66. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Transport if he has considered the concerns of County Louth farmers and members of an organisation (details supplied) that the proposed Carlingford to Dundalk Greenway project may see the council attempting to acquire a significant area of private farmland for the greenway; if these concerns are considered when determining the emerging preferred route corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36774/24]
93. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures underway to improve water quality in County Louth due to nitrates runoff to comply with the nitrates directive, whereby the Environmental Protection Agency has listed Castletown Estuary, County Louth in the top five worst areas having being 85% over threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36775/24]
86. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if participation in the Nature Restoration Law will be voluntary for farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36776/24]
77. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures his Department is taking to ensure that the percentage of land used for tillage farming is increased, and to ensure tillage farmers who rent land are not priced out of the market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36778/24]
68. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to a possible fodder shortage this coming winter; if he is considering introducing a fodder production incentive scheme to encourage and support farmers to sow forage crops on their land to offset possible fodder shortages over the coming winter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36777/24]
679. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health if he will address the lack of orthodontists in Dundalk HSE; if he expects children (details supplied) to avail of the cross-Border scheme as a result of lack of services; if they are eligible for this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36228/24]
355. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will address the lack of strategy in relation to regional screen production since the lapse of the s.481 regional uplift; and if she will support a dedicated regional strategy as part of Budget 2025, to specifically address the development of the sector in the regions. [36189/24]
93. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason a person (details supplied) does not have broadband access in line with the national broadband plan; when they are likely to get access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36747/24]
1712. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health if the 20% of HSE-owned properties (or 400 vacant properties enlisted to the State), which, according to a person (details supplied), are lying idle during record numbers of homelessness in Ireland, are being considered for return to public use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34407/24]
1709. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health the number of medical card applicants awaiting a GP assignment in County Louth and east Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34403/24]
1708. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health for a list of all unfulfilled and frozen roles within hospitals, community health services, mental health services, children's mental health services and disabled services in Louth and east Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34402/24]
1631. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health the plans to give access to CPD training (details supplied) for allied health care professional social workers in the HSE adult mental health services Louth-Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34034/24]
1220. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of ash crop owners, out of the 6,500 individual owners, that have applied for the RUS scheme; the number of hectares in total that have been approved for clearance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34117/24]
927. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify the entitlements to a jobseeker's allowance payment to those employed as a retained firefighter with a county council on a part-time basis and who are paid a retainer fee for training and callouts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34122/24]
802. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Housing for All targets will be reviewed and updated, given the significant migration in recent years; if funding will be allocated to these updates in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34406/24]
2493. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health when the CNM2 salary scale will be extended by the addition of one further scale point and the introduction of a long-service increment following recommendation 45 of the expert review body regarding nursing and midwifery, clinical placement coordinators (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33294/24]
193. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Education if she plans to address the chronic under resourcing of special education needs supports and provisions for the upcoming school year (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30518/24]
64. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Education further to raising this issue on Leaders' Questions in May, what steps have been taken to amend assault leave entitlements to ensure that SNAs have equal provision of health and safety leave, and to ensure that teachers' and SNAs' income is fully protected for the duration of their medically certified leave (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30517/24]
115. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Government plans to change the eligibility for carer’s allowance to include those who are on a community employment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27521/24]
239. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Justice to outline the rules relating to cross-border movement under the IPAS system (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25985/24]
500. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive an answer from the Social Welfare Appeals Office, as this appeal is pending since June 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25555/24]
488. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of eligibility for the rent-a-room scheme for those on a social welfare payment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25435/24]
302. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Education if assistance will be provided to secure school transport arrangements under the school transport scheme for a school in Stonetown, County Louth (details supplied) in order that this school can remain open to the public; her plans to utilise this schools capacity to enrol children given the shortage of places in schools in Dundalk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25041/24]
172. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for an update on the rolling out of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme in terms of the timeframes, given that applications for sporting equipment have been announced first; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24350/24]
126. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plan/scheme that is in place for social housing tenants who are still living in pyrite affected homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24296/24]
118. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Government and Heritage if those undertaking remediation of their properties are accommodated under the defective block scheme in County Louth; if there is a redress scheme for those effected by mica/pyrite in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24295/24]
109. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to allocate more funding to Louth County Council in respect of the retrofitting scheme and housing adaptation grant as there is a significant backlog due to funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24297/24]
84. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the criteria for the septic tank grant; if he will acknowledge that many people who want to avail of the grant are not eligible for same as they are not located in the so called “buffer zones”;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24299/24]
74. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the Stardust acknowledgement when the remediation scheme for fire safety defects in apartments and duplexes will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24298/24]
3. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the steps being taken by her Department to increase the tourism potential of County Louth and east Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24349/24]
395. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Government has any plans to extend the grants available to upgrade personal septic tanks (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21903/24]
446. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection if the State plans to open eligibility to widow's pension to those who were not legally married but in a long-term committed relationship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18978/24]
263. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of his ‘Backing Rural Ireland’ nationwide tour and meeting with farmers throughout the country, if he has taken on board farmers’ issues in relation to the over-regulation of the sector, specifically in relation to the three-crop rule, ash dieback, retaining the derogation, the duplications on farm inspections, late ACRES payments and the nature restoration law; the proposals he has put forward to the European Commission in relation to the need to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18666/24]
243. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Justice the qualifying conditions to apply for Irish citizenship for those here on a stamp 4 visa seeking international protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18504/24]
55. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he intends to reinstate the fodder scheme to help compensate farmers for the financial losses they are facing due to the particularly wet conditions this spring; if flexibility is being extended and consideration being given to farmers who are struggling to meet the stipulated three-cop rule due to very difficult weather and ground conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18665/24]
719. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health whether the TOP Service Improvement Group considered an article published in the Irish Medical Journal on 21 March 2024 which detailed the case of a woman in Limerick whose life was threatened following the performance of a medical abortion whilst she had an undetected ectopic pregnancy within the context of its second identified workstream "early pregnancy ultrasound". [16430/24]
718. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health to provide the list of the service/advocacy groups which have been, or are scheduled to be, involved in the work of the National Termination of Pregnancy Service Improvement Group; the criteria by which these groups have been identified and selected; and whose decision it is to select a prospective group to participate in progressing the work of the TOP Service Improvement Group. [16429/24]
717. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health to provide the latest advice he has received from his Department or the HSE which relate to the operation of telemedicine abortion; whether any studies have yet been undertaken into the operation of telemedicine abortion in Ireland, including risk analyses; if so, to provide a copy of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16428/24]
716. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health the reason minutes are not being kept of the meetings of the Implementation Group examining the operation of the Health (Regulation of Pregnancy) Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16427/24]
639. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Louth will get an orthopaedic appointment in Temple Street for crucial urgent surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16055/24]
87. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that at the heart of the housing crisis is an affordability crisis; if he is aware that only half of the houses in Louth County Council's affordable housing scheme were claimed due to stringent eligibility criteria, whether this necessitates some changes in the terms of access for support in order that no one is excluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15632/24]
82. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage why Louth County Council was unable to acquire and allocate the five "surplus houses" not taken up within the affordable housing scheme for social housing, opting instead to return them to the developer for sale on the open market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15633/24]
62. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons from each municipal district in County Louth and East-Meath that are currently in receipt of a HAP payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15634/24]
39. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will examine the serious delays in the processing and approval of housing adaptation grants; the details of what measures if any can be taken to speed up the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15636/24]
26. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of modular or rapid build homes constructed in 2023 in County Louth and East-Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15635/24]
242. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine a recent rejection of a social welfare claim which the office of appeal has awarded (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13424/24]
81. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Transport his views on current disability services, specifically in relation to access to wheelchair accessible taxis in County Louth and east Meath; if this service is likely to deteriorate due to a shortfall in funding from the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9821/24]
1492. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health for his assistance with regard to a fair deal scheme issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12936/24]
864. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Justice if the sale of alcohol Bill 2022, which was to change the law and remove the extinguishment rule when trying to obtain a licence, has been approved; when this change will take effect; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12201/24]
240. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Finance if he will reconsider his decision to introduce an increase in fuel excise on 1 April 2024 given the fact that the UK has just announced it will not reintroduce its increase (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12249/24]