274. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has plans to introduce a further tranche of community enhancement programme funding given that community centres are incurring additional expense as they move towards reopening within the public health restrictions of the day; the amounts paid to each local authority under the previous tranche of community enhancement programme funding announced in May 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45357/21]
469. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence regarding apprenticeships (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45120/21]
207. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence regarding the EWSS (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45116/21]
309. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43213/21]
260. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider the matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) in relation to counselling and psychotherapy in the context of Budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43257/21]
1606. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43196/21]
791. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the potential funding streams within his Department, Pobal or by alternative means to support the establishment of a pre-school for ECCE classes as outlined in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43197/21]
790. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding streams within his Department which may be of potential assistance to ongoing fundraising effort outlined in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43195/21]
789. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consideration has been given to the possibility of extending carer’s leave for employees across all sectors; if he has investigated such a measure to the point by which costings have been calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43188/21]
649. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education if she will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43194/21]
648. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education the progress to date in finalising the pay and conditions for school secretaries and caretakers; the timeline for the finalisation of these issues; the current position regarding negotiations with a union (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43189/21]
647. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education the position regarding a national policy for the care of children with food allergies some of which can pose a significant health risk to children in pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43187/21]
379. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will identify funding streams or any grant funding available within his Department to supplement and incentivise the planning and construction of housing projects for older persons specifically; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42851/21]
303. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the surveys being carried out under the Water Framework Directive in the south-east; the expected timeframe for surveys to be complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43190/21]
227. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance if consideration has been afforded to increasing the fishers' tax credit and the seafarers' allowance for crewmen to incentivise more workers into the industry; if consideration has been afforded to further tax incentives for crewmen on Irish fishing vessels to address worker shortages within the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43191/21]
175. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43193/21]
87. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the position regarding reports of a proposal by a company (details supplied) to seek approval to build a gas plant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43192/21]
1224. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding reported shortage of crèche places in Waterford city and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40555/21]
997. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education if she will investigate reinstating the school library grant to primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40238/21]
542. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the position regarding the reopening of the Fáilte Ireland tourist office in Waterford; if her attention has been drawn to the fact the decision for the branch to remain closed is having a negative effect on local businesses, small tourism operators such as walking tour and heritage site guides; if she will investigate the possibility of reversing this decision and reopening the office in Waterford as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40570/21]
415. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance if he will identify a potential solution to the difficulties in securing public liability insurance for a company (details supplied) which may be reflective of a wider issue affecting small tourism providers since Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41064/21]
77. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the position regarding the timeline for issuing of payments to homeowners and or private citizens under the solar PV scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40199/21]
424. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education if she will address the concerns raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) regarding July provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37893/21]
118. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the position regarding application for a SEAI insulation grant by a person (details supplied) which was first lodged on 18 November 2019; the reason for the delay in processing this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36010/21]
375. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the official State recognition of partners that have been long-term cohabiters but are not yet married; the position regarding financial assistance and tax credits available to a person in such a situation upon the death of partner prior to marriage; her plans to examine the issue further; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27529/21]
181. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding the official State recognition of partners who have been long-term co-habiters but are not yet married; the position regarding financial assistance and tax credits available to a person in such a situation upon the death of a partner prior to marriage; his plans to examine the issue further; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27530/21]
435. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will identify additional funding streams which may be applicable to assist the process of constructing an extension to a childcare facility (details supplied) given the increasing service demands locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22940/21]
395. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education the position regarding a comprehensive response from the appeals advisory committee to substantial queries raised in correspondence by a school (details supplied) in respect of the review of procedure conducted during the SNA appeal process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23121/21]
290. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will identify additional funding streams which may be applicable to the restoration process of a heritage building (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22911/21]
652. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the position regarding supports for the amusement park providers who remain closed as a result of current public health restrictions; her plans to introduce further funding supports for the sector to assist with severe financial issues many are experiencing at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20039/21]
442. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the queries raised in correspondence from a person (details supplied) in relation to their intention in taking a holiday abroad in 2020 and subsequent attempts to secure a refund from the airline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20554/21]
292. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to calls from advocacy groups for a designated wind farm zone of 22km from shorelines, similar to that introduced in other European countries; the position regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20666/21]
665. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the reopening of services and support for persons suffering with dementia; when guidelines will be issued regarding the reintroduction of such services and supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13723/20]
664. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the reopening of maternity classes, including breastfeeding and antenatal classes, in Cork University Maternity Hospital; his views on the effects postponements and cancellations of such classes is having on pregnant women in preparing for the birth of their child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13720/20]
475. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding access to the July provision scheme for preschool, primary school and post-primary school pupils with Down's syndrome; her plans to include preschool and secondary school in the 2021 allocation of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14584/20]
364. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines for admission to the July provision scheme for children with Down's syndrome; her views on a potential shortage in tutors for the scheme due to increased numbers seeking access to same; the steps she has taken to ensure children are not excluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13726/20]
363. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to safeguard the English language teaching sector in view of the difficulties faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the potential decrease in revenue for the industry as a whole for 2020, reportedly in the region of 80%; her views on the continued implementation of provision of funding in line with a document (details supplied) to protect and enhance the reputation of Ireland and the English language industry from abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13722/20]
144. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding the reported refusal by a bank (details supplied) to allow a first-time buyer to draw down a mortgage in August 2020 should the person who has been professional disaffected by the pandemic continue to be in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment, when the house is built and ready for occupancy; his views on whether this reported anomaly could potentially pose a widespread problem for first-time buyers in their dealings with banks and lending institutions going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13721/20]
81. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps being taken to liaise with the airline industry to ensure that consumers who have been unable to make scheduled flights due to the current travel restrictions are being prioritised and dealt with in a fair and just manner via airlines internal complaints and refund application facilities in view of the fact many have incurred significant personal losses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13725/20]
7. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the potential supports available for a person (details supplied); his views on whether the EU definition of undertaking in difficulty is prohibitive for many businesses such as this one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13724/20]
274. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) will be considered for DEIS status; his plans to conduct a review of schools seeking DEIS status; if the programme will be opened to a new round of applications; his further plans to amend the system to allow applications in order that schools can be more proactive in seeking DEIS status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12606/20]
82. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding specific financial supports available to seasonal publicans that also serve food but have been closed during the Covid-19 pandemic months and will incur significant expenses in preparing their premises to reopen; his views on whether seasonal proprietors in such a position might not be in a position to reopen without tailored financial supports; his further views on the way in which such seasonal businesses can be supported; the position regarding the availability of the temporary wage subsidy scheme to seasonal proprietors in view of the fact they cannot provide payroll data for reference months such as January and February 2020 due to the fact they are primarily open in the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12607/20]
1000. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding a pension scheme for community employment scheme supervisors following the 2008 Labour Court ruling in respect of same; the position regarding the report on a pension scheme for scheme supervisors due to be published by her Department; the timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11003/20]
702. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the reopening of podiatry services including face-to-face clinics in University Hospital Waterford; if he will provide a definitive timeline for the reopening of face-to-face services to include potential capacity restrictions for clinics as currently envisaged by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11491/20]
690. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the administering of results of cancer screening services for those who received tests prior to the suspension in services due to the Covid-19 pandemic (details supplied); the figures for results which have been administered; the timeline for the circulation of remaining results which may be outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11461/20]
599. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of legislative changes or amendments in respect of egg donation which were made to an Act (details supplied) in May 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11015/20]
349. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the health and safety concerns expressed by the managing solicitor and staff at a law centre (details supplied) in respect of proposed relocation of premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10988/20]
289. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding flexibility in application of regulation (details supplied) in the context of the practical difficulties and challenges posed to the education system by the current pandemic; the level of engagement he has undertaken with an organisation in consideration of a request made by same; his views on whether the cycle of transition caused by the continuous turnover of directors in centres potentially delimits the capacity for leadership across the network; and his views on whether the shortened tenure increases the likelihood that the role may be viewed as untenable and undesirable by future prospective candidates. [11516/20]
181. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the imminent and significant challenges facing the school transport scheme and its administration in 2020; his plans for administering the scheme in terms of transporting pupils to and from school while prioritising pupil safety and implementing social distancing; the action taken within his Department to date in order to meet the significant health and safety challenges posed in administering the scheme in 2020 due to the pandemic; if his officials have held discussions with Bus Éireann in respect of the points outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10616/20]
65. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Finance his views on and if he will address matters relating to expensive insurance premiums (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10668/20]