1291. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the legal basis Student Universal Support Ireland is using to apply a requirement that an Irish citizen must be habitually resident for the purpose of receiving SUSI grant assistance. [31524/15]
1290. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which Student Universal Support Ireland assesses whether a person is habitually resident here; and the standard of proof it requires. [31523/15]
1289. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students refused the Student Universal Support Ireland grants during 2014 to 2015 who were Irish citizens refused on habitual residency grounds. [31522/15]
1287. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the case of a child (details supplied) in County Cork; the way a child may avail of a school transport scheme for a bus when no bus serves that school; if she will ensure that the student is allowed to avail of the bus service given that they attend the nearest school to them that is served by a bus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31491/15]
1286. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 115 of 30 June 2015, the recourse available to the Higher Education Authority if the recruitment of chaplains is not in line with public sector appointment criteria or the Employment Control Framework for the sector; if she is aware of the fact that most of the recruitment to these positions within the Institutes of Technology is not in line with public sector appointment criteria or the Employment Control Framework for the sector; the plans the HEA has to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31490/15]
1282. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of difficulties being encountered by teachers who qualified abroad in being registered with the Teaching Council; if she will ensure that a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17 can be registered with the Teaching Council; and the reason for the delay with the Teaching Council in progressing this registration in view on information supplied. [31436/15]
1281. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the approach Student Universal Support Ireland takes to processing applications for grant assistance when a person has applied on independent grounds but cannot provide a utility bill in his or her name as it is in the landlord's name, or where the landlord refuses to register with the Private Residential Tenancies Board; the action SUSI takes in these circumstances; the number of persons refused grant assistance due to either of these circumstances during 2014/2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31430/15]
1277. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of settlements offered by the State to cases coming within the terms of the European Court of Human Rights decision in a case (details supplied); the number of cases currently being considered by the State Claims Agency where there was a prior complaint about a teacher concerned; and the number of cases previously being pursued that were originally dropped. [31345/15]
1276. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that since a ruling on the case of a person (details supplied) the State Solicitor has rejected cases similar to theirs; and the reason this has happened. [31344/15]
1275. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a response to matters (details supplied) raised by persons who have taken cases having been victims of abuse in schools here. [31343/15]
1271. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for including rental accommodation scheme and rent supplement payments as means for the purposes of assessing eligibility for Student Universal Support Ireland grants. [31277/15]
1269. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for refusal a special needs unit to a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; and the level of special needs a school must reach before receiving this type of assistance. [31260/15]
1246. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has identified a site for the new Cork Educate Together Secondary School, which her Department has indicated is intended to be located in the Cork south suburbs within the functional area of Cork County Council; if her Department has engaged with Cork County Council as the planning authority, in connection with seeking planning; when her Department intends to inform Educate Together and the local parents planning committee that a site has been identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31166/15]
1245. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact that Bus Éireann cannot go off-route to collect school children under the school transport scheme without the prior approval of her Department; the reason her Department will not accept any such application for re-routing unless there is a minimum of ten additional pupils to be collected; that this means that the most newly approved primary school children in rural Ireland cannot be collected at home due to the small enrolment numbers; her views that this may be inadvertently discriminating against children from rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31145/15]
1214. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the Teaching Conciliation Council will make a decision on whether teaching service in another EU member state before taking up a teaching position here, will count towards relevant service for the purposes of entering teaching on a higher pay scale. [30777/15]
1208. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have student councils; the number of schools that do not have student councils; the cost of running the student council support service; and the funding and staff allocated to it during each of the past three years. [30667/15]
1199. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that chaplain roles within the Prison Service are routinely advertised through the Public Appointments Service; and if she will introduce a mechanism to ensure that institutes of technology follow this process. [30477/15]
1198. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 115 of 30 June 2015, if she is aware that the institutes of technology are not following the provisions of the Employment Control Framework at present, as they are allowing publicly-funded positions to be filled by the local Bishop, rather than based on objective criteria around the best interests of students; if she is aware that there is gender discrimination within this practice, as these State-funded positions, awarded by Bishops to Catholic Priests, are essentially public jobs from which women are excluded; and her plans to address this matter. [30476/15]
1002. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health to explain the reason the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council will not issue a person (details supplied) in County Cork with a licence to continue training as a paramedic practitioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31433/15]
1001. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of an issue whereby the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council will not issue a licence to persons to continue training as a paramedic intern practitioner after a break in study due to a period of illness; the most appropriate route for re-registration; if he will put in place a back-to-practise policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31432/15]
332. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the tax liability of those on community employment schemes; and if the rates paid to persons on the CE schemes for adult dependants, and child dependants, are liable to be taxed, whether for PRSI, USC, or any other forms of taxation. [31270/15]
288. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of National Educational Psychological Service psychologists currently employed, by county; and the number of these currently on maternity leave or sick leave and who have not been replaced. [29564/15]
287. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average salary of a National Educational Psychological Service psychologist; the number of such psychologists currently employed; their rates of pay; and the salary scales applicable to their positions. [29563/15]
286. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's policy on the provision of special needs assistants for children in early-years education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29463/15]
285. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the NCSE policy on the provision of special needs assistants at preschool level; the number of assistants provided to children at this level funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29462/15]
278. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the parental contribution to the school transport scheme to €75 and to €50 for primary schoolchildren; and to €300 and to €175 for secondary schoolchildren. [29351/15]
277. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the individuals who participate in reviews of the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme guidelines each year; the organisations, statutory bodies or Departments they represent; the number of meetings they had for the review of the scheme that was used for the 2014-15 academic year; the dates on which those meetings were held; the terms of reference they were given; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29350/15]
276. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applications under the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme that have been awarded but not paid in this and in previous academic years; and the number of outstanding applications to be decided on during those years. [29349/15]
275. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of amending the criteria for the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme to ensure students living further than 30 km from their college qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant payment. [29348/15]
274. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the student contribution fee by €250; and by €500. [29347/15]
804. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the revenue received by the State Examinations Commission from leaving certificate and junior certificate fees during each of the past five years. [28915/15]
767. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding her Department has allocated to student counselling services at third level for each of the past five years; and her Department's policy on supporting the provision of such services. [28462/15]
765. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board is operating with staff levels under 10% of that set out by the 2009 moratorium; her views regarding the inability to hire a human resources executive and the risks this may pose to the organisation; the number of times her Department has been contacted on this by the training board; the reason this has not been resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28436/15]
545. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the location of the records, including the birth registers and the maternity theatre registers, for each year from 1958 to 2007, relating to maternity and obstetric services formerly provided at the Bon Secours Hospital in County Cork, under arrangements pursuant to maternity services legislation. [28456/15]
171. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the current location of the obstetric records, including the birth registers and annual returns, made under the 1934 Registration of Maternity Homes Act; and details of the type of records held for each year from 1950 onwards relating to maternity services formerly provided at a private hospital (details supplied) in County Cork, under arrangements pursuant to maternity services legislation. [27859/15]
498. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of a change to the school transport scheme (details supplied); and that this change means many large lower-income areas in Galway city are now excluded from the grant. [27255/15]
493. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if extra funds have been made available for her Department to comply with planning conditions set down by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and upheld by An Bord Pleanála regarding the planning application for the building of a new school for a co-educational day school (details supplied) in County Dublin. [27223/15]
492. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Dublin will be considered for inclusion under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools scheme, as part of the upcoming review of the scheme for disadvantaged schools, given that all other schools in the area have been included under the scheme. [27222/15]
460. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who received a grant in a repeat year of studies during the years 2013-14 and 2014-15; and the guidelines used to decide on their qualifications. [26902/15]
459. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the rules around transitional courses at third level for the purposes of supports under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme, given the lack of recognition that add-on courses with high progression rates currently have. [26901/15]
458. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that postgraduate fee contributions match undergraduate fee contributions. [26900/15]
456. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that students over 23 years of age who are classed as mature students are assessed on their personal income, and not that of their parents; and if she will introduce formal guidelines on same for Student Universal Support Ireland. [26898/15]
455. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide clear guidelines to grant authorities that will compel them to recognise genuine evidence from students that demonstrates estrangement from their families. [26897/15]
454. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has conducted any review of the rules of assessing estrangement used by Student Universal Support Ireland; if she is aware of any review conducted by Student Universal Support Ireland on the matter; and the outcome of any of these reviews. [26896/15]
453. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the payment rates under the Student Universal Support Ireland Scheme, given the poor standard of transport links in many rural areas. [26895/15]
452. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine introducing a special supplementary means tested payment under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme for those living on islands who incur extra travel costs or living costs because they cannot commute. [26894/15]
451. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reinstating the old adjacent rate of the grant under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme at 24 km. [26893/15]
450. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected cost of changing the measurement of geographical distance to a measurement of travel distance in respect of qualifying for grant assistance under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme. [26892/15]
181. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the date on which the new cystic fibrosis ward will open in Cork University Hospital; and his views on the delay in opening the ward. [26817/15]