659 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if in relation to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 256 of 5 December 2007, there was correspondence from the Garda Commissioner to the Secretary General at the Department of Education and Science, the CEO of the Health Board and the then director of the children’s centre, Finglas regarding co-operation in investigations into concerns regarding possible child abuse during the second half of 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[3903/08]
147 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Transport the number of applications for motorway service areas that have been submitted to his Department by the National Roads Authority; the number that have been approved to date by his Department; the reason there has been a delay in approving these applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[3396/08]
64 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the information available to her on the incidence of MRSA, C Difficile and other infections in hospitals here; the measures being taken to reduce the spread of these infections; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[2712/08]
6 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans there are to increase the capacity of the National Rehabilitation Hospital or to provide such a service elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[2713/08]
1257 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application under the family reunification scheme for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; the length of time his Department is taking to process such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2220/08]
1256 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application for leave to remain by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; the length of time it is taking his Department to process such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2218/08]
1190 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as they relate to detention of a child in the custody of the State; if a proposed detention centre for children as part of the Thornton Hall complex is compatible with those provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1523/08]
1189 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he received the most recent report of the Expert Group on Children Detention Schools; when he proposes to publish the report; if in the interim he will outline the main recommendations of the group; if those recommendations are compatible with the apparent intention, as reported in the media, to detain children in the proposed new Thornton Hall complex; when it is proposed to make decisions on such recommendations as have been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1522/08]
1174 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Gardaí and civilian staff currently allocated to Cahir Garda Station; the number of dedicated members assigned to anti-drug policing and traffic duties; the number of foot patrols conducted during the month of December 2007; if there are plans to increase the number of members and civilian staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1363/08]
1173 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Gardaí currently allocated to Ballyporeen Garda Station, County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1362/08]
114 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of civil servants and other public servants, who have relocated to locations outside of Dublin under the Government’s decentralisation programme; the estimated number of each category who will have relocated by the end of 2008; the breakdown of each set of figures in terms of those who are relocating from Dublin and relocating from elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2327/08]
121 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the latest information available from the central applications facility in respect of applications from civil servants and other public servants currently located in Dublin who wish to transfer to new locations outside of Dublin under the Government’s decentralisation programme; the way this compares with the Government target of 10,300; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2326/08]
103 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the background and reason for the major policy shift from the Energy Green Paper to the Energy White Paper in relation to the transfer of ownership of assets from ESB to Eirgrid; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35607/07]
62 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding Ireland’s standing on each one of the targets on energy commitments (details supplied); the targets set for the year 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35606/07]
499 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application for leave to remain for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; if he will give favourable consideration to this application; when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35088/07]
392 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the situation regarding the ongoing negotiations between her Department and the Teaching Council regarding the procedural difficulties surrounding the assessment of teaching qualifications; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34909/07]
121 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the need to ensure that land that is a flooding risk including where the risk could be exacerbated by the impact of climate change is not rezoned by local authorities in upcoming county development plans or that if such land is rezoned the need to ensure councils have the power to restrict, regulate or control development; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35155/07]
91 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps the Government has taken to comply with the letter of warning from the European Commission reference 2007/2351 issued on 17 October 2007 regarding Ireland’s non-compliance with requirement in relation to reporting information on climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35156/07]
12 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí assigned to community policing; if this represents less than 4% of the overall strength of the force; if he has plans to increase the number of community gardaí; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34519/07]
6 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the fact that as of the end of November 2007 there were more than 111,000 outstanding warrants, including 36,000 bench warrants, and whether this indicates a serious problem with the enforcement of court warrants; the steps he will take to deal with this situation and to ensure those in respect of whom warrants are in existence will be called to account; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34518/07]
2 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to restrict the supply of cocaine in view of evidence of its growing use in society here and the toll it is taking in terms of deaths of users and the role it plays in financing criminal gangs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34647/07]
87 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science when a standard assessment for non-anglophone pupils will be introduced in secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[33440/07]
63 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the rising number of foreign national students in the school system here, she will introduce an international junior certificate and leaving certificate examination in which non-anglophone students would do non-core subjects in their native language; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[33441/07]
50 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Transport his plans to reform bus licensing legislation; when he will to publish proposed legislative changes; the areas of Dublin that still have inaccessible buses; the position regarding the new bus re-equipment programme at Dublin Bus; the number of buses currently in the Dublin Bus fleet; when he will increase the total size of the bus fleet; when he will ensure that all Dublin bus routes are fully accessible for citizens with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32794/07]
41 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Transport when integrated ticketing will be introduced in the greater Dublin and mid-east regions; the estimated cost of implementing an integrated ticketing scheme; the amount that has been spent to date on the integrated ticketing programme; if all relevant Bus Éireann services will be included in the integrated ticketing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32795/07]
255 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application for naturalisation for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32824/07]
68 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has had contact with the National Youth Council of Ireland in relation to their call to commit to setting up and funding a national youth participation programme to support and promote greater participation, active citizenship and volunteering among young people, with a specific emphasis on young people aged 18 to 25.
[32605/07]
56 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views in relation to the most recent available report from the ESRI on volunteering, which states volunteering in the country is up from 17.1% in 2002 to 23.1% in 2006 and active community involvement is up from 21.7% to 29% for the same period; his views on the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32606/07]
554 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of a person (details supplied) who has been resident here for 17 years; the reason only temporary permission to remain was granted in September 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32451/07]
101 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has received the NESC research on the possible merging of family income supplement and child dependent allowances; and the action he proposes to take.
[32187/07]
125 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action he is taking to combat the prevalence of debt among lone parents and large families; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32188/07]
19 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress made towards resolving the issue regarding Tallaght Stadium; his views on using the stadium as a mutli-purpose facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31443/07]
Bill entitled an Act to provide for the establishment and operation of a programme for the state protection of witnesses involved in criminal investigations and prosecutions; and to provide for related matters
263 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress his Department has made in implementing measures to divert persons with mental health problems from the criminal justice system as recommended by the Department of Health and Children expert group on mental health policy in the publication entitled A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31428/07]
113 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps being taken to implement the commitment in the Programme for Government that steps would be taken to ensure that consumer codes of conduct are published by businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31150/07]
71 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the €4 million in grants paid by the IDA to a company (details supplied) has now been repaid in view of the failure of the planned project at Ballincollig to proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[31135/07]
393 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on increasing the income threshold for persons in receipt of disability allowance to enable them to work more than the recommended guideline of 20 hours per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30863/07]
92 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the decisions reached at the most recent foreign affairs meeting of the European Union he attended with regard to the most recent assessment by the IAEA of Iran’s enrichment of plutonium programme.
[30879/07]
64 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the difficulties being placed in the way of the opposition in Zimbabwe to organise, the deteriorating economic situation affecting the ordinary people and the apparent unwillingness of neighbouring countries to express adequate concern at the breaches in human rights occurring in that country.
[30880/07]
13 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will introduce an incentive for new entrants to the animal welfare, recording and breeding scheme for suckler herds in view of the fact that the age profile of farmers in this sector is poor; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30100/07]
312 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the general principles and detailed rules permitting restrictions on the right of entry and right of residence of EU citizens on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health, permit him to refuse such a citizen entry into the State having regard to their criminal record or if they permit of any other form of prior scrutiny of the record of the entrant; if he will continue the administrative arrangements that apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30073/07]
139 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the circumstances in which an estate (details supplied) in County Cork which became State property on 1 September 1972 on the dissolution of its registered owner was sold to a person on 6 October 1986 for the sum of £160 and was then sold by that person on the 22 December of the same year to another person for £20,000; if he has satisfied himself the State received adequate consideration for the sale of its property; if this transaction was examined as to its propriety; the steps taken by his Department to safeguard the property interests of the State in such transactions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30052/07]
126 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children her views regarding the provision of teeth whitening services in beauty salons which do not have a dentist on the premises; if this is against the law; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[29990/07]
43 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent of cross-departmental interaction with regard to policy effects on energy and communications; when the high level group comprising key delivery Departments and agencies will be set up in relation to the national energy efficiency action plan; the persons who it will comprise; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28958/07]
37 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress on setting up a national advisory forum of telecoms experts; if his Department’s policy paper on communications infrastructure is complete; the position and progress on next generation networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28957/07]
89 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the cost to date of the development, roll out and promotion of the electronic voting and counting system; the cost to date of storage and maintenance of the system; the action required, the agency by which it is required and the timescale to facilitate the re-introduction of the stored machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28685/07]
64 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science if her Department is making provision to provide more school places for pupils entering the primary school system in 2012 in view of the recent report (details supplied) that highlighted that Ireland’s birth rate is expected to increase by 11% compared to 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28454/07]
54 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are only 127 educational psychologists serving more than 800,000 students, with only half of existing primary and secondary schools having access to such services; if her Department has plans to properly fund the provision of extra psychologists in order to curb the high rate of ADHD, depression and suicide among young people; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[28453/07]
179 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, submissions under section 6 of the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993, in relation to applications for authorisations for the interception of postal packets and telecommunications messages, when made to him by an officer of the Minister nominated for the purpose under that Act, are always considered and decided upon by himself personally; if not, the basis on which the decision is delegated; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27937/07]