99. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education to outline the work completed to date under the pilot programme of counselling and wellbeing/mental health supports in schools; her Department's plans for the programme going forward; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31607/23]
16. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment how often his Department carries out a review of the employment permits lists; how long these review take before the lists are updated; how stakeholders and interested parties have been made aware of these reviews in order to part-take in same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31604/23]
64. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of employment permit applications which have been received by his Department since 1 January 2023 to 31 May 2023; the total number of applications which have been approved during this timeframe, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31608/23]
785. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to clarify if he has engaged with the universities with a view to increasing the number of Irish students who can access dentistry courses in view of the fact that there is a substantial increase in the population and also taking into account the number of dentists who will be retiring over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30601/23]
671. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to expediting the conducting of a HTA to be carried out by HIQA into the provision of an enhanced influenza vaccine for the over-65s cohort; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30831/23]
670. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the specific timeline which he and his Departmental officials have given to HIQA to complete its HTA regarding the provision of an enhanced influenza vaccine for the over-65s age cohort; if he will outline the scope of this HTA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30830/23]
636. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm that funding will be put in place to enable the new dental hospital to be built in Curaheen, Cork, given planning permission was granted for this project over three years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30600/23]
503. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Ireland-New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism pilot research initiative; the progress that has been made to date on the four projects funded under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30803/23]
306. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the current status for an application for emergency works (details supplied) for toilet facilities; when a decision is likely to be made in this case in view of the fact that these are urgently required to accommodate 42 children enrolled for September in the school which has recently become co-educational, that a delay in this project could result in the school being unable to accommodate these children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30967/23]
240. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to clarify the current position with the An Post pension fund which was set up in 1983, wherein there has been no increase in payment since the economic downturn in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30521/23]
179. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the current average waiting time for driving tests; what progress has been made to date in reducing the five-month waiting time for driving tests experienced by applicants earlier in the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31235/23]
76. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to clarify the current position of the Blackpool flood relief scheme; when work will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31046/23]
289. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures his Department will take to ensure greater funding is provided for parents under the national childcare scheme to reduce the cost of childcare and ensure greater availability of full-time places in childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30287/23]
282. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if under the new forestry programme 2023-2027, it is intended to maintain the heathlands that emerged following the deforestation of our ancient woodlands or native woodland re-establishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30295/23]
281. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will set out in detail the evaluation criteria used for the decision-making process for the granting of tree planting licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30294/23]
277. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if a family reunification application by a person (details supplied) will be prioritised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30281/23]
254. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given by his Department to engaging with Uisce Éireann with a view to reducing the cost of connection charges for first-time purchasers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30291/23]
230. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if consideration will be given to permitting those who retired early from the public service or State agencies to take up employment again in the public service or State agencies without losing their current public service or State agency pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30292/23]
23. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport what engagement has taken place between his Department and the DAA, with a view to having the appropriate level of car parking spaces available in Dublin Airport and Cork Airport ahead of the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30116/23]
19. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the safe routes to school programme in Cork, in particular setting out, in tabular form, the number of schools that will be included in the programme; to provide a status update on the roll-out of these projects under round 1 schemes and round 2 schemes in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30115/23]
572. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he and his Department will actively engage with community pharmacists to begin contract discussions with them, as was pledged under the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29096/23]
571. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to take the necessary steps to ensure that community pharmacists achieve pay parity with other health care workers, who have seen their pay increased on average by 14% per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29095/23]
570. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will actively engage with the community pharmacy sector to ensure that the highly complex nature and operation of community pharmacy schemes is recognised and that community pharmacists are reimbursed appropriately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29094/23]
569. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that the restoration of community pharmacists pay is in line with public service pay agreements, prior to FEMPI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29093/23]
568. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he and his Department will actively engage with community pharmacists regarding the review of dispensing fees in advance of the upcoming 30 June 2023 deadline; if he will fully consider the introduction of a flat fee model of care of reimbursement of €6.50 per medicine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29092/23]
411. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider increasing the income means threshold for carer’s allowance given the cost-of-living increases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29277/23]
107. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the actions his Department has taken since the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces was published in February 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29522/23]
81. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department plans to offer healthcare benefits to members of the Defence Forces and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29521/23]
63. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to advise what action his Department is taking to ensure there are no delays in the processing of passport applications during the busy summer months, in particular the efforts to fast-track those for which queries have been raised as this can often lead to extended delays in processing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28823/23]
6. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs what action is being taken to improve processing times of paper-based renewal and first-time passport applications, in view that the current processing time is eight weeks, and in particular the efforts to fast-track those applications of which queries have been raised as this can often lead to extended delays in the processing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28824/23]
168. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when a wheelchair will be provided to a child (details supplied) given an occupational therapist has approved same to the HSE resource allocation group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28794/23]
1405. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the 2023 town and village renewal scheme will open for applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28567/23]
1397. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the current status of an appeal by an organisation (detail supplied) to the community services programme; when a decision is likely to be reached; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28011/23]
1387. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason a change of circumstances of reckonable income was not taken into consideration for a student's (details supplied) SUSI application as the student's father's pension increased year-on-year and the family requested for their application to be re-assessed under a change in circumstances of reckonable income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28564/23]
1382. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how second level students could be further incentivised to consider a career as a radiation therapist, given that in Ireland 54% of the population have attained a third level education, which demonstrates that the majority of the current second level students will consider attending third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28233/23]
1381. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason universities that are providing courses in radiation therapy have not increased their student capacity (details supplied); if consideration will be given to increasing the student capacity for this course in the two colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28221/23]
1348. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what action his Department is taking to attract people into agricultural and heavy vehicle mechanics apprenticeships, in view that there is a growing shortage of qualified mechanics in the farm machinery industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27578/23]
1284. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action being taken by his Department to increase the number of training places that are allocated to radiation therapy students in each of the HSE hospitals where radiation treatment is being provided for cancer patients, in view of the current crisis in recruitment and retention of radiation therapists in the health sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28371/23]
1283. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action being taken by his Department to increase the number of training places that can be allocated to radiation therapy students in the HSE, in view of the current crisis in recruitment and retention of radiation therapists in the health sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28370/23]
1282. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration would be given to implementing a bursary of €5,000 per annum for the training of radiation therapists, similar to the scheme which is currently in place at UCC for the training of diagnostic radiography students and where the participants are required to work for a period of two years after graduation with the HSE South/Southwest Hospital Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28369/23]
1267. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence funding for the implementation of the Genomic Strategy, to ensure that all child, adolescent and young adult (CAYA) patients aged between 16-25 years have access to genome sequencing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28254/23]
1266. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will set aside funding to implement the National Cancer strategy 2017-2026 recommendations in relation to genetic services, by reducing genetic service wait times in order to optimise health benefit advancement in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28253/23]
1265. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will allocate more funding towards targeted QUIT campaigns and support initiatives tailored towards sectors of the population more likely to smoke; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28252/23]
1264. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will engage with the HSE and other relevant bodies to develop education and awareness campaigns on the dangers associated with e-cigarettes usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28251/23]
1263. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence multi-year funding dedicated to implementing all outstanding recommendations from the National Cancer Strategy to 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28250/23]
1262. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to ensure that environmental health officers are adequately resourced to ensure that sun bed operators comply with current legislation, in light of the fact that it is the most common cancer in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28249/23]
1261. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence funding to ensure that the provisions of the National Skin Cancer Prevention Plan 2023-2026 are implemented, in light of the fact that it is the most common cancer in Ireland; if he will engage with the relevant authorities to launch a public information campaign regarding skin cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28248/23]
1260. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure greater take up of the HPV vaccine, including a review of the current information campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28247/23]
1259. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will reduce the threshold of the drugs payment scheme to a maximum of €50 per month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28245/23]
1258. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence funding to expand the catch-up programme for HPV vaccination between the ages of 15 to 24 years, as recommended by the national immunisation advisory committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28244/23]