357. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will take steps to encourage the motor industry to accelerate its roll-out of the promised enhanced electric vehicle charging network and require it to report quarterly on the scale of the network it is supporting. [1502/21]
315. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the five most recent significant capital projects in the major functional responsibilities of his Department which have required his sanction; the time which elapsed between the initial submission of the proposal for consideration until the construction commenced; the significant elements making up this period; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the planning process; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the procurement process of contractors; and the way this duration compared with the targeted time to delivery set out at the outset of the process. [14788/21]
239. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the five most recent significant capital projects in the major functional responsibilities of his Department which have required his sanction; the time which elapsed between the initial submission of the proposal for consideration until the construction commenced; the significant elements making up this period; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the planning process; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the procurement process of contractors; and the way this duration compared with the targeted time to delivery set out at the outset of the process. [14776/21]
162. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the five most recent significant capital projects in the major functional responsibilities of his Department which require his sanction; the time which elapsed between the initial submission of the proposal for consideration until the construction commenced; the significant elements making up this period; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the planning process; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the procurement process of contractors; and the way this duration compared with the targeted time to delivery set out at the outset of the process. [14775/21]
137. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Taoiseach the five most recent significant capital projects in the major functional responsibilities of his Department which require his sanction; the time which elapsed between the initial submission of the proposal for consideration until the construction commenced; the significant elements making up this period; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the planning process; the time spent in assessment prior to approval in the procurement process of contractors; and the way this duration compared with the targeted time to delivery set out at the outset of the process. [14786/21]
126. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider a short-term programme to repair or upgrade the part of the road used by cyclists on roads and streets with heavy usage. [1501/21]
57. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will take steps to accelerate the roll-out of the promised enhanced electric vehicle charging network. [1494/21]
94. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a detailed response will be provided on the way his Department approaches development education in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13673/21]
93. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the role the new climate unit in his Department will play in addressing the global climate crisis and devising a strategy to scale up Ireland’s climate finance contributions as outlined in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13672/21]
92. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on his Department’s engagement with an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13671/21]
82. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered the proposals in the report by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government entitled Safe as Houses; if he has adopted its recommendations; and if he plans to implement reforms. [13656/21]
883. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if there is data to track the extent to which persons who flew into Ireland during January 2021 were associated with the spread of Covid-19 and the import of new variants of Covid-19 from Brazil or South Africa. [13052/21]
811. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if persons with underlying health conditions who are now to get higher priority in access to vaccines will be selected based on specific categories of condition or selected by general practitioners based on assessed vulnerability; and if younger persons for whom most of the vaccines have not been explicitly approved will be prioritised for protection. [12809/21]
399. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address the delays in registrations with the Property Registration Authority, PRA, which are now causing sales to fall through. [13180/21]
369. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if adoption of a home to permit homeworking is deemed essential work during level 5 restrictions. [12566/21]
292. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to defects in sections of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017 whereby banks can initiate proceedings to avoid adjudication in defects in their treatment of a customer; and if there are plans to consult the Ombudsman regarding the need to amend the Act to make it more fit for purpose in this respect or in other respects. [13186/21]
252. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the cost of real-time systems used by public transport operators (details supplied). [13217/21]
104. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has identified the main categories for new ambition beyond the existing Climate Action Plan in order to achieve the enhanced target of 51% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030. [12893/21]
57. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider promoting a scheme to have on-street compostable bins put in place as the value of compostable beverage cups is being lost when they go into the normal litter stream for incineration. [1493/21]
980. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if hospitals have protocols in place governing the activity of debt collectors pursuing outstanding medical bills in order that there would be reasonable practices respecting the stress that some patients are under. [11999/21]
979. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his Department has issued guidance on discretionary medical cards in respect of providing temporary cover during periods of intense care, such as for cancer patients in order that the stress of medical bills would be relieved for a period. [11998/21]
978. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a report undertaken on the impact of hospital car park charges on those undertaking a sustained level of treatment; his views on policies which put a cap on such charges for patients; and his further views on whether a national protocol could be developed to address same. [11997/21]
886. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health his views on whether it is appropriate to relax further the visiting opportunities for residents of nursing homes who have been isolated for a long time given the Covid-19 vaccination programme in nursing homes has been completed; and if he will consider the merit in considering the vaccination of one visitor per resident to make visiting nursing homes safer. [11675/21]
517. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the shortening of the Easter school break has been considered in the context of the discussions on the return to education. [12083/21]
503. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will consider allocating additional resources to acutely disadvantaged schools which could be used flexibly to address their requirements to enable the gap to be closed given the reduction in class size at primary level in recent years and the fact that the increment of additional resources available to DEIS band 1 schools has reduced and there is no evidence that the gap in performance by such schools has narrowed. [12016/21]
487. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that those doing a private masters course to enter primary teaching face the cost of specialist immersive courses in Irish but do not qualify for the support available to those in other colleges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11874/21]
470. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some schools are choosing to hold a mock leaving certificate examination as soon as students return while others are not; if guidelines have been issued on the way such mock exams should be used in arriving at predictive grades; her views on the potential for such an exam to be an unfair reflection of a students work after such a long absence; and her views on whether a potential inequity may arise between schools that do and those that do not run mock exams. [11674/21]
439. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if new directives are being considered on mask wearing or other safety precautions in the context of the reopening of schools. [11436/21]
251. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the submissions which he has received on the review of the National Development Plan 2018-2027; and if he will classify them into the key categories. [12040/21]
244. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there are limits on the amount of sick leave a public servant can take; the provisions available to a person who is suffering repeated bouts of illness; and whether annual leave entitlement can be affected. [11673/21]
221. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Covid-19 restrictions support scheme is being denied to dog training, grooming and day care businesses on the grounds that they could have remained open, which would be entirely out of step with the provisions of level 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11954/21]
81. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has studied the proposals in a report (details supplied) for the support mechanism for postal services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11626/21]
163. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the phased reopening of schools will give priority to children with special needs in mainstream classes who have been particularly impacted by the move to online alternatives. [10693/21]
1012. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the plans for transgender health services have been implemented; and his views on reports of confusion in relation to the locations to which persons should be referred. [10393/21]
960. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the work of the interdepartmental group looking at relaxing rules under the fair deal scheme to facilitate the rental or sale of vacant homes has reached agreement on any changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10085/21]
649. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there is an opportunity for students who sat the leaving certificate in November 2020 to undertake the HPAT assessment, which is needed for access to certain courses and without which a further loss of a year before enrolment would arise. [10098/21]
589. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to review the means limits for the carer’s allowance which have been in place for many years given that an hourly rate for 18.5 hours is well below the average industrial wage. [10462/21]
463. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the difficulty in getting secondary school placements for those leaving sixth class at a school (details supplied); if an assessment of the need for extra school places has been identified in the relevant school planning area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10102/21]
461. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the reopening plan of schools for children with special needs includes those that are in mainstream classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10083/21]
204. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons who have recovered from Covid-19 are being denied mortgage protection for a period of six months resulting in persons who have paid a deposit on their home being put in a position in which they cannot complete the purchase (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10097/21]
113. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the way in which a member of a religious order who has been posted to the UK can get a fresh Irish driver licence to present to the UK authorities in a situation in which his or her existing licence was extended during Covid-19 but has now expired given such options are not catered for on the website. [9948/21]
288. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some large community general practitioner practices have arranged safe use of community halls for administering vaccines to those over 85 years of age (details supplied); and if arrangements will be made for this model to be used which has made considerable arrangements for the safety of patients. [9193/21]
219. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if students who received results from the November 2020 leaving certificate will have the opportunity to qualify for courses in autumn 2021 which have a health professions admission test, HPAT, entry requirement or a CAO process; and if a necessary change in closing dates can be made to accommodate same. [9145/21]
183. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her Department can assist a new primary school in receiving feeder school status in an area when it faces difficulty in securing places for those graduating, as in the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9142/21]
133. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his estimate of the total area of public lands owned by public bodies listed in schedule 1 and 2 of the draft Land Development Agency; the amount that may be suitable for housing; the projected acreage which can be activated for consideration of development master planning by the agency over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9302/21]
107. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been drawn to an issue affecting some businesses affiliated to an organisation with regard to the tourism business continuity fund scheme administered by Fáilte Ireland (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9045/21]
91. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if a mechanism exists within the scope of the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, to suspend, pause or cease receipt of payment of the direct support in order to make an application without penalty for support under the tourism business continuity scheme administered by Fáilte Ireland in the case of a business affiliated with an organisation (details supplied) that was not eligible for a full Covid restrictions support scheme payment but is in receipt of a partial payment towards sustaining their business costs during Covid restrictions; if no such mechanism exists, if he will request that officials in his Department contact the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and Fáilte Ireland to facilitate this mechanism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9046/21]
71. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if a relative can travel to a European country to provide care support to a daughter during recuperation from a serious operation; and if so, the person or body to which an application for travel should be submitted. [9177/21]