422. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the estimated costs associated with expanding the bike to work scheme or a similar initiative to include students in higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20252/21]
421. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport the potential costs to the Exchequer associated with the expansion of the bike sharing schemes outside of Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork cities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20251/21]
187. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if children's clothing is included on the essential retail list; his plans to include children's clothes on the essential retail list along with children's shoes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19519/21]
111. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the recent comments of the ECB president and board members on the crucial need to maintain an ambitious fiscal stance to avoid the risk of delaying economic recovery and amplifying the longer-term scarring effects of the Covid 19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20244/21]
71. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the recent Parliamentary Budget Office analytical model (details supplied) which suggests that the State’s debt burden will be on a sustainable path over the next 10 years and that aggressive fiscal consolidation will not be required to ensure that the burden of debt can be sustained taking growth rate forecasts into consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20246/21]
64. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to establish a new oversight, accountability and transparency unit in order to regularly record the allocation of capital expenditure and grants on a publicly accessible Open Ireland portal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20243/21]
61. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the oversight of his Department of the target to increase the public service employment target for persons with disabilities on an incremental basis from a minimum of 3% to a minimum of 6% by 2024 (details supplied); the number and percentage of public service employees in this category in each of the years 2016 to 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20245/21]
46. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the role his Department will play in ensuring that annual departmental spending proposals as part of the annual budgetary cycle are aligned with climate action and carbon-reduction targets; the way in which his Department plans to assess the National Development Plan 2018-2027 against Ireland’s carbon-reduction plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20242/21]
334. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the request of an organisation and persons (details supplied) for cardiac patients to be given priority access to the vaccine reflecting the medical need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17804/21]
144. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to review the income thresholds for the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme; his views on the case of a person (details supplied); his further views on whether the scheme should be amended to accommodate cases such as this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17800/21]
108. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB energy policy are compliant with their obligations under the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy; the bodies that have failed to meet their 2020 energy targets; the measures that will be put in place for those organisations that have not met their 2020 targets to reach their 2030 targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17896/21]
107. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the measures he plans to take with regard to public bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB to have designated Irish language officers and be compliant with their obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003; if the bodies have had their services competently audited for compliance with the Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17895/21]
106. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if each of the bodies under his aegis and the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB hold membership with a confederation; if so, if he will provide the breakdown of payment to the confederation by each of the bodies in each of the years 2016 to 2020; if consideration of savings on this could be achieved on a shared service basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17894/21]
105. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have received protected disclosures since the enactment of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014; if all such disclosures were reported as per the Act in their annual reports; if there were disclosures deemed not to be protected disclosures under the Act and thus not reported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17893/21]
104. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have set out in their strategic plans an assessment of the human rights and equality issues they view to be relevant to the functions and purpose of the body with regard to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17892/21]
103. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, the IPA and the SEUPB have implemented the public sector and human rights duty under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; if they have reported in their annual reports each year since enactment on the developments and achievements with regard to human rights; if the bodies have at all times promoted equality of opportunity and treatment of staff and persons to which they provide services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17891/21]
102. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the ESRI, IPA and SEUPB have independent health and safety advisers at present; if so, if the procurement of such which was carried out in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17890/21]
93. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if he or his officials have held meetings with a bank (details supplied) in relation to the recent announcement of 88 branch closures; if so, when these meetings occurred; and if he asked for and received assurances from the bank that there is a viable post office within 500 metres of a branch the bank plans to close as mentioned in his response to the bank announcement. [17940/21]
887. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the number of newly qualified doctors at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda as a result of intern posts created in April 2020 which were designed to bolster the health service during an unprecedented pandemic; if he plans to retain all of the newly-qualified doctors and related posts as whole-time equivalents at the stated hospital given the continued seriousness of Covid-19 and the consequent backlog in terms of treatment waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16428/21]
860. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if the HSE is actively identifying potential sites in Drogheda for a second Covid-19 vaccination centre in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16325/21]
693. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on a request by an organisation (details supplied) for a once-off bridging grant of €2 million to support and sustain scouting in view of Covid-19; his plans in relation to this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16320/21]
548. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 423 of 27 January 2021, when the two detailed reports on technical pay grades 2-6 will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16618/21]
486. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the planned Dunleer fire project; if a site has been identified; when work will commence; the planned completion date for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17028/21]
471. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has allocated funding for the collaborative town centre health check which is in the programme for Government; if so, the amount allocated to the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16619/21]
417. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total cost of annual expenditure in each year since 2016 on ICT contractors and ICT consultants for each body under his remit; the total cost of ownership of any new software systems not approved in advance by his Department; the total expenditure on ICT hardware not procured through an OGP framework; the reason it was not procured through the OGP; if all ICT consultancies were procured and processed in line with the appendix to circular 02/2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16861/21]
416. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual expenditure on ICT for each body under his aegis that was not spent through an OGP framework or that was in excess of any agreed award through e-tenders since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16860/21]
415. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if staff costs or project staff costs are relevant to calculations of ICT expenditure under circular 02/2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16859/21]
414. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total expenditure on ICT services by each body under his aegis for each year from 2016 to 2020 inclusive; the total cost of ownership of each of the top two ICT projects of each of these agencies during that time frame; the percentage of total ICT expenditure of each body that was not spent through OGP frameworks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16858/21]
413. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if all bodies under his aegis as defined under section 4b of Circular 02/2016 have submitted detailed plans to his Department of current year ICT-related expenditure; if any expenditure greater than €25,000 was approved by his Department prior to any advertisement on e-tenders or through any other competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16857/21]
412. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the bodies under his aegis which are non-commercial State agencies that have an annual budget expenditure of €5 million or greater and annual ICT expenditure of €100,000 or greater as per circular 02/2016; if any of these bodies are not compliant with their obligations under the circular; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that since 2016 no retrospective approval for expenditure for ICT over €25,000 was granted by his Department and that no incomplete or draft documentation was accepted by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16856/21]
338. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to meet the recommendation that all multinational companies should publish country by country reporting data as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16867/21]
337. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to ensure it meets fully the recommendation for public registers of the ultimate beneficial ownership of each type of legal entity that it permits to be established, with the information fully verified as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16866/21]
336. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to ensure it participates fully in the automatic exchange of financial account information, including by providing information to lower-income countries on a non-reciprocal basis in the first instance, and by publishing information on the aggregate value of accounts on which information is provided and received by the UK under the OECD Common Reporting Standard as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16865/21]
335. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the creation of an intergovernmental body under UN auspices to allow globally inclusive and transparent negotiations over international tax rules as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity. [16864/21]
334. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the proposal for an immediate commencement to negotiations of a UN tax convention to raise standards of tax transparency and co-operation and to ensure that all countries at all levels of per capita income are included in the benefits of same as outlined in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity. [16863/21]
333. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the steps Ireland will take to support the taking forward of the recommendations in the report of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity to tackle illicit finance, including international tax abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16862/21]
320. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance if a relevant authority under the auspices of his Department records the number and details of cases in which prospective borrowers are refused a mortgage due to their inability to obtain reasonably priced mortgage protection insurance; if not, if he will consider mandate banks, insurance companies and brokers to report such cases to relevant authorities; the number of cases in each year since 2016 that have been refused mortgage protection insurance cover; the number of cases in each year since 2016 in which an offer of mortgage protection insurance was made with a loading of 100% above the normal premium price in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16475/21]
319. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance his plans to update the Consumer Credit Act 1995 with respect to mortgage protection insurance given the difficulties of those with underlying conditions including Covid-19 in obtaining mortgage protection insurance at a reasonable price (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16474/21]
318. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the process by which a prospective mortgage borrower can seek a legal exemption from the requirement for mortgage protection insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16473/21]
317. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the percentage at which loading above the premium norm for a prospective borrower with mitigating circumstance, for example illness, becomes exempt from the legal requirement for mortgage protection insurance; if he plans to define a specific percentage loading cap above the norm given that some persons with underlying illnesses such as diabetes can be expected to pay between 200% to 450% more for mortgage protection cover (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16472/21]
253. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport his views regarding essential workers (details supplied) who have partially completed their mandatory essential driver training lessons but are unable to complete their 12 lessons nor book a driving test due to current Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16327/21]
2016. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to renegotiate the Common Fisheries Policy to prevent direct and indirect job losses in the Irish fishing industry, to protect the sustainability of fisheries stock within Ireland’s exclusive economic zone and to prevent the displacement of Irish vessels in Irish waters by EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15268/21]
2015. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his discussions with his European Union counterparts regarding the expected 15% reduction in fish landed in Ireland as a result of the recent Brexit deal and the inequity of Ireland having the largest proportion transferred among involved EU states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15267/21]
1644. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if statistics on the level of community transmission continue to be published and publicly available; the latest community transmission rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14944/21]
1323. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health his views on the call for independent, human rights focused inspections in nursing homes as suggested by organisations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13928/21]
1322. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the circumstances that are required to be met when HIQA requests weekly and regular reporting from nursing home and care facilities on the state of residents, including on issues such as weight and the prevalence of bedsores; the number of times such procedures were in place and used in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13927/21]
1321. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if the CEO and chief inspector of HIQA have met with the families of any of those who died in nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic; if they are willing to do so; if not, the reason this is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13926/21]
1320. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if it is the policy of HIQA that no inquiry, investigation or examination is needed into any deaths in any nursing home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13925/21]
1319. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health his views on whether in-house reports on Covid-19 outbreaks and deaths created solely by the nursing home management are adequate to report on, address concerns and ensure learning about outbreaks of Covid-19 and the deaths and infection of residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13924/21]