171 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the length of time it takes for police clearance for the employment by the Health Service Executive of a special needs assistant in the Ashbourne, County Meath area; the reason there is so much red tape and lack of co-ordination between the various agencies involved in securing this service; if he will acknowledge that this vital service needs to be streamlined to suit the needs of the people trying to access it; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40139/06]
69 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the procedures in place to ensure that facilities provided at public private partnership schools are available to the community free of charge or at an affordable price; if such stipulations have been put into all schools built to date; if such stipulations will be inserted in contracts for the proposed second level school at Adamstown; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40227/06]
35 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will comment on the proposal by the Polish President, Mr. Lech Kaczynski, for a 100,000 strong European Union army linked to NATO; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[38107/06]
76 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the impact the US mid-term election results will have on efforts to legalise Irish immigrants in the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39577/06]
198 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he agrees with the views expressed by Mr. Tony Blair in his Lord Mayor’s speech that Syria and Iran need to be brought into the peace process for the Middle East; his views in relation to these two countries; the steps taken to improve diplomatic relations with these two countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39808/06]
3 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, the Government will reconsider its decision to allow the US military to use Shannon Airport; his views on whether the war in Iraq has destabilised the country and been counterproductive and that the coalition forces should set a deadline for withdrawal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39807/06]
112 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the way stamp duty receipts have been made up in 2006 to date.
[39079/06]
562 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence if he will explain the much higher than average absenteeism rates in the Defence Forces and the serious shortage of medical staff; the way he will address both of these problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[38478/06]
114 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when the Government expects to make a decision regarding the construction of a new east west inter-connecter with the UK; the projected grid reinforcement measures that will be required on the UK side of such an inter-connector; and the respective roles for the UK and Irish transmission grid companies in the operation of the facility.
[38786/06]
96 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the support mechanism he is considering for the roll-out of broadband accessibility to the whole of the country; and the timetable and estimated cost for the development of such a facility.
[38787/06]
72 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the recent deployment of Irish troops to Liberia as part of UNMIL; the plans for this to be Ireland’s final deployment to UNMIL; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[38108/06]
114 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of cases that have been lodged with the Personal Injury Assessment Board since its establishment; the number of cases that the Board has assessed; the number of cases that are currently outstanding; the statutory deadline for the processing of same; the number of awards made by the PIAB that have been rejected; and the cost of legal fees incurred by the PIAB in the same period.
[37981/06]
120 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the recent findings of the EU Living and Working Conditions report that violence in the workplace in Ireland is the third highest in the EU; and the measures his Department will take to address the issue.
[37980/06]
420 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport if he will change the law in relation to parking on footpaths in order that occupants of houses in residential areas could park on a footpath if the white line was painted on it in order to allow emergency services to enter a specific road or avenue, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[37416/06]
129 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will report on progress which has been made in ending child poverty one year after the End Child Poverty Coalition Campaign called for serious action in this area.
[37665/06]
104 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has accepted the new indicators for consistent poverty levels recently proposed by the ESRI; and if this measure of consistent poverty will be used as a reference for targets set in the forthcoming National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
[37664/06]
19 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the envisaged timescales and completion dates of the works to proceed under the RAPID local authority housing estate enhancement scheme 2007 to 2008.
[36897/06]
9 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has studied the Western Development Commission’s submission to the National Development Plan 2007-2013; and if he has had consultations with the Department of Finance regarding the priorities for the rural areas in the forthcoming plan.
[36898/06]
176 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children when the costings for extending full medical card eligibility to under sixes will be available; if she will make these costings available to this Deputy; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[36756/06]
175 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the cost for extending the full medical card eligibility to those aged between 18 and 70; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[36755/06]
174 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the cost of full medical care eligibility for the over 70s; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[36754/06]
123 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to update the Acquisition of Lands (Allotments) Act 1926; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36692/06]
93 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to modernise the legislation regarding noise pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36691/06]
351 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s position regarding the drafting and adoption of standards in the Council of Europe to reinforce human rights protection regarding the issues of alleged secret detention in Europe and extraordinary renditions from and through Europe; the deliberations the Committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe has had, or intends to have, on this issue of drafting new standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36215/06]
350 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he will be attending the hearings of the European Parliament’s temporary committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36214/06]
349 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made in the study being conducted by his Department into Irish prisoners abroad; the non-governmental organisations that have been consulted in its preparation; when he expects the study will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36213/06]
139 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the number of people here who continue to drink and drive as evidenced by the 418 arrests made over the bank holiday weekend in October 2006 in relation to suspected drink driving; the action which will be taken by the relevant authorities to combat this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36338/06]
90 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the low yield of the recent weapons amnesty which resulted in 368 weapons being handed over to An Garda Síochána when compared with a similar amnesty system in the UK in 2003 which resulted in 43,000 weapons and one million rounds of ammunition being handed over to police; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36339/06]
226 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools here that currently have Model United Nations or Model European Parliament Programs available for their students; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[35980/06]
52 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport the measures proposed by the Road Safety Authority to improve road safety; and the steps he will take to implement said proposals.
[35861/06]
32 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport the cost benefit analysis carried out on the major roads programme laid down in the 2000 to 2006 National Development Plan; the time reduction targets set for major roads; and the most recent measured journey times on national roads here.
[35862/06]
177 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if her Department has carried out studies on the possible impact of a common waiting list; her views on whether this would introduce greater equality into the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[35455/06]
162 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if a common waiting list was considered as part of the 2001 health strategy; the reason for its exclusion; her views on whether it would introduce greater equality into the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[35454/06]
206 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of the recent situation in an area (details supplied) in Dublin 6, he is preparing legislation for the protection, planning, design and management of green spaces and parks.
[34993/06]
205 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there is a statutory basis to the provision of green spaces and parks, not including the planning codes; and if there is a duty on local authorities to provide parks.
[34992/06]
204 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department provides specific, ring-fenced financial supports for the capital development of parks or green space infrastructure at local Government level.
[34991/06]
203 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there is a unit or permanent staff in his Department responsible for policy development for parks and green spaces.
[34990/06]
202 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the Ministerial directives, strategies or policies, his Department has issued in relation to the planning, design and management of green spaces and parks during the current Government’s term of office; if guidelines or directives to county managers in respect of parks or open spaces matters have been issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34989/06]
201 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of local authority parks or parks and landscape services departments that are staffed with professionally qualified landscape horticulturists, landscape architects or landscape managers; the local authorities which run such departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34988/06]
173 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to a company (details supplied) carrying out activities in a residential area; her views on whether this activity is in breach of health and safety standards; if she will investigate this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34741/06]
117 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent meeting with Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Lam Akol, at the UN in which the Minister outlined the Irish Government’s concerns regarding the situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34478/06]
80 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34477/06]
451 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way Irish aid policy takes into account issues surrounding climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34530/06]
450 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the September 2006 meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Finland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34529/06]
428 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism has been in contact with her with regard to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34670/06]
28 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the changes put in place in the application and appeal procedures for foreshore licences following the experience gained from the Corrib gas onshore pipeline; when he expects a new application for a pipeline route to the proposed Bellanaboy processing terminal; and the timetable and procedures that will be followed in processing such an application.
[33489/06]
26 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the provision of a net metering system for small scale renewable power generation systems; and the means he will take to encourage the development of such a facility in the electricity market here.
[33488/06]
160 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance the measures he has taken to close the loophole where SSIA holders transferring into pension have received an additional €2,500 benefit.
[33197/06]
154 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if he will expand on his comments that a half a million additional jobs could be created as a result of the Government’s research and development strategy, detailing his views on where such jobs will arise; his further views on whether Government research and development expenditure represents effective value for money; and the assessment methods that exist within his Department to ensure that such value for money is achieved.
[33198/06]
299 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of meetings she has had with MRSA sufferers and their families; if she has implemented their recommendations; the reason no civic director for tackling MRSA has been appointed; if she intends to appoint such a director; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[32627/06]