30 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the public tender requirement still applies for works on unfinished housing estates funded from the €5 million allocated to complete estates; if so, if there is scope to relax some of the planning requirements in cases in which the builder is still available and on site and when local authorities consider using the existing builder more efficient; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13105/12]
28 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the household charge waiver for unfinished housing estates was calculated on the basis of the 2010 national housing development survey and not the more recent 2011 survey; if his attention has been drawn to the inconsistencies which are now apparent both within and between local authorities in terms of the condition of the estates qualifying for the waiver; his plans to change the methodology for applying the waiver for next year; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13104/12]
240 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that hearing aid providers deliver adequate follow up services to patients who have purchased expensive hearing aids; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13146/12]
239 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of adults and children who are on community based audiology waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13145/12]
193 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the percentage of the entire cohort of third level lecturers who have been Garda vetted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13143/12]
192 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the percentage of the entire cohort of secondary school teachers who have been Garda vetted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13142/12]
191 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the percentage of the entire cohort of primary school teachers who have been Garda vetted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13141/12]
59 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of organisations and agencies financed by the Government, but acting independently of it, that are supporting our education system; the cost to the State of these agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13144/12]
542 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the reason a company (details supplied) is being prohibited by the Irish Medicines Board from introducing its cheaper product for sale in the Republic when this product is for sale at half the price across the Border; and if he will inquire the reason at the same time the Irish Medicines Board is requiring a renewal of the company’s warehouse licence while prohibiting it from importing its product.
[12380/12]
409 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the immigrant investor programme and start-up entrepreneur scheme will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12755/12]
785 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Shannon referred to in Section B Other Sections on the Core Network in the European Commission’s recent Proposal for a Regulation Of The European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Connecting Europe Facility, is Shannon Foynes Port or Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11159/12]
568 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if gardaí will remove those occupying Dame Street, Dublin, in view of the fact that the occupation is damaging local businesses and will not present Ireland favourably abroad on St. Patrick’s Day when the Central Bank of Ireland plaza is prominent on worldwide TV screens; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11593/12]
129 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if, in view of the ever diminishing prospects of a two-state Palestinian solution, he will make our disapproval known in the strongest terms to the Israeli ambassador of the recent land-grab by settlers and Israeli soldiers at Kafr Qaddum; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10922/12]
222 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the training courses provided by Bord Iascaigh Mhara; if his attention has been drawn to reports that Bord Iascaigh Mhara is providing training courses for activities that might be deemed outside its remit and providing those courses at a cost significantly below the going market rate to the detriment of private competitors; if he will confirm that he is satisfied Bord Iascaigh Mhara is using its State funding in an appropriate manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10248/12]
81 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Finance his views that charging public sector bodies VAT does not earn money for the Exchequer in view of the fact that it all comes out of the public purse and the processing of said VAT places a huge administrative burden on organisations, therefore increasing costs and reducing revenue to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10266/12]
80 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Finance regarding the charging of VAT for the provision of medical doctors to the public health service by recruitment agencies, the reason VAT is chargeable on the salary earned by doctors at 23% when many hospitals are under severe budgetary pressure and one extra doctor could be recruited by the VAT paid on just four doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10265/12]
79 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Finance regarding the charging of VAT for the provision of medical doctors to the public health service by recruitment agencies, the reason VAT is chargeable on the salary earned by the doctor and not just on the agency’s fee in view of the fact that all of these doctors are independent contractors providing a medical service to the public health system and therefore like other medical services should be VAT exempt, the agency manages the schedule of these doctors and provides the link with the recruiting hospital, but does not directly employ them, therefore making them different to other categories of health care staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10264/12]
665 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the level of provision allocated by the Health Service Executive to cater for the ongoing education, training and activation of children with special needs who leave school in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9734/12]
456 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the status of the draft guidelines on development contributions for local authorities; when these guidelines are planned to go for public consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9543/12]
290 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he has considered the proposal, by a person (details supplied) of the European Science Foundation, that Ireland establish a European institute of mathematics and innovation to create a new European infrastructure focused on mathematics for innovation following recommendations of a Forward Look managed by the European Science Foundation in collaboration with the European Mathematical Society; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9511/12]
245 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, in making the decisions regarding the number of teachers allocated to small primary schools, a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8 can be considered a special case in view of the particular purpose for which the school was set up, its historic association with the Cathedral; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9582/12]
144 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance the rationale behind the decision to register imported cars starting from the number 120,000, as there does not seem to be any reasonable administrative reason or any consumer information purpose, but it does serve to devalue imported cars; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9732/12]
139 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if funds in additional voluntary contribution schemes can be made available for early draw down thereby creating a more humane and flexible system which is responsive to the reality of life of many persons living in Ireland today; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8648/12]
79 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Finance if she will review section 19 of the Finance Act which forces the average individual with an average pension fund of circa €200,000 to €250,000 to either purchase an annuity, contrary to the whole concept of ARF’s, or lock the majority of the fund away until they reach 75 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8649/12]
708 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Health the reason the Health Service Executive has cut respite services to the pupils of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin who have ASD and are aged 12 to 18 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8147/12]
707 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Health the funding that was spent on speech and language therapy by the Health Service Executive in the past ten years in tabular form.
[8143/12]
703 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the section within his Department that has responsibility for allocating funding to drugs task forces; if he will clarify if it is this same section to whom task forces report ; if not, to whom do they report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8047/12]
702 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if he could provide a breakdown of the expenditure of each drugs task force on local projects and on salaries; the funding allocated to each drugs task force nationally for 2011; the amount of funding allocated for each task force for 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8046/12]
701 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of all the drugs task forces nationally, including the name of the chair, the number of board members, and the number of staff employed on full-time and part-time contracts; the procedures, if any, that are in place to decide the persons that compose these boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8045/12]
638 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a placement in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 14, now that the Health Service Executive national service plan has been published; if a decision on their care could be communicated to their family as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7637/12]
637 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a placement in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 16, now that the Health Service Executive national service plan has been published; if a decision on their care will be communicated to their family as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7636/12]
636 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a placement for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 14, now that the Health Service Executive national service plan has been published; if a decision on their care could be communicated to their family as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7635/12]
521 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will sign and ratify the new Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and to allow Ireland, as per the recommendations of Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, to serve as role model in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8145/12]
297 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider altering the pension system to allow persons unlock and use part of their pension savings before retirement age as this would provide essential funds to complement budgetary initiatives and help stimulate the domestic economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8142/12]
241 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action being taken to address the findings of Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, who estimated on the 15 of September 2011 that 30% of Roma children in Ireland attend school and that 95% of Roma women in Ireland cannot read or write in any language; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8144/12]
190 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the extent of respite service reductions for autistic children attending a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; if the decision will be reversed in view of the importance of respite to such families; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7032/12]
51 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8 can be considered a special case in terms of the treatment of small schools in view of the particular purpose for which the school was set up, its historic association with the cathedral and the fact that it is a minority faith school; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6953/12]
130 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will make it a requirement of local authorities to send reminders in respect of the non-principal private residence charge in view of the fact that an increasing number of persons report the onerous penalties imposed for late payment at a time when they are hard pressed to pay the charge itself; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5884/12]
674 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by a company (details supplied) in respect of regulation MARPOL Annex VI which it is expected will apply in the Irish Sea from 2015; if his further attention has been drawn to the possible implications that this has for connectivity and ferry operations generally on the Irish Sea; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5463/12]
551 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will clarify Ireland’s current inter-country adoption arrangements with Russia; if she is recommending that parents proceed with adoption arrangements with the Russian authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4959/12]
389 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes in criteria proposed to qualify for a contributory State pension under the National Framework planned for 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[5599/12]
272 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department or the State agencies under his aegis provide free or subsidised child care facilities for its employees.
[5344/12]
271 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide the following information in respect of his Department and State agencies under his aegis: in cases in which free or subsidised child-care facilities are being provided, if benefit is provided to be employees concerned, with effect from 1 January 2011, as required under the Finance Act 2011.
[5328/12]
270 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide the following information in respect of his Department and State agencies under his aegis; if any action will be taken in cases in which free or subsidised child care facilities have been provided and the benefit in kind taxation provisions of the Finance Act 2011 have not been applied.
[5312/12]
92 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in Dublin 14 which has two teachers allocated to it under the Giving Children an Even Break scheme; if the school is likely to lose a teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4611/12]
192 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the imprisonment of 16 and 17 year old boys at St. Patrick’s Institution will, as per commitments made, end; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4271/12]
160 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the review of the current Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission system will be complete; if the review will look to maintain and enhance the strength and independence of the GSOC as per the recommendations of Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner of Human Rights of the Council of Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4273/12]
159 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of full-time staff that are working in the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission; the way this figure compares with the number of persons employed by the body since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4272/12]
158 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4270/12]
157 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to ratify the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4269/12]