58. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Longford in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6646/21]
57. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Roscommon in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6645/21]
56. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Galway in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6644/21]
55. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Tipperary in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6643/21]
54. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Meath in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6642/21]
53. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Dublin in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6641/21]
52. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the areas of County Wicklow in which surveying for the national broadband plan is taking place or has taken place; when surveying in the county will be complete; and when the first connections will be made. [6640/21]
51. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the national broadband plan regarding offshore islands; if work has commenced on analysing the needs of the islands and on surveying; when the roll-out of the plan will commence on the islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6639/21]
28. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport if he will engage with Irish airlines to ensure their future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6093/21]
870. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if an independent expert working group will be appointed, which includes specialist expertise in medical gerontology and the other relevant medical and clinical specialities, to comprehensively evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation at doses greater than those currently recommended to Irish adults and to Irish adults aged over 65 years of age for musculoskeletal health is now advisable to Irish adults with underlying medical conditions in order to build their resilience against Covid-19 infection and severe Covid-19 disease. [5896/21]
869. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if he will appoint an independent expert working group, which includes specialist expertise in medical gerontology and the other relevant medical and clinical specialities, to comprehensively evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation at doses greater than those currently recommended to Irish adults aged over 65 years of age for musculoskeletal health are now advisable to the Irish adult population aged over 65 years of age in order to build their resilience against Covid-19 infection and severe Covid-19 cases. [5895/21]
868. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if an independent expert working group will be convened, which includes specialist expertise in the relevant medical and other clinical specialities, to comprehensively evaluate if vitamin D supplementation at doses greater than those currently recommended to Irish adults for musculoskeletal health is now advisable to the Irish adult population in order to build their resilience against Covid-19 infection and severe Covid-19 disease. [5894/21]
867. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if the Food Safety Authority of Ireland will be instructed to examine whether or not vitamin D supplements in excess of the strength currently recommended for protecting older persons bones are advisable for the entire population in order to build resilience against Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5893/21]
866. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if a high-concentrate free supply of vitamin D will be provided to categories of persons (details supplied). [5892/21]
626. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the details of the contract with a company (details supplied) to provide the aggregated mobile phone data to the CSO to facilitate its staying local indicator; the controls that exist to ensure no personal data are provided; and the contract term and value. [5060/21]
420. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection when the additional two weeks week parent’s leave benefit will come into effect; and the way in which applications will be processed and the leave administered. [5398/21]
261. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health when clarification will be provided to the medically vulnerable as to the category they will be included in under the vaccine roll-out programme. [4745/21]
88. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding from his Department that will be allocated to the roll-out of cost rental affordable accommodation. [4598/21]
87. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the other jurisdictions with cost rental accommodation which have been examined in drawing up legislation. [4597/21]
86. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role that local authorities will play in the provision of cost rental homes; and the agency which will have oversight for the provision of cost rental homes. [4596/21]
85. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the cost rental homes will be new dwellings or if existing dwellings will be repurposed and used for these developments. [4595/21]
84. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the eligibility criteria for the cost rental scheme; and the income thresholds for single applicants and couples. [4594/21]
83. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the locations in which the 400 cost rental homes will be built; and his plans for future developments in the years thereafter. [4593/21]
82. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the introduction of a new form of tenure in cost rental (details supplied). [4592/21]
9. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if click and reserve which then facilitates collection from shops is allowed in level 5. [4744/21]
3. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if special exemptions were given to supermarkets that also sell homeware to allow for click and collect during level 5 given that this seems to be the case in a particular store. [4583/21]
865. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the vaccination categories that paramedics, ambulance staff and fire brigade staff come under. [4426/21]
796. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if supports are available to access PPE by persons who are caring for an elderly person or a person with a disability in their home who has contracted Covid-19 in order to protect the carer. [4113/21]
768. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason, further to correspondence from this Deputy over the past three weeks, he has not met or engaged with academics who have a proposal that could reduce Covid-19 ICU admissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3976/21]
693. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the position of veterinarian staff under the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3710/21]
514. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the financial supports in place to help community centres stay afloat during Covid-19. [3135/21]
189. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if she will provide certainty to leaving certificate students regarding the way their results will be determined in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3142/21]
715. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will facilitate ETB network to facilitate agriculture courses for farmers in areas such as derogation of nitrates. [2841/21]
654. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if his Department asked as to whether vitamin D supplementation in adults rather than just older adults is being considered as advisable in the context of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2843/21]
653. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if his Department requested the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to fast-track its recommendations on vitamin D supplementation in older adults due to emerging evidence linking low vitamin D levels with increased Covid-19 infection and severity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2842/21]
212. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if he will consider extending the €100 weekly grant payment to student nurses working during Covid-19 to radiography students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2038/21]
187. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if his Department will work with the HSE to approve a medical internship for a sixth-year medical student (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1953/21]
54. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Finance his engagement with the banks on business loans which many closed businesses will find difficult to repay at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1963/21]
53. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Finance the way new companies can determine their eligibility of wage subsidy scheme if they were not in operation one year ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1961/21]
900. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the terms of reference given to the Food Safety Authority ahead of the publication of its vitamin D scientific recommendations for food-based dietary guidelines for older adults in Ireland; if this study was requested to look at vitamin D in the general population in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1004/21]
899. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the status of the ongoing observational studies that are currently evaluating the role of vitamin D in preventing and treating Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1003/21]
898. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the extent to which vitamin D is being used by the HSE to treat and-or prevent Covid-19 in healthcare settings here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1002/21]
742. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if the task force on the Covid-19 vaccination will be requested to include persons with Down's syndrome in the group of people aged 18 to 64 years with certain medical conditions document by the provisional vaccine allocation group. [44557/20]
657. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the process by which a college application by a person (details supplied) can be appealed, given that the university has advised the prospective student to appeal through the Teaching Council but the Teaching Council has advised that it does not have any remit with regard to the appeals process. [1001/21]
431. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if DEIS status will be allocated to a school (details supplied) in County Longford; if she will consider the strains on resources, the dramatic job restructuring in the area at present and the fact that the student population in the school comprises homes in which 27% are lone parents, 44% are social protection recipients and 37% English as an additional language, EAL; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44762/20]
188. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if Ireland has made a submission to the EU trade policy review; if so, the issues he is prioritising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43680/20]