88 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the way in which the development of new digital television transmission networks will proceed over the next three years.
[31242/04]
138 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will offer additional offshore wind farm contracts as part of the allocation of additional contracts under the AER VI programme; and the factors, which preclude him providing such additional contracts.
[31241/04]
63 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans she has to provide additional funding to third level sector in view of the fact that an increase in current spending, excluding research, of just six per cent, cannot be seen to make much of an impact when inflation is taken into consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30632/04]
11 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans in place to roll out the additional funding in the areas of special education and educational disadvantage to ensure that this funding goes to those who need it most in the areas of early childhood education and literacy; if this will include a new commitment to reduce class sizes in primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30631/04]
98 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether Ireland will be in a position to partake in structured co-operation under the new EU constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28816/04]
96 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the implications for Ireland of the solidarity clause in the new EU constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28818/04]
639 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the procedure a person can follow if they believe there is serious air pollution in their area which is affecting their health; the person they should contact to monitor the pollution and deal with this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29809/04]
268 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make representations to the US Government regarding the killing of an unarmed Iraqi in Falluja by an American soldier which was broadcast by American networks and was in total contravention of the Geneva Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30181/04]
181 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the procedure a person can follow if they discover a cancer cluster in their area; the person they should contact to carry out an investigation; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[29808/04]
180 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the data that is kept on the cancer register; if it includes the areas where a person grew up and the place at which they live; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[29807/04]
100 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to introduce measures to prevent high earners from achieving zero tax liability; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29981/04]
149 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance his views on the use of public private partnership finance initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29982/04]
320 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of the driving instructor register of Ireland; the progress to date that has been made on the co-funded register; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28642/04]
114 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the investigation he has initiated into practices at a barracks (details supplied) in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28807/04]
87 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of direct financial assistance provided in 2003 by the national framework committee on work-life balance policies to assist organisations in implementing work life balance initiatives; and the nature of those initiatives.
[28479/04]
103 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if contact has been made with the Department of Finance on the income redistribution benefit of refundable tax credits; and if he would be prepared to lobby for such a measure as an assist to other social welfare measures.
[28172/04]
227 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he intends to increase the budget to the Arts Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27948/04]
160 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she plans to significantly increase funding to health boards for the purpose of reducing the near two-year waiting time for initial assessment of couples’ suitability for inter-country adoption; if she will consider amending adoption legislation in order that qualified persons who are employed by organisations other than health boards and registered adoption agencies may conduct the necessary assessment.
[27883/04]
159 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will consider introducing an optional charge of €1,000 per inter-country adoption application, to raise moneys for the sole purpose of employing extra social workers to clear the waiting list.
[27872/04]
158 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether the maintenance of a near two-year delay for adoption assessment constitutes a denial of the constitutional rights of Irish citizens who seek such assessment.
[27871/04]
157 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her plans to reduce the huge inter-country adoption assessment waiting lists that have built up in the various health board regions; and if she will consider the short-term temporary re-allocation of social workers from other duties to reduce the assessment waiting lists.
[27870/04]
115 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will report on the uptake of places being provided through the rural social scheme.
[28018/04]
118 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the measures he has taken or intends to take to encourage and protect access to the countryside on recognised walking routes.
[28017/04]
59 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress he has made in providing 10,000 new homes under the Sustaining Progress agreement.
[27589/04]
39 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress he has made in the timely and correct implementation as well as proper application of EU environmental legislation since assuming office.
[27590/04]
101 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, for the budget for 2005, he will recommend that the weekly direct provision payments of €19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child be increased; and if not, the reason the direct provision allowance has remained the same since its introduction in 1999.
[27281/04]
99 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason Ireland is not participating in the Council directive laying down minimum standards on the reception of applicants for asylum in member states whose Article 13 proposes that EU member states be required to put in place rules that do not exclude the access of applicants for asylum and their accompanying family members from the labour market six months after they have lodged their application.
[27280/04]
356 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport if he has investigated reports that a Gulfstream jet (details supplied) which was used to illegally transport al-Qaeda suspects to Guantanamo Bay and Egypt, has been recorded as landing at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24286/04]
141 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport the speed limit increases that were suggested by him for 43 specific sections of roadway around the country which have been agreed with the relevant local authorities.
[26893/04]
193 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport if and when he intends to fund the proposed rail interconnector between Heuston Station and Spencer Dock as was proposed by Iarnród Éireann and the Platform for Change document produced by the Dublin Transportation Office.
[26892/04]
226 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if the Arts Council budget will be increased to €70 million in line with the Government’s own funding strategy for the council 2002-06; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26489/04]
201 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether VAT on tickets for the performing arts should be zero rated; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26491/04]
127 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the spokesperson of Parents of Twins Ireland (details supplied) who has called on her to reform the present vaccination system whereby doctors of State health boards are vaccinating without a thorough knowledge of their family medical history; her further views on whether there should be a thorough medical screening of all children before a vaccination is administered by a doctor; and if she will make a statement regarding a letter she has received from the group dated 30 September 2004.
[26488/04]
106 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if, in view of much new evidence, she will now reconsider the Government policy of fluoridating water supplies; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[26577/04]
51 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to a recent report which suggests that just 8% of an estimated 400,000 asthma sufferers do not have their symptoms under control; the steps she has taken to deal with the increasing asthma problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[26354/04]
3 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the steps she has taken to introduce emergency measures to deal with the continuing crisis in accident and emergency units; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[26413/04]
33 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the progress to date of the metropolitan area networks giving indications of the networks which are now open, the numbers of operators and the volume of traffic on each network.
[25761/04]
158 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the efforts he is making to ensure that the soccer and rugby home international matches will not have to be played abroad; if he will facilitate a round table meeting between the FAI, the IRFU, the GAA and other interested parties; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25508/04]
515 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some schools are locking away asthma inhalers in accordance with schools substance policy guidelines and that this new policy in relation to asthma inhalers is causing problems for certain children and their parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[25138/04]
383 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 242 of 5 October 2004, the position regarding an issue (details supplied).
[25469/04]
367 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the solidarity and the mutual defence clauses in the proposed EU Constitution; the impact of same on Ireland’s neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25373/04]
355 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made representations on behalf of the Chagos islanders; if he has raised the matter with the British and American Governments and at EU level; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25468/04]
304 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the steps which have been taken to deal with a possible influenza outbreak; if flu vaccine is available and the persons who can avail of it; if the flu vaccine is effective against all forms of influenza; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[25461/04]
350 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the precise circumstances in which an Irish passport was granted to a person (details supplied); the steps he had taken to secure the release of this person; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25122/04]
353 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the speech made by his predecessor at the UN General Assembly in September 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25367/04]
352 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the October 2004 meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25366/04]
193 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the solidarity and mutual defence clauses in the proposed EU constitution; their impact on Ireland’s neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25357/04]
173 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the widening of the mandate of African Union peacekeeping forces in Darfur to allow them to ensure the safety of civilians as a priority and the delivery of badly needed aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25356/04]
158 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the Government’s commitment to increase overseas aid spending to the UN target of 0.7% of GNP by 2007 will not be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25372/04]