure that all pupils who apply for school transport next year will be facilitated in view that a number of bus routes that were oversubscribed this year leaving many students without transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45113/23]
112. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a school (details supplied) that completed a Stage 2B submission on 2 June 2023 to the building unit of her Department under the additional accommodation scheme will be permitted to proceed to tender for this project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44522/23]
36. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a team has been appointed to conduct a review of the occupations on the critical skills occupation list and ineligible occupations list for employment permits; when this review will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44399/23]
87. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider extending the quota of meat processor operatives under general employment permits in view that the quota has been filled and there is a shortage of operatives in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44404/23]
43. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Taoiseach the number of jobs created by year in Cork from 1 January 2018 to the most up-to-date figures available for 2023 [44405/23]
559. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the total number of beds in use in each HSE area in public nursing homes for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44010/23]
523. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will consider increasing funding in 2024 to prevent Ireland’s average timelines for patient access to new medicines from deteriorating relative to our European peers in 2024 in view of the fact Ireland now ranks 27th out of 35 European countries according to the latest IQVIA Patients WAIT Indicator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43727/23]