33 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her plans to combat inefficiency in her Department; the way in which she will speed up redundancy payment rebates to small businesses from her Department; the waiting time for such a payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13551/09]
404 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position in relation to the use of valuers from the private sector in relation to foreshore applications arising from the difficulties in the Valuation Office supplying a valuation service for same and consequently a total hold up in the issue of foreshore licences; and if he will confirm that this blockage will be cleared without further delay.
[12850/09]
335 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of applications that have been made for a passport for children born here since 1 January 2005 to date in 2009 on the basis that they are Irish citizens in which neither parent is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen; the number of such applications which have been granted in which the parent is either a British citizen, a national of an EU member state, an EEA agreement state or of the Swiss Confederation, and in which the parent is a non-Irish national other than an EU, EEA or Swiss national; if in such cases there have been long delays in reaching decisions, in some instances running into a number of years; the reason for such delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13000/09]
70 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is her policy to encourage the use of generic drugs; the action that is being taken to implement this policy; and if she has further proposals in this regard.
[13022/09]
51 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children her views on whether there are potential savings of up to €350 million a year through the use of branded generic drugs throughout the health service; if so, the way these savings might best be achieved; and the obstacles that are in place, whether legislative or otherwise, in this regard.
[13023/09]
18 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the estimated amount in value of cigarettes smuggled into Ireland in each of the past three years; and the loss to the Exchequer arising therefrom in each of the three years.
[12458/09]
15 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the resources available to the Revenue Commissioners and the customs service to combat cigarette smuggling; his views on whether such resources are adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12459/09]
72 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if provision will be made to change the existing scheme in relation to third level maintenance grants, which prevents students who already hold a qualification at a particular level from being eligible to receive a grant for another course at the same level, in order to accommodate people who have recently lost their jobs and wish to return to college in order to upskill and re enter the work force; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12224/09]
60 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he is taking to assist persons, who have recently been made unemployed, to re-enter third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12225/09]
928 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the situation in other countries as to the process for collection of television licence fees; and his views on the system, such as in Greece, where the licence fee is collected on an instalment basis with the electricity bill.
[12222/09]
927 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the details of his proposal to prevent the imprisonment of persons who are fined for failure to pay television licences.
[12221/09]
616 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the aspects of tourism for which he has official responsibility to Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11642/09]
589 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners released on early release from Cork Prison since 1 January 2009 specifying in each case the term of imprisonment imposed and the time served in prison.
[12113/09]
588 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the expenditure to date on the Thornton Hall project with a breakdown of costings; if the project has been indefinitely postponed or shelved; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12112/09]
193 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by an association (details supplied) regarding the regulation of their profession; if he is in a position to deal with those concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11226/09]
161 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the system introduced by a leading multiple in which demands are levied on suppliers at the beginning of the year, which in 2009 will total €170 million approximately, on the basis that if suppliers do not pay such demands, supplies will be obtained elsewhere including from abroad; her views on this practice; if she has proposals to curb such activity in view of the possibility of suppliers being put out of business leading to further unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[12223/09]
28 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position in relation to the roll-out of the national broadband scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10365/09]
40 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of the reduction in planning applications, greater emphasis should be put on pre-planning discussions and the resolution of technical and other problems in advance of applications; and if he has conveyed his views to the local authorities in this regard.
[9942/09]
45 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of planning appeals in the year 2008, and the percentage of these that were disposed of within the statutory 18 week period in relation to delays in planning appeals, which in many instances are inhibiting development activities throughout the country; if the additional staff promised to An Bord Pleanála are in place; and the further steps that are being taken or which are proposed to deal with the backlog of cases and to restore compliance with the statutory objective of determining appeals and referrals within a period of 18 weeks.
[9941/09]
287 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if recent discussions have taken place in regard to undocumented Irish citizens in the US; if progress is being made in regard to their status; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9736/09]
230 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to the bilateral adoption agreement between Russia and Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[10050/09]
171 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the problems confronting motor dealers with second hand stock which because of VRT changes and market conditions have been written down substantially in value but still carry a VAT clawback based on the original costs; if he has proposals to change this anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10006/09]
84 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence the number of helicopters owned by the Air Corps with details of their age and condition.
[9741/09]
55 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence the operational costs of running Air Corps helicopters; and the details of their usage for ministerial transport in 2008 and to date in 2009.
[9742/09]
38 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average time it took each social welfare office to process a claim for jobseeker’s allowance during the period from the start of October 2008 to the end of January 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[9203/09]
40 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his plans to re-open the CLÁR single to three-phase electricity conversion scheme; the outcome of the review of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8870/09]
81 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the reason no funding is provided in 2009 for sports capital grants; the position regarding the funds accruing from the national lottery for that purpose in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8567/09]
54 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science his proposals in relation to the funding of the third level sector; if he proposes the reintroduction of third level fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7207/09]
18 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science his proposals to alleviate the plight of families who are unable to pay the recently increased school transport charges of €300; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7208/09]
105 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the concept of developing alternatives other than imprisonment for the non-payment of fines and civil debt bearing in mind that upwards of 2,000 people are imprisoned annually for such non-payment; the details of such proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7444/09]
70 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to the establishment of a DNA database and the forensic science laboratory; and the legislation which has been promised in this regard.
[7445/09]
233 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children if she expects the new adoption agreement with Vietnam to be in place by 1 May 2009; and if not, if she will arrange to postpone the closure date on the existing arrangements until the new agreement is in place.
[7546/09]
70 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the future of FÁS; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7194/09]
55 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the concerns expressed by the Dáil Committee of Public Accounts in relation to FÁS; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7195/09]
33 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children if staff will be redeployed within the Health Service Executive to ease the burden on community welfare officers struggling to cope with the surge in applications from people seeking assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[6680/09]
250 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a parliamentary question reply of 27 January 2009.
[6407/09]
229 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a parliamentary question reply of 27 January 2009.
[6404/09]
203 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a parliamentary question reply of 27 January 2009.
[6409/09]
189 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of her Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a Parliamentary Question of 27 January 2009.
[6411/09]
185 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a Parliamentary Question of 27 January 2009.
[6406/09]
182 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a Parliamentary Question of 27 January 2009.
[6405/09]
176 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a Parliamentary Question of 27 January 2009.
[6410/09]
174 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people who were committed to prison in the past five years for non-payment of fines following court proceedings initiated by An Post for not having a television licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6380/09]
169 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Transport the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of his Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in to a reply to a Parliamentary Question of 27 January 2009.
[6412/09]
121 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the agencies, offices and bodies within the remit of her Department in respect of which details of foreign travel for 2008 were sought and not furnished in a reply to a parliamentary question reply of 27 January 2009.
[6408/09]
112 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the reports which have been presented to him by the McCarthy Spending Review Group to date; the activities involved; the changes proposed; and when they will be presented to Dáil Éireann for consideration.
[6277/09]
63 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance if he is satisfied that businesses are getting satisfactory lines of credit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6278/09]
527 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the cost in relation to foreign travel, accommodation and related Ministerial and official costs associated with St. Patrick’s Day 2008; and the plans related to St. Patrick’s Day 2009 and the projected cost.
[6156/09]
494 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the schools and the number of classroom units within each national and second level school in the Cork South West constituency area that are availing of accommodation under the temporary accommodation scheme; the average rental cost of each unit per annum in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5703/09]
472 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the cost in regard to foreign travel, accommodation and related ministerial and official costs associated with St. Patrick’s Day 2008; and the plans related to St. Patrick’s Day 2009 and the projected cost.
[6151/09]