7 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Defence if he has received any reports from the group examining the cost and any other implications of Ireland’s participation in the EU battle groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31947/05]
596 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if her Department issues policy or guidelines for secondary schools relating to pupils who are pregnant; the details of such a policy or guidelines; her plans to introduce such a policy or guidelines if they do not already exist; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[32031/05]
212 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the Health Service Executive will pay for special footwear for children who are prescribed same; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[31420/05]
133 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when he intends to take a decision on the groceries order; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31632/05]
207 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons receiving the blind person’s pension and the overall cost in the current year of paying this pension; the extra amount required to bring the blind person’s pension rate to the contributory old-age pension rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31159/05]
206 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the current disability allowance disregard; when the disregard was last increased; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the current income disregard means that if a person with a disability works sixteen hours or more per week, his or her disability allowance will be reduced; if his attention has further been drawn to the FÁS criterion that the optimum minimum hours to be worked is 18 hours per week; his views on whether the current situation is acting as a disincentive for persons with disabilities to take up employment; the actions he will take as a result of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31158/05]
201 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the pensions system promised for 2006 will be delivered on time and if it will speed up the processing of claims; if the system will be more efficient than the current pen live system used by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31068/05]
200 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the fact that the contributions history which was the first tier of SDM phase two project has been put into operation without the full promised functionality and cannot be used by his Department’s EU records or CES sections; if he has satisfied himself with this position; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31067/05]
196 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of one-parent family payments currently being paid out by his Department; the number of these for which maintenance is being paid by a liable relative directly to the claimant; the further number for which maintenance is being paid by the liable relative directly to his Department; in the cases where maintenance is being paid directly to his Department, the resulting loss of income incurred by the one-parent family payments claimant; his plans to rectify this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31232/05]
191 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the incentives in place to encourage workers in industry to develop safety apparatus and procedures; his views regarding an awards scheme for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31157/05]
85 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes he will make as a result of the expenditure review of the back to education allowance which commenced in September 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30877/05]
48 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of cases under the habitual residence condition that have been decided to date in 2005 since its introduction; the number of these cases where applicants were denied assistance; the number of these applicants who are Irish citizens; his plans to review and change the restriction; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30876/05]
4 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it is his Department’s policy in regard to the carer’s allowance or carer’s benefit that when a claimant has his or her payment refused, reduced or stopped, that he or she is fully informed of his or her right to appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31231/05]
1 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress he has made in his plans to amalgamate family income supplement, child dependant allowance and back to school clothing and footwear allowance into one second tier payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31230/05]
200 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the supports that are available to recipients of the widow’s or widower’s non-contributory pension to enable them to enter or return to the workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31031/05]
133 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on his Department’s role in promoting active citizenship through participation and involvement in the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30749/05]
99 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the services the unemployed are offered under the local development social inclusion programme; the success of these measures in returning the unemployed to the labour market; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30748/05]
693 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he is on target in supporting the voluntary housing sector to build up to 4,000 new homes per annum by 2006 as stated in the 2002 programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30766/05]
692 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the income limits for the capital assistance scheme for social housing; when these limits were last revised; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30765/05]
633 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on town and area twinning; the support he gives to such initiatives; his further plans for these initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28340/05]
512 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a facility exists in the Prison Service for officers who sustain very minor injuries during the course of their work to transfer to light duties until they make a full recovery; the number of prison officers injured during the course of their work in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30735/05]
463 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to upgrade Youghal Garda station; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30052/05]
461 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the prison officers who were transferred from Spike Island in Cork; the number of prison officers who have been permanently located in other prisons; if compensation has been paid or will be paid on re-location of these prison officers to other prisons on a permanent basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30019/05]
421 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Transport if legislation is planned or about to be enacted which places an obligation on every vehicle driver to carry a high visibility jacket or other equipment for use in the case of a breakdown or accident; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30555/05]
404 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Transport the number of supervisors or driver testers; the location of each; the number of tests supervised by each of these drivers in each year since 2002; the failure rate in each of the driving test centres each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30028/05]
397 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of families that received the back to school clothing and footwear allowance each year since 2002 and, to date; the number of children who benefited from the scheme each year since 2002 and to date; the age breakdown of these children; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30754/05]
301 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the nation’s children reports that have been produced as promised under the National Children’s Strategy launched in 1990; the publication date of the next such report; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30747/05]
299 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the national children’s research dissemination unit has been established; if so, the work of the unit to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30734/05]
694 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the fact that, despite the very high levels of home ownership here and the building boom in recent years, we have the lowest level of social housing output in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30767/05]
112 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether the NESC estimation that 73,000 more social housing units will be needed by 2012; if he and the local authorities will be able to supply this many units; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30360/05]
99 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make provision for more social housing units instead of affordable housing units in compliance with Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30359/05]
63 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the effectiveness of the EOCP in improving equality of opportunity for women in the workforce and improving equality of opportunity for children at a social and educational level through early years education; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29730/05]
46 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the ESRI view that child care is to become more expensive and more difficult to obtain; the initiatives, in addition to the EOCP, he will introduce to increase the supply of child care places; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29729/05]
155 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Transport if, in the interests of road safety, he is satisfied that hedgerows on roads across Ireland are being sufficiently maintained to ensure that the roads are safe for pedestrians and cyclists; the person responsible for the cutting of hedgerows; the role of his Department and that of the local authorities with regard to this aspect of road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29483/05]
149 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Transport his views on the fact that Ireland ranks seventh in the EU-15 on the basis of road deaths per 100,000 of population; his views on the fact that Ireland is the only country in the European Union where road deaths are steadily increasing; the efforts his Department and others with responsibility for road safety are making to reduce the number of deaths on roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29484/05]
798 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the review of the operation of the disabled persons housing grant began in his Department; when the review will be completed and the results published; if there will be changes to the operation of the scheme in time for Budget 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29231/05]
785 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received a request to provide funding to upgrade the water supply in Youghal and to upgrade the pipe network in the town; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that water has been turned off during July and August 2005 in Youghal, County Cork, at night; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28646/05]
692 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the advice she has received from officials in her Department or from any State agency or other agency on the need for young persons to choose science subjects at second level and further need to pursue science at third level; the projected number of science graduates needed each year for the next five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28645/05]
591 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Transport his views on the growth in the backlog of persons waiting to sit the driving test by 12,000 since February 2005; the efforts he is making to reduce this backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29508/05]
257 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the practice of regional health offices holding the pension books of older persons in public nursing homes following the reintroduction of nursing home charges; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28971/05]
256 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the practice of health authorities holding the pension books of elderly patients to pay for their long-term care has reconvened following the reintroduction of nursing home charges; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28970/05]
248 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if it is Government policy for the value of a person’s residence to be taken into account when decisions are being taken regarding levels of subvention or enhanced subvention to be paid in respect of nursing home assistance for persons with Alzheimer’s or dementia; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28758/05]
158 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the role of her Department in encouraging citizens, in particular adults, to maintain an active lifestyle; the initiatives she has to encourage participation in sport to combat the steady rise in obesity levels in recent years; the success of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28960/05]
145 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her Department is conducting any research into the numbers and needs of children who are carers of parents or siblings with disabilities; if such research is not currently underway, if she will commission such research; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28945/05]
307 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of money he has made available, including moneys allocated through EU initiatives, to develop, support and expand town and area twinning programmes each year from 2000 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28382/05]
111 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when he will make necessary funding available for the development of the harbour, in particular remedial works, in Ballycotton, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28035/05]
173 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, further to Question No. 579 of 28 September 2005, the length of time the digital terrestrial television pilot programme will take to complete; the projected cost of the pilot programme; when he will be in a position to introduce digital television to every house; the benefits of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28036/05]
290 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the high level group has reported on its examination of the recommendations from the Mercer report on the future financing of long-term care and the O’Shea report on nursing home subventions and the conclusions of same; if not, when the report will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27720/05]
289 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who were in receipt of the back-to-education allowance for each academic year since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27719/05]
288 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who commenced third level education under the back-to-education allowance for each academic year since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27718/05]