462 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, in regard to a specified case that has led to the current discussion of the claw-back policy, it is accepted that the executor of the will of the estate of the pensioner in question demonstrated very clearly to his Department that the deceased saved on average 42% of their pension over 26 years and that the regular bank lodgements were consistent and proportionate to the amount of pension awarded during the period; if there existed flexibility that gave the social welfare inspector some discretion, if this case might have been settled more reasonably.
[20019/05]
461 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason no flexibility exists in interpreting the individual local circumstances of a particular case (details supplied); his views on whether, if some discretion existed in the making of calculations, this would go a long way in alleviating the core issue of a claw-back policy.
[20006/05]
460 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether a declaration of source of income by a pensioner or his or her legal representative would go a long way to determining the source of assets.
[20005/05]
459 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether it would be prudent that the details of types of savings (details supplied) be collected and recorded.
[20004/05]
458 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on those expressed by the Ombudsman in 1997 that ignoring claimants’ lack of awareness of the law in complex matters is not a reasonable position to adopt; the way in which the penalty imposed is justified, especially on vulnerable persons, many of whom may have literacy problems, or do not have access to information technology.
[20003/05]
457 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way in which the imposition of the penalties similar to that on a person who acquires a large windfall from a rich relative, or sells property or land, and is clearly understood by anyone as creating a change of means, is justified, in the circumstances of a lack of knowledge of his Department’s policy.
[20002/05]
456 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs , further to an internal memo of 14 February 2005 in which his Department accepts that the practice of claw-back of moneys claimed on the estates of non-contributory pensioners is not transparent, the reason it could not be seen that pensioners would not know of it.
[19960/05]
455 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, further to replies to parliamentary questions from a number of Members of Dáil Eireann over the past six months (details supplied), the reason there has been so much secrecy regarding the inclusion of pension payments in the assessment of means.
[19959/05]
454 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason, with a database of non-contributory pensioners who number just over 100,000, relevant pensioners are not individually informed of the policy of claw-back of moneys claimed by his Department on the estates of non-contributory pensioners considering that the declaration they sign in their application merely refers to change in means; the way in which such recipients may know, if the information is not publicly accessible; and if such persons are not informed of this information.
[19958/05]
453 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason, in issued documentation to welfare recipients, the claw-back policy of moneys claimed by his Department on the estates of non-contributory pensioners was not advised to them.
[19957/05]
452 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the policy of clawing back moneys claimed by his Department on the estates of non-contributory pensioners has been in regulations since the Social Welfare Act 1993, the reason it has not been clearly set out in his Department’s literature in the usual way and in accordance with the transparency rules outlined in Regulating Better Government, published by the Government in 2003.
[19956/05]
148 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science if she plans to end the practise of school buses carrying more passengers than can be seated.
[19760/05]
99 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans in place to purchase a site and build a new permanent school for a school (details supplied) in County Mayo before September 2006.
[19759/05]
62 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the 23 May 2005 meeting of the EU foreign Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18641/05]
156 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason, in view of the recent commitment to achieving an aid level of 0.7% GDP by 2012, he has opposed the European Commission’s recent proposal to increase the EU’s overseas development aid to 0.7% of GDP by 2015.
[13375/05]
17 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent EU Foreign Ministers’ statement on 23 May 2005 on Uzbekistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18642/05]
135 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance the way in which he plans to close the loophole by which luxury liners (details supplied) which generate massive revenue for their owners, can qualify for tax relief as plant and machinery; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18474/05]
78 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance if he will respond to the recent comments by the EU Tax Commissioner, Mr. Laszlo Kovacs, that a deal on common EU corporate tax rates will be agreed within three years.
[18335/05]
19 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance the reason there is still no comprehensive list of tax reliefs that are being reviewed six months after the review of tax reliefs was announced and two months after the deadline for public consultation on tax avoidance measures passed; the further reason tax residency rules have been excluded from the comprehensive review; if it is within the remit of the review group to recommend measures such as a maximum tax relief threshold; if the Revenue Commissioners have been asked to undertake a separate and full review of tax residency rules, the outcome of which will be published; when the Revenue Commissioners were asked by him to undertake this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18473/05]
227 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance the amount his Department spent in 2002 on information technology software licences; the amount of that budget which was spent on products of a company (details supplied); if his Department uses or has considered using any Linux or similar open source software; the frequency with which software is reviewed in terms of value for money; if there is a policy position with regard to the promotion and use of such open source software; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18352/05]
226 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance if his Department will liaise regularly with the national consumer agency with regard to the provision of goods and services by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18351/05]
225 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance if the Government has made any representations to the Chinese authorities regarding the revaluation of the yuan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18350/05]
264 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the progress of the expert group on bullying; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18382/05]
41 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the ratio of exports from here by foreign companies to exports from here by indigenous companies in millions of euro; if that ratio is increasing; the breakdown of export figures for 2005, which are down on 2004, in these terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18101/05]
34 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to take action on foot of his Department’s recent publication of the Irish Electricity Market — Principal Challenges discussion paper; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18381/05]
173 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures which are being taken by this Government to express concern regarding the threat of extinction to species of wild life, either through environmental factors such as global warming or as a result of war or conflict.
[17785/05]
100 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department’s attention has been drawn to the right of way restriction that is preventing surfers from accessing their traditional base beach, at an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if the tourist implications of this mixed approach to planning has been properly thought through.
[17775/05]
95 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the foreshore licences which have been granted in recent years in Waterville, County Kerry; if no such licences have been issued; the action being taken by his Department to prevent unauthorised development there.
[17776/05]
74 Mr. Boyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the most recent statistics for the incidence of winter vomiting bug in Cork city and county hospitals in 2004 and to date in 2005.
[17770/05]
47 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the UN’s request to Ireland for peacekeeping forces in Sudan; if the risk assessment on Sudan has yet taken place (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17557/05]
31 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Defence , further to possible joint training missions with forces of EU member states, if he will report on the review now taking place by the interdepartmental group he established on the issue of Irish troops exercising with EU rapid reaction elements in future; the other issues this interdepartmental group is considering (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17558/05]
303 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of his Department’s support for free legal aid facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17145/05]
251 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the initiatives he intends to take in the coming months to combat social welfare fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17146/05]
93 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes which will be proposed to the school meals programme operated by his Department after the recommendations of the Government task force on obesity.
[17132/05]
65 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the anomaly whereby a lone parent engaged in a community employment scheme is at a disadvantage of more than €45 a week when compared to a lone parent in part-time work and accessing family income supplement.
[17131/05]
50 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the actions his Department intends to take on the recommendations of the survey undertaken by the One Parent Exchange Network, entitled Do the Poor Pay More?
[17239/05]
32 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the grants given by his Department to community and voluntary organisations, by Dáil constituency, since 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16646/05]
12 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will report on the findings of the review of the national drugs strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16647/05]
182 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to review and simplify the complaints procedure, legislation and regulation in the area of noise pollution from vehicle and building alarms.
[16507/05]
158 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress and expenditure to date with regard to the electronic voting project; and the work which is currently under way on this issue.
[16508/05]
46 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of community gardaí in place in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16182/05]
15 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that sufficient resources are available for juvenile liaison officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16183/05]
229 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the current nominations for vacancies on boards of statutory agencies under the remit of his Department.
[15843/05]
228 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which his Department sources Fairtrade products for use in same.
[15829/05]
219 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Defence the current nominations for vacancies on boards of statutory agencies under the remit of his Department.
[15842/05]
207 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science the current nominations for vacancies on boards of statutory agencies under the remit of her Department.
[15841/05]