760 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in relation to on-farm inspections, she will ensure that 14 days advance notice of inspections for all schemes will be given; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14518/07]
759 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to ensure that farmers and their representative associations be permitted to negotiate prices and conditions for their products against powerful big business interests; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14517/07]
758 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to fund and implement a 40% grant scheme for on-farm grain storage and processing facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14516/07]
757 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to ensure that an accurate annual register of potato growers is put in place, which would provide the industry with accurate records of areas and locations of potato planting here each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14515/07]
756 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to ensure Government support for the horticulture industry and producers of fruit and vegetables, to assist in bringing farmers together to qualify for EU funding for their producers’ organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14514/07]
754 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans, in view of the improved brucellosis position here, to protect this situation with the implementation of controls in relation to imported animals from regions where the disease is prevalent; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14512/07]
755 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she proposes to extend country of origin labelling to bacon; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14513/07]
753 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she proposes to extend country of origin labelling to chicken; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14511/07]
752 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she proposes to extend country of origin labelling to pork; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14510/07]
751 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she proposes to extend country of origin labelling to lamb; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14509/07]
750 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to ensure that adequate personnel and resources are provided to ensure that legislation requiring country of origin labelling for beef imports is complied with; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14508/07]
748 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will increase the age limit from 30 to 36 months of age for BSE testing; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14506/07]
749 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will set up a dairy herd improvement scheme which would help promote the health of dairy cows, whole herds and, ultimately, the national herd; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14507/07]
747 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to implement the full Malone recommendations including incentive payments to procedures, to ensure a strong uptake at farm level in both lowlands and hill areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14505/07]
675 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position with regard to the re-opening of the Ulster Canal; the timescale envisaged for restoration of the canal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14130/07]
609 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will ensure an adequate income for older women by increasing pensions in line with inflation and increasing the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14134/07]
543 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his plans to ensure the full implementation of the Crawley report and sea change document; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14519/07]
293 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will provide older women with regular visits from public health nurses with regular health assessments and access to services such as chiropody in all localities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14132/07]
292 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will ensure that older women will not be compelled to change their general practitioner when they become eligible for a medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14131/07]
269 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is intended to establish the office of an older persons’ ombudsman to inform on advocacy, entitlement and rights; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14133/07]
233 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Finance if he will ensure an adequate income for older women by abolishing VAT on fuel and on homecare costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14134/07]
230 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason it is proposed to terminate the employment of the eighth assistant teacher in a school (details supplied) in County Monaghan from September 2007; if she has taken extenuating circumstances into account; if she has considered the class amalgamations that will ensue from the loss of the teacher resulting in several multiple classes with enrolments exceeding best practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[12177/07]
63 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his proposals to progress a new theatre in Monaghan town, which would be an invaluable asset to tourism in the county; the timeframe he envisages for the project; the funding that he will make available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11823/07]
313 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans for the introduction of the helicopter emergency medical service; the progress to date; when it is expected to come on stream; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11326/07]
312 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the provisions that are currently in place to ensure the safe transfer by emergency helicopter or emergency air ambulance to the Mater Hospital, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11325/07]
311 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the provisions that are currently in place to ensure the safe transfer by emergency helicopter or emergency air ambulance to St. James’s Hospital, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11324/07]
309 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the provisions that are currently in place to ensure the safe transfer by emergency helicopter or emergency air ambulance to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11322/07]
314 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to provide and fund the advanced course for persons in the use of defibrillators in communities where defibrillators are provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11327/07]
308 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to fund the training of persons to become proficient in the use of defibrillators which are available in many communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11321/07]
310 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to provide a helipad service for use in an emergency or any situation at the Mater Hospital, Dublin, where none exists at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11323/07]
307 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to provide a helipad service for use in an emergency or any situation at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, where none exists at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11320/07]
306 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to provide a helipad service for use in an emergency or any situation at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, where none exists at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[11319/07]
596 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to introduce an all-Ireland island-wide free travel for persons on a disability pension; his reasons for excluding same from the all-Ireland free travel scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9687/07]
494 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her views on a leaked Health Service Executive report which indicates that the numbers of people contracting MRSA in hospitals is five times higher than the levels shown by official records; her proposals to address this critical situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[10368/07]
493 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her views on a leaked Health Service Executive report indicating that as many as 250 people annually die from MRSA contracted in Irish hospitals, despite virtually no such fatalities being properly attributable to the hospital acquired infection; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[10367/07]
432 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if, having regard to her recent statement regarding the Health Service Executive’s assurance to her that in progressing the reorganisation of services in the north east, there will be no discontinuation of existing services until suitable alternative arrangements have been put in place, this refers to the establishment of the new north-east regional hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[9941/07]
431 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the way the Health Service Executive proposes to invite other interested parties to make a submission on the proposed new North East Regional Hospital location; the interested parties that will be invited; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[9940/07]
430 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the way she will select the members of the public, with regard to her recent statement that a key element of the consultancy process on the location of the new North East Area Regional Hospital will involve the Health Service Executive inviting the public to make a submission on the hospital location; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[9939/07]
329 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Finance his plans to regulate the lifetime mortgage sector and equity release schemes under which vulnerable elderly persons are required to draft wills, and executors of elderly persons’ estates are required to sign prior contracts of cooperation with banks in the event of the borrowers’ deaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10378/07]
312 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will provide clear and transparent annual reports on progress on the implementation of the reports (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8741/07]
310 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will establish a system for comprehensive, accurate and up to date data on suicide here; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8739/07]
311 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will allocate a minimum sum of €10 million for each of the next five years specifically for identified measures to reduce the incidence of suicide; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8740/07]
309 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children when she will implement the recommendations of Reach Out, The National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention 2005 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8737/07]
308 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children when she will implement the recommendations of A Vision for Change, the Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8736/07]
280 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans to provide a day hospital and multi-disciplinary team at Beaumont Hospital which would prevent nursing home patients going through accident and emergency thereby allowing these patients maintain their maximum level of independence and dignity.
[8479/07]
281 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans, in view of the fact that one in six beds at Beaumont Hospital is occupied by patients waiting for long-term care or discharge, for this group of patients; if she will introduce a sixth discharge initiative, following the previous five discharge initiatives between August 2005 and December 2006; if this represents value for money; and her views on whether this is the long term solution for patients in Beaumont Hospital awaiting long term care or discharge.
[8480/07]
279 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the cost to patients or their families of the discharge initiative beds; the duration of payment for each discharge initiative bed; if patients are means tested prior to discharge to the discharge initiative bed; her views on whether the discharge initiative scheme in itself is contributory to long term care and discharge problems at Beaumont Hospital.
[8478/07]
278 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans, in view of the fact that private nursing homes provide 96% of beds in north Dublin, for highly dependent patients whose nursing care needs are beyond the scope of the private nursing homes sector and often remain in acute hospital beds for prolonged periods of time.
[8477/07]
277 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children her plans, in order to reduce inappropriate accident and emergency admissions and to ensure that a patients dignity is upheld in the last few hours of their life, to increase palliative care beds or services in the Health Service Executive north east; and the location where she will locate theses beds and services.
[8476/07]
276 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients occupying beds in general hospitals for in excess of three calendar months; the daily cost of these hospital beds; and the way she will address and resolve this issue.
[8475/07]