284 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the waiting period that exists at Mullingar General Hospital for children to be attended to in the ears, nose and throat clinic; the number of children who are on this waiting list; and the action he proposes to take to alleviate the unacceptable delays.
[10506/04]
283 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the average number of patients listed for long-term care for each of the past five years; and the most up-to-date statistics for this year in hospitals (details supplied).
[10504/04]
52 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the next ASEM meeting will take place; the agenda for this meeting; the views that the Asia member states of ASEM have communicated to EU member states of ASEM regarding the political situation in Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10047/04]
34 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an update on the situation in Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10005/04]
164 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether, if the aim of the National Educational Welfare Board is to provide a service to the most disadvantaged and most at risk groups, that, by definition of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, all other schools are left without assistance from the NEWB and without recourse to the gardaí for persistent truancy problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[9679/04]
584 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress that his Department may have made regarding negotiations for implementation of EU Directive 2000/53/EC (details supplied).
[9129/04]
540 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if an application for funding for a proposed sewerage system for Ballykieran and Glasson, County Westmeath has been received in his Department; the date of the receipt of that application; if the application has received technical approval; if so the date of that approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8475/04]
539 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the situation concerning funding for the proposed sewerage system for Glasson and Ballykieran, County Westmeath.
[8474/04]
538 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if plans for a proposed water scheme for Glasson and Tubberclare, County Westmeath, have been received in his Department; the date of receipt of those documents; the status of the application; his plans to fund the scheme; and the envisaged timeframe.
[8473/04]
537 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the motor tax receipts allocated by Westmeath County Council in each of the past five years, the way in which those figures compare with the allocation to Westmeath County Council for non-national roads in each of those years, and the allocation to Westmeath County Council from the motor tax central fund in each of those years.
[8472/04]
319 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children when the builders’ warranty on phase 1 and the new accident and emergency department of the new James Connolly Memorial Hospital expire.
[8269/04]
51 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action that has been taken to secure replacement jobs in County Longford following the decision by Cardinal Healthcare to defer a 1,300 job project in the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8008/04]
134 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will give consideration to increasing child dependant allowances; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7872/04]
143 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has plans to remove the means test for the national fuel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[7862/04]
203 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if, arising from Statutory Instrument No. 424 of 1999, concerning kerbside petrol stations, she has made progress to ensure that many rural petrol stations are not closed down; and the situation in relation to those regulations.
[7477/04]
421 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the costs involved in a typical count centre for the counting of votes at a general election; and the way in which these compare with the likely costs of such a count if electronic voting is introduced.
[7002/04]
420 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the costs incurred in holding a general election by way of personnel employed in polling booths, security personnel for polling booths, rent or hire of polling premises, materials, ballot papers and other furniture equipment required; and the way in which these costs compare to the projected costs if electronic voting is introduced.
[7001/04]
419 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the special measures which will be introduced with the electronic voting system for general, European and local elections, to facilitate persons with disabilities who may not be able to operate the proposed new system.
[7000/04]
159 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport if he intends to bring forward integrated ticketing and smart card technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6733/04]
152 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the plans he has to review the procedure for the location of bus stops; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6732/04]
31 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress which has been made in implementing his commitments to installing closed circuit television systems in towns throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6331/04]
20 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the consideration he has given to changing the laws of evidence in order to negate the need for large quantities of seized drugs to be retained and stored for evidential purposes, in circumstances in which a mere sample would suffice.
[6330/04]
306 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has withdrawn funding to the Linguistics Institute of Ireland; the reasons for the withdrawal of those funds; the level of funding granted to this institute in each of the last ten years; the reason the funds are being withdrawn; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5938/04]
96 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if the Youthreach programme will be extended in 2004; the locations at which the programme is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[5200/04]
127 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans he has to increase the amount of forestry that will be grown; if recent policy has hindered the growth of the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4853/04]
372 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if there is an ophthalmic physician assigned to the Longford eye centre; when clinics were last held there; if there are staff attached to this eye clinic who cannot work in the absence of an ophthalmic physician; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4592/04]
371 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of consultant ophthalmic physicians in the Midland Health Board area; and the centres serviced by each.
[4591/04]
370 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients waiting for eye treatment at each of the eye centres in the Midland Health Board area.
[4590/04]
369 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if there is a consultant ophthalmic physician serving the Midland Health Board area; and the clinics at which this doctor serves.
[4589/04]
99 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the timescale for the decisions on emissions trading and carbon tax; his plans to avoid adverse impacts on competitiveness and a maximum reduction in carbon emissions associated with these schemes; and his views on the approach of ring-fencing revenue from this tax for the purposes such as reducing employment taxes, compensating those on low incomes and promoting low emission technologies and practices.
[5055/04]
96 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance his views on the apparent difficulties of the Revenue Commissioners in obtaining evidence to prosecute persons who defaulted on the fines of the tax amnesty and to prosecute officials within financial institutions who gave assistance to persons secreting money into bogus non-resident accounts.
[4832/04]
151 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children when a decision will be made on an application by a group (details supplied) for a grant towards the purchase of a minibus for the disabled.
[4435/04]
100 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the situation in Iraq; if he will further report on the situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4284/04]
10 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent meeting of the Government and the Democratic Unionist Party in London; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4307/04]
259 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Question No. 396 of 25 February 2003, the position with regard to the recruitment of health care professionals within the State, in particular speech and language therapists; his views on whether the strategy outlined in his previous answer is successful; and if so, the reason there are many areas in the State still experiencing long waiting lists and, in some cases, chronic lack of speech and language therapy facilities.
[4239/04]
106 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications received by health boards for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance in 2003; the number of applications granted and refused; and the number of children involved.
[3992/04]
456 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if temporary full-time employees of local authorities are entitled to be paid the benchmarking increases appropriate to their permanent colleagues; and if not, the reason therefor.
[3987/04]
455 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the grades of employees of local authorities which are entitled to receive the recent benchmarking payments; and if all local authorities are obliged to make these payments.
[3986/04]
454 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the financial burden placed on schools by virtue of section 89 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963 and regulations made under that Act, whereby schools are charged €630 per annum for having direction signs to their location; and if he will consider introducing regulations providing exemptions from these charges for educational institutions.
[3985/04]
183 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the decision making and financial control systems that have been put in place in his Department, as promised in his Department's Statement of Strategy 2003-05, to enable his Department to have in place a better structure to review financial and audit requirements of community development schemes.
[3243/04]
991 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding an application for funding by Westmeath County Council (details supplied).
[1926/04]
959 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will confirm that Ireland is to be prosecuted by the EU for not implementing the European ELV directive; if he will give details of initiatives by the EU in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1503/04]
609 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his proposals to introduce legislation to give effect to the employee share ownership trust for postal workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1920/04]
518 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the expenditure ceiling for primary schools which have been selected for capital works under this scheme; the way he expects major proposed developments such as Dysart NS and Fore NS to be scaled down to fit within this budget.
[1927/04]
456 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will compare the scale of allowances paid to principal teachers in primary and post-primary schools given that both of those scales are based on the number of teachers in each type of school; and the reason that there are different allowances paid to the principals of similar size schools in different categories.
[1517/04]
347 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that the report of the interdepartmental review group on the issue of primary medical certificates for persons with disabilities has been completed; and when he will publish this report.
[2214/04]
323 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)( e ) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993.
[1480/04]
322 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)( d ) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993.
[1479/04]
321 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)( c ) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993.
[1478/04]