568 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the person on whose instructions inspectors of her Department visited farmers in County Galway prior to EU audit inspections of those same files and farms; her views on whether it is appropriate conduct for such inspectors to be involved in preparing REP scheme farm records for those farms; if she is satisfied that such records were accurate; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[22805/05]
410 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the widespread importation of soft furnishings and beds which do not comply with fire safety regulations in respect of fire retardations; and his proposals in this matter.
[22006/05]
409 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to enforce fire safety regulations in the soft furnishings and bed sector.
[21989/05]
408 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if recently introduced Health and Safety legislation will provide better enforcement of fire safety regulations in the soft furnishings and bed retail business; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21988/05]
407 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of inspectors within his Department who are responsible for the overseeing of fire safety regulations with the soft furnishings and bed industry; and the number of inspections that have been carried out each year in retail outlets since the introduction of these regulations.
[21987/05]
406 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if fire safety regulations which apply to furniture and beds manufactured in the State are also applicable to soft furniture and beds which are imported from within the EU and outside the EU.
[21986/05]
405 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when legislation, regulation and statutory instrument were introduced concerning the provision of fire retardant materials in soft furnishings and beds.
[21985/05]
323 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether the financial regulator for credit unions has the expertise and experience to issue guidance notes for the micro-management of credit unions, thereby bypassing the expertise and knowledge of the volunteers and professionals who have successfully managed this body for decades; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22839/05]
322 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he approved of the IFSRA regulator of credit unions’ attempts at micro-managing credit unions by virtue of the guidance note issued to such credit unions; if this is part of the regulator’s independent regulatory role; and if the IFSRA issued similar guidelines to banks and building societies.
[22838/05]
175 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if it is appropriate for patients in public nursing homes to pay current charges when they are also owed refunds for moneys charged illegally to them.
[21939/05]
174 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the rate of charges applicable for patients in public nursing homes.
[21938/05]
173 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if persons presenting in public nursing homes are obliged to pay charges; and when those charges became operative.
[21937/05]
105 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether the housing needs assessment should be conducted annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22284/05]
37 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has plans to widen home ownership among those on low incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22283/05]
255 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason an application for a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath lodged in September 2004 for permission to sell bogland in an NHA has not been processed; and if this application will be expedited.
[21709/05]
225 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will investigate the allocation of resource teaching facilities at a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath in order that a person and others who have had assessments and recommendations for resource hours have the facilities to which they are entitled.
[21668/05]
469 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of the headline offences recorded and detailed for each of the districts within the Longford and Westmeath areas in the years 1997, 2000 and 2004.
[20681/05]
370 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the industries in Mozambique which can sustain full opening up to competition from South Africa; and the way in which this can be envisaged as a poverty reduction strategy consistent with the objectives of the Cotonou Agreement.
[20977/05]
369 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department has made an assessment of the industries, in each of Ireland’s priority countries, which will most come under pressure through the liberalisation envisaged in EPAs; if he will identify those industries; the number of persons they employ; the capacity they have to adust to competition from European exports inside the transition period; and the level of unemployment in Ireland’s priority aid countries he expects will result from such liberalisation.
[20976/05]
368 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the consultations his Department has had with priority country governments, business, community and civil society regarding their defensive interests in the EPA trade negotiations; the areas of concern which were highlighted through these consultations; and the steps which have been taken by his Department to ensure these interests are catered for in the EU position on EPAs.
[20975/05]
367 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the representation his Department has had at the EU 133 committee meetings considering liberalisation of trade with Ireland’s priority countries under EPAs.
[20974/05]
366 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the communications, meetings and other representations his Department has had with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in regard to the EU requests for opening of markets under the proposed EPAs; and if he will make documents from these meetings available to Dáil Éireann.
[20973/05]
365 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the concerns his Department has raised with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in regard to the opening up of priority country markets to EU competition; and the areas of their markets which his Department has suggested be excluded from liberalisation.
[20972/05]
364 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment which the Government has undertaken of the impact upon industrial and agricultural producers in Ireland’s priority aid countries of the entry into force of EPA free trade areas, which the EU proposes will include full liberalisation of 90% of trade with the poorest countries.
[20971/05]
363 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will actively seek that the EU work with the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, either to achieve at the WTO an extension of the Cotonou Waiver preferences or to change Article 24 of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in order that Europe can continue to give preferential access to poor countries; and his views on whether this approach is not preferable to pushing ahead with reciprocal free trade areas with Africa and other poor countries through the proposed economic partnership agreements.
[20970/05]
240 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of agency nurses employed by the HSE; the annual cost of these employees; and the way in which these costs compare with the cost of employing full-time nurses.
[20959/05]
239 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will report on the present positions of each of the health board chief executive officers who were in situ when the boards were dissolved, including the chief executive officer of the HeBE; and if the new positions are more highly remunerated than the chief executive officer positions.
[20958/05]
238 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the status of the HeBE; if she will report on the need for such a body since the abolition of the health boards; the cost in 2003 and 2004 of running the HeBE; the number of staff employed; the details of the staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20957/05]
213 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the income guidelines for couples in cases in which one person over 70 years of age has a medical card in their own name only and the other person is under 70 years of age; the way in which this figure is calculated; her estimate of the number of medical card holders who qualify for a medical card under these guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20711/05]
171 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when she will announce the two radiotherapy centres for the eastern regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20901/05]
144 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the Hollywood report; if this is now Government policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20900/05]
237 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the names of the directors of services who were initially appointed by the HSE and who have resigned, vacated or left their positions; and the details of the severance packages that were made available to them.
[20956/05]
73 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the amount of tax credits available annually to categories of persons (details supplied) who are paying rent to a private landlord.
[20457/05]
63 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the criteria used by her Department in accessing applications for works to be carried out under the housing aid for the elderly scheme; if medical circumstances play a part in this assessment; if this scheme is means tested; if so, the criteria for such means testing; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20466/05]
61 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the 12 bedded unit at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, is now fully operational; the date on which this unit became operative; the number of beds which currently in operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20455/05]
60 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if an application for funding to staff a special care baby unit at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, has been received in her Department; if so, the date of receipt of this application; the number of staff involved; the estimated annual cost; when a decision on this application will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20454/05]
47 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if a new communities facilities fund, to support the development of community facilities, has been put in place by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20234/05]
69 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the way in which he proposes to combat junk mail in the event of the introduction of post codes as per his recent pronouncement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20068/05]
113 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his proposals for the upgrading, retention, restructuring or expansion of the post offices or other services through An Post; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20021/05]
678 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the primary schools in County Westmeath which will lose teachers under the recently introduced weighted general allocation scheme.
[18953/05]
677 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the primary schools in County Westmeath which will lose their previous disadvantaged designation by the introduction of the weighted general allocation scheme.
[18952/05]
676 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if a primary school (details supplied) in County Westmeath will retain the additional mainstream teaching post as previously sanctioned.
[18951/05]
608 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of parental leave under the present legislation; the changes intended in the new legislation; when those changes are likely to come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[19264/05]
591 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of the headline offences recorded and detailed for Carlow and Kilkenny counties in the years 1997, 2000 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[19092/05]
536 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the attention of her Department officials in County Galway was drawn to an impending EU representatives’ audit which was to take place up to two weeks in advance of this scrutiny; if the files to be inspected were identified at this early stage prior to the audit; if her inspectors scrutinised these files prior to this audit; if this is normal procedure in such audits; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[19404/05]
347 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of applications he has received in response to his advertisement for expressions of interest for excise duty exemption for rapeseed oil and other such products in the context of his plans to reduce excise duty on same; the number of such applications from persons, registered companies and established oil suppliers; the criteria to be used in assessing those applications; the projected time scale for a final decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[19435/05]
307 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of nursing home beds provided each year under the capital tax allowances scheme since this scheme was introduced.
[19351/05]
306 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of nursing homes that have availed of capital tax allowances each year since this tax shelter was introduced.
[19350/05]