354 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, with regard to maternity benefit, his views on whether time spent caring for a special needs child can be assessed as contributions for the purpose of maternity benefit; if there are allowances for full-time carers of one child with special needs upon the birth of a second child; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9357/06]
347 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, further to the calculation of rent allowance, if there is a protocol in place whereby the community welfare officer would inspect an entire house, including the contents of every wardrobe in the house; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8952/06]
163 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Taoiseach the volume of vegetables which has been imported from Israel in 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8827/06]
61 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the reason a ban on using a mobile phone when driving, as recommended in the national road safety strategy, has not been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9095/06]
82 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when she intends publishing the report into the inquiry at Lourdes Hospital by Judge Maureen Harding Clark; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8351/06]
30 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the Neary report will be published; the steps she intends to take to protect patients in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8352/06]
385 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Land Registry office will be requested to expedite a dealing (details supplied).
[7654/06]
362 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the protocol in place within her Department for the collection and clinical examination of wild fowl, particularly migrating birds, for traces of bird flu in view of the spread of this disease across Europe; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7767/06]
357 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the procedures in place for local authorities to collect and clinically examine dead wild fowl that may be suspected of contamination from bird flu; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7769/06]
356 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a procedure is in place for wildlife rangers to collect and clinically examine wild fowl, particularly migrating birds, for traces of bird flu; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7768/06]
87 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance his plans to change policy in order to facilitate the development of credit unions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7993/06]
41 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Defence the number of Departments or agencies with responsibility for emergency planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7191/06]
300 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the situation that prevails when a member of the public seeks Garda clearance for personal reference purposes; the step-by-step procedure that needs to be followed; the average waiting time for processing these applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7244/06]
299 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the situation that prevails when a person seeks Garda clearance for employment purposes; the system that operates for members of the public who need Garda clearance to take up employment; the average processing time for Garda clearance to be obtained; his plans to improve this system; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7243/06]
298 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has received a payment under the single payment scheme which has been reduced by €500 per annum; the reason for this reduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7475/06]
222 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the expenditure and the nature of the expenditure on the gardens, security system and outhouses at the Steward’s House, Phoenix Park, Dublin, since it was purchased; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7455/06]
221 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the schedule, with an estimated current value, of art work, furniture and any other fixtures and fittings, which are to be used in the Steward’s House, Phoenix Park, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7454/06]
220 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the expenditure to date and planned expenditure on the Steward’s House, Phoenix Park, Dublin, including purchase price of the house and any renovations and other works carried out since purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7453/06]
91 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has discussed Ireland’s participation in an EU security and defence force with the Department of Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6851/06]
85 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the EU States which have agreed to participate in the development of EU battlegroups; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6849/06]
659 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the location of each of the facilities where the unused electronic voting machines were stored during 2005; the proprietor of each of those facilities; the rental cost of each of those facilities for 2005; the cost incurred to date in 2006 on the storage of these machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6384/06]
177 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Taoiseach the estimated number of non-Irish citizens resident here; and if he will compare this with the findings of each of the past three census returns.
[6385/06]
107 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the schemes, groups or organisations deemed to have been most successful in the provision of broadband services; the extent to which delivery is taking place through such proposals; his plans for the future in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6643/06]
114 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the extent to which comparisons have been made in respect of electronic transmission costs here as compared with those throughout Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6642/06]
50 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the nitrogen element of the nitrates directive will be reviewed, as it applies in Irish law; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[5606/06]
136 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the main conclusions of the YES consultation process; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[5579/06]
338 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the funding which has been transferred from tourism projects to child care projects in the Border midland western area in each of the past five years.
[5105/06]
301 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the location of each palliative care unit funded by her Department; the year each was established; the funding provided in each of the past five years; and the staff numbers in those units.
[5405/06]
300 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the funding available from her Department for the Irish Hospice Foundation for each of the past five years; and the staff numbers to which these funds relate for each of those years.
[5404/06]
299 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the cost funding supplied by her Department for hospice care support in each health region in each of the past five years; and the reason there is a discrepancy in funding between those regions.
[5403/06]
298 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the regional health regions where there is a consultant with responsibility for palliative care; when each of those consultants were appointed; and the reason one region does not have such an appointment.
[5402/06]
248 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the early treatment cancer drug herceptin is licensed for use here; if same is available on the GMS; the cost per patient of this drug; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[5020/06]
235 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the services available to expectant mothers in early pregnancy units in Tullamore and Portlaoise Hospitals; the figures available outlining the number of cases dealt with in each hospital in the past three years; her plans to improve this valuable service; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4971/06]
206 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the results of his Department’s internal audit which reviewed the adequacy of his Department’s internal control and risk management systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5282/06]
202 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department will request An Bord Pleanála to introduce a formal quality review procedures to allow evaluation of the planning merits of its decisions and the setting of standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5265/06]
33 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the supports his Department intends to introduce to further empower lone parents in relation to the new social reform agenda; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4673/06]
9 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the expected increase in take-up of the back to work allowance in 2006 since the qualifying period was reduced in budget 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4674/06]
336 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of school buses in the fleet which are now seatbelt-compliant for every passenger; the number of school buses which currently do not have seatbelts for passengers; the estimated date when all buses will have seatbelts; the average age of a bus from the school bus fleet; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4637/06]
335 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the average class size and pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in Longford in each of the past five years.
[4636/06]
334 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the average class size and the pupil teacher ratio in primary schools in Westmeath in each of the past five years.
[4635/06]
273 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding a bonus scheme being offered to driving test instructors to carry out additional tests; the times when these additional tests will be carried out; the cost of implementing the bonus scheme; the timeframe for the length of time this bonus scheme will operate; and the estimated additional number of tests which will be carried out as a result of the scheme.
[4494/06]
271 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the receipts in 2005 in fees for driver testing; and the associated costs with operating this process.
[4492/06]
211 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when a senior area medical officer and an area medical officer will be appointed to the Health Service Executive midlands region at Mullingar; the length of time this appointment process has been ongoing; the reason for the delay in making these appointments; the steps that have been put in place to deal with the back log of applications for domiciliary care and so on which are awaiting input from these appointees; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4639/06]
210 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when an application for the domiciliary care allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath will be processed; the date this application was received; the reason for such a delay in making a decision in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4638/06]
532 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the expenditure (details supplied) for each local authority on non-national routes for each of the past three years.
[3932/06]
531 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the non-national road grants payable to each local authority for each of the past three years.
[3931/06]
530 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of kilometres or miles of non-national routes per local authority area.
[3930/06]
488 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the primary and second level schools in County Longford that are classified as disadvantaged; and the additional benefits available to these schools by way of this classification.
[3927/06]
487 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the primary and second level schools in County Westmeath that are classified as disadvantaged; and the additional benefits available to these schools by way of this classification.
[3926/06]