103 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Health and Children the date, in relation to the announcement in Budget 2009 to subsume the Children Acts Advisory Board into the Office of the Minister for Children in her Department, by which this will be done; if this will require legislation; the date by which this will be published; the savings that this is expected to accrue to the Exchequer in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the basis for those savings; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[42107/08]
102 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Health and Children the date, in relation to the announcement in Budget 2009 to subsume the National Council on Aging and Older People into the Office of Older People in her Department, by which this will be done; if this will require legislation; the date by which this will be published; the savings that this is expected to accrue to the Exchequer in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the basis for those savings; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[42106/08]
84 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the number of public servants other than Ministers and Department secretaries-general who have responded to his call for a voluntary pay surrender; the amount that will be saved by the Exchequer as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[42104/08]
59 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action she has taken to address financial misspending concerns in FÁS; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41988/08]
3 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason there has been no improvement in Ireland’s economic competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum report; the measures she will take to restore Ireland’s economic competitiveness; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41985/08]
1 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has requested that the investigation by the Comptroller and Auditor General into FÁS be a comprehensive audit of the FÁS budget or that it be limited to the aspects raised in the internal audit reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41984/08]
601 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress that has been made in providing an extension and improvements to the car park in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41047/08]
466 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will estimate the savings that would be made by suspending incremental pay increases in 2009 with regard to his Department and agencies within the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41044/08]
421 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the numbers of individuals on a national basis and by local social welfare office awaiting for their application for jobseeker’s allowance to be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41053/08]
420 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the numbers of individuals on a national basis and by local social welfare office awaiting for their application for jobseeker’s benefit to be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41052/08]
419 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time that it takes for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim for jobseeker’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41051/08]
418 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time that it takes for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim for jobseeker’s benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41050/08]
417 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time that it takes for a claim for jobseeker’s benefit to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41049/08]
416 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time that it takes for a claim for jobseeker’s allowance to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41048/08]
388 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will estimate the savings that would be made by suspending incremental pay increases in 2009 with regard to his Department and agencies within the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41043/08]
309 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will estimate the savings that would be made by suspending incremental pay increases in 2009 with regard to his Department and agencies within the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41042/08]
238 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will estimate the savings that would be made by suspending incremental pay increases in 2009 with regard to her Department and agencies within the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41041/08]
182 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance if he will estimate the annual cost of mileage expenses across the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41098/08]
157 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will estimate the savings that would be made by suspending incremental pay increases in 2009 with regard to her Department and agencies within the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41040/08]
156 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her view of the recently proposed Contract Rights Directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[41029/08]
152 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the National Employment Rights Authority’s policy with regard to the requirement that every second Sunday should be a day off for employees in the catering and hotel sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40678/08]
151 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the National Employment Rights Authority may show any discretion in enforcing the double minimum rate requirement for Sunday work in the catering and hotel sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40677/08]
150 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of enforcement actions that have been made with regard to the enforcement of Sunday double pay conditions for the catering and hotel sector by the National Employment Rights Authority in 2008 with a breakdown by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40676/08]
149 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will amend the Industrial Relations Act 1990 to prevent Employment Regulation Orders from imposing double pay conditions for work on Sunday.
[40634/08]
140 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Taoiseach his views on the UK Government proposal to introduce a de minimis threshold for Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3330/91 on the reporting of intra-community trade statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40490/08]
133 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Taoiseach if he has spoken to Senator Barrack Obama since his election victory on 4 November 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40498/08]
132 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Taoiseach if he attempted to contact Senator Barrack Obama to congratulate him on his election on 4 or 5 November 2008; if Senator Obama took the call; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40497/08]
218 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the impact of compact florescent lights on persons with migraine, epilepsy and other conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40501/08]
217 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the recent research which suggests that ordinary light bulbs may be more economical than compact florescent lights; his view on such research; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40500/08]
181 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has spoken or attempted to speak to Senator Barack Obama since his election victory on 4 November 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40499/08]
100 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which VAT returns can be filled in on-line; the potential savings for business; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40493/08]
99 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which businesses can recover VAT incurred in other EU states on-line; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40492/08]
86 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the UK Government proposal to introduce a de minimis threshold to exempt small companies from the EU’s accounting and auditing company law directives, specifically the 4th Council Directive 78/660 and the 7th Council Directive 83/349; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40496/08]
83 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on exempting small shops from having to display the price per unit or by weight in addition to the purchase price; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40491/08]
162 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Transport the progress to date in effecting the National Road Safety Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39890/08]
570 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reasoning behind the decision announced in Budget 2009 to transfer the marketing and promotion functions of Bord Iascaigh Mhara to An Bord Bia; if it is anticipated that this will result in savings to the Exchequer; if so, the breakdown of those savings for 2008, 2009 and 2010; the date by which this transfer is to be achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39326/08]
569 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the implications of the decision announced in Budget 2009 to merge COFORD into his Department; the date by which this is to be achieved; if legislation will be required to give affect to this decision; if so, when the legislation will be published; the savings anticipated from this decision in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the breakdown of those savings; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39325/08]
322 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Transport the implications of the decision announced in budget 2009 to amalgamate the Air Accident Investigation Unit, the Railway Accident Investigation Unit and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board; the date by which this is to be achieved; if it will require legislation; if so, the date by which this is to be published; the anticipated savings from this decision in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the breakdown of those savings; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39327/08]
237 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the circumstances under which a country can apply to the International Monetary Fund for financial assistance; the implications of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39714/08]
195 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the expenditure by FÁS in relation to community employment schemes in 2007 and to date in 2008; the anticipated expenditure for the remainder of 2008 and for 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[39639/08]
188 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date, in regard to the decision announced in budget 2009 to amalgamate the national Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority, by which this amalgamation will be achieved; if legislation will be required to give affect to this decision; if so, when this legislation will be published; if savings are anticipated from this decision in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the breakdown of these savings; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[39331/08]
187 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of apprentices registered with FÁS in 2006, 2007 and to date in 2008; the number of further registrations expected by the end of 2008 and 2009; the breakdown of such registrations by sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[39329/08]
186 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the breakdown for 2006, 2007 and to date in 2008 of the expenditure by FÁS in relation to apprentices; the expected expenditure for the remainder of 2008; the budgeted expenditure for 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[39328/08]
271 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Education and Science when it was decided that private contractors had to install pull test seat belts to be eligible for a grant; the person by whom the decision was made; the way private contractors were informed of these standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39102/08]
270 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Education and Science the breakdown of the private contractors who received the €1.4 million to install new seat belts on school buses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39100/08]
199 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if efforts have been made to lobby members of Congress and the administration in opposition to possible changes to US corporate tax law that might adversely affect Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39099/08]
198 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the procedures and resources in place to lobby the US Congress on issues of importance to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39090/08]
104 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance if efforts have been made to lobby members of Congress and the administration in opposition to possible changes to US corporate tax law that might adversely affect Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39098/08]
103 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance if an assessment has been carried out on the administrative cost that will be imposed on businesses by changing the VAT rate in the middle of the two month VAT period; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39097/08]
102 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance if an assessment has been carried out of the administrative cost that will be imposed on businesses in operating the new car parking space tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[39095/08]