944. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health when the oculist service for the provision of prosthetic eyes for young persons will be available again particularly in relation to persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21483/21]
698. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the impact on the viability and continuation of services (details supplied) in County Louth arising from the impact of the new national childcare scheme on community-based after-school provision; his views on whether changes to the scheme will have a negative impact on the schemes; the way in which he plans to address these issues; if his attention has been further drawn to the recommendations of the report carried out by a person on behalf of the Department of Justice as they relate to the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21441/21]
665. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1204 of 21 April 2021, the date on which she wrote to the Pensions Council requesting that it consider the issue of pension costs in Irish schemes including issues with regard to the transparency of these costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22032/21]
645. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on a 2012 pension report by her Department (details supplied); the steps she has taken and plans to take to address these findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21374/21]
644. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on a 2014 OECD report (details supplied); her further views on its finding that current pension fee caps are substantially above the charge levels observed in the best performing countries such as Denmark or Sweden in which total management fees are below 0.5% of assets under management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21373/21]
317. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works plans to provide mentoring to other public bodies and publicly-funded agencies under his aegis with regard to improving compliance with statutory duties and accessibility requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21838/21]
316. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 103 and 104 of 1 April 2021, if the Institute of Public Administration could also initiate such a project with its extensive catalogue; if both bodies can be required as conditions of their grants to adhere to public duties on disability and accessibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21837/21]
315. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 414 and 416 of 31 March 2021, if there is consideration to establish guidance for public bodies or publicly funded bodies on upper limits of information and communication technology spending outside the Office of Government Procurement framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21836/21]
314. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if each of the public bodies under his aegis and the publicly-funded bodies of the ESRI and the Institute of Public Administration advertise vacant posts through a website (details supplied);if so, the percentage of vacant posts that were advertised on it since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21835/21]
313. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if each of the public bodies under his aegis and the publicly-funded bodies of the ESRI and the Institute of Public Administration have availed of the JobsPlus incentive since its establishment in 2013; if so, the number of staff that have been recruited during that time period; and the number of such recruitments that were eligible for JobsPlus payments. [21833/21]
312. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if each of the public bodies under his aegis and the publicly-funded bodies of the ESRI and Institute of Public Administration advertise vacant posts through a website (details supplied); the percentage of vacant posts that were advertised on the website since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21832/21]
305. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a public competition will be run under the TLAC process to select candidates for the position of Secretary General of his Department; if he chooses to select a Secretary General outside of public competition process the reason he plans to depart from that process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21136/21]
289. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if each of the bodies under his aegis are in compliance with the web accessibility directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21831/21]
288. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if each of the bodies under his aegis are operating under the Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information Provided by Public Bodies; if all such public bodies and publicly-funded bodies have a trained access officer; if so, the year the access officer was first appointed to this role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21829/21]
283. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the status of the meetings between him, the Minister for State with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance and the senior management of insurance companies; if a motor insurance rebate insurance rebate in the context of level 5 measures in place in recent months has been discussed as part of any such recent meetings; if the industry has committed to taking such measures to reflect a reduction in road traffic and associated risk in the early part of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21770/21]
268. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on a recent European Parliament and European Council regulation regarding the pan-European personal pension product which was published on 25 July 2019 with entry into force on 14 August 2019 (detail supplied); the actions his Department has taken and subsequently plans to take to address the stated aims of the regulation to ensure a high level of transparency and for costs and fees to be fully transparent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21375/21]
259. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if a public competition will be run under the TLAC process to select candidates for the position of Secretary General of his Department; if he chooses to select a Secretary General outside of the public competition process the reason he plans to depart from that process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21135/21]
237. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the status of recent meetings with senior airline management; if the issue of airline refunds for customers during the travel restrictions was raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21769/21]
71. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence the arrangements for the establishment of an independent military air regulator within his Department, the establishment of which has been recommended by previous independent safety reports and is also common practice in other EU states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20949/21]
70. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence if a guarantee will be given that any changes necessary to Defence Force Regulations CS4 and its accompanying administrative instructions will be carried out in the case that the Air Corps is directed by Government to provide part of the search and rescue contract currently being overseen by the Department of Transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20948/21]
37. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the planned national children’s science centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20888/21]
36. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether local control of at least one Irish bank is very important to the development of the small Irish economy in a globalised world and to assist the operation of businesses by SMEs and taxpayers in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21080/21]
35. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether a public review on the strategy for the banking sector should be undertaken to set out a vision for the future particularly at present when he is in a position of significant influence (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21079/21]
34. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he sought the views of the Central Bank on a statement (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21078/21]
33. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he has met with the Central Bank to ascertain its views on announcements (details supplied). [21077/21]
32. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether the policy on the State’s shareholding in the banks (details supplied) should be reviewed given the recent developments and the consolidation within the banking and financial sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21076/21]
31. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if there is specific evidence or analysis conducted by his Department that confirms that an increase in the State pension age would lead to significant long-term cost savings for the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21075/21]
24. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who have availed of capital gains tax relief on properties acquired between 7 December 2011 and 31 December 2014; the average amount of relief per person; the county or country in which the relief was granted in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20889/21]
20. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport his views on the comments made by the head of the Irish Coast Guard (details supplied) with regard to the awarding of the search and rescue contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20950/21]
16. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the systems in place to allow returning emigrants from countries with which Ireland does not have driver licence exchange agreements to drive here given the level 5 restrictions and their impact on services provided by the Road Safety Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20882/21]
2481. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason representatives for crewmen and women are absent from the recently established Seafood Sector Taskforce; if he will commit to expanding the current taskforce to ensure the views of crewmen and women are represented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18969/21]
2300. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the number of persons aged 70 years and over in counties Louth and Meath who have been registered by general practitioners to be vaccinated in their own homes under the National Ambulance Service Covid-19 home vaccination programme as of 15 April 2021; the number of persons in this cohort who have been vaccinated to date; the number of persons in this category who are still awaiting vaccination under this programme as of 15 April 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20506/21]
2146. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he plans to extend the use of autoimmune drugs such as humira, neupogen and IVIG approved on the drugs payment scheme for the treatment of miscarriages caused by autoimmune issues in view of the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19971/21]
1992. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health his views on the campaign by an organisation (details supplied) to make first-line treatments available under the medical card and drug payment scheme; his plans to include cariban on the medical card or on the drug payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19526/21]
1754. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the names of the security firms carrying out the security related work in respect of the Covid-19 mandatory hotel quarantine regulation; if security staff contracted to support the mandatory hotel quarantine system are in full compliance with the terms of the current security employment regulation order including the minimum hourly rate of pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18895/21]
1398. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice the status of the reopening of visa application centres and mandatory biometric enrolment for applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18709/21]
1204. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the average fees on standard private pension products such as PRSAs and AVC-PRSAs in Ireland; the way in which these fees compare to the EU average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20829/21]
1049. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education when she plans to implement the recommendations contained in a report commissioned by the Department of Justice (details supplied) to provide DEIS band 1 status and or equivalent resources and supports to schools on the north side of Drogheda, County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19904/21]
830. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on remarks made by the outgoing interim chair of the Land Development Agency that the current allocation of €2.5 billion for the agency for delivering housing is insufficient (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20247/21]
724. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the body responsible for co-ordination and enforcement of legislation in relation to magnet fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19067/21]
586. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the April 2020 EU Parliament resolution (details supplied); the steps he has taken and controls his Department has put in place one year on since the resolution to ensure that such conditions are attached to the high level of public support received by enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20821/21]
515. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on the recent statement by the IMF in respect of the prospect of a solidarity surcharge (details supplied) to support economic recovery globally; if he will commit to producing a well-designed system of net wealth taxes to support Ireland’s economic recovery and public investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19834/21]
509. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on matters raised by a person (details supplied) in relation to recent changes by the Revenue Commissioners regarding credit in respect of tax deducted from emoluments of certain directors and employees; his views on this new initiative by the Revenue Commissioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19560/21]
508. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on matters raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) in relation to changes introduced by the Revenue Commissioners regarding credit in respect of tax deducted from emoluments of certain directors and employees; his further views on whether this is a departure from the established practice; his views on this new initiative by the Revenue Commissioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19529/21]
507. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on the recently enunciated position by the US with regard to global corporation tax reform; his plans to provide detailed forecasts on the proposed policy impact of the US corporation tax reform proposals presented to the OECD on Ireland; the estimated potential loss of corporation tax receipts per annum for each year to 2030, in tabular form if this proposal is implemented; the policy changes he is considering in order to sustainably replace the estimated loss to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19520/21]
483. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take with reference to the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity and the FACTI panel to ensure it meets the important recommendations to tackle illicit finance including international tax abuse. [18528/21]
482. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if his plans to update the Central Bank code of practice to allow for impact assessments and 12-month consultation periods in which bank branch closures are considered; his plans to increase the bank levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18527/21]
481. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether the section of legislation used by the Central Bank to investigate a transaction undertaken in 2014 by a consortium of staff at a firm (details supplied) only enables the regulator to pursue actions against staff of regulated firms once the facts have been found and an enforcement action against the firm concerned has been taken or a settlement agreement has been reached; if he plans to undertake a review of the relevant legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18526/21]
480. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the status of the legislative timeline for the senior executive accountability regime, SEAR, legislation; the details on the precise licensed and regulated sectors within the financial services industry to which the regime will ultimately apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18525/21]
479. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his views on the recent Parliamentary Budget Office analytical model for public debt sustainability analysis (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18524/21]