119. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the scope for accelerating the delivery of important public investment priorities at a time when private investment is likely to fall sharply and a demand stimulus will be needed has been examined. [26413/20]
35. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has assessed the advice of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council on the shape of the future budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26522/20]
32. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has assessed the advice of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council on the shape of the future budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26405/20]
183. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that diverting speech and language therapists risks disrupting service at a critical time and disrupting the pipeline of work experience for graduates. [25737/20]
118. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the decision to remove from admission policies a preference for siblings in Dublin Catholic schools; if her Department was consulted on this move; and if this is regarded as a source of difficultly in achieving equitable admission in view of the considerable inconvenience for parents affected. [25734/20]
785. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the status of testing and tracing capacity here; the extent to which demand is pressing on available resources; the planned additional resources anticipated to be allocated as part of development planning; the extent to which resources are deployed for precautionary testing as opposed to testing in cases in which suspected symptoms have been identified; and the level of such precautionary capacity that will be needed as travel and other activities open with appropriate safety protocols [25233/20]
514. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if special supports for proprietors and executive directors of small businesses for the duration of Covid-19 restrictions has been considered such as short time working payments and so on. [24902/20]
302. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht if her Department is working on the design of initiatives to support the various elements of the events sector which are unlikely return to generating more than a fraction of former revenue at any point in the new Covid-19 Roadmap; and the options under consideration. [25267/20]
246. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if additional Covid-19 supports are being considered for sectors whose revenue throughout the period of the new Covid-19 Roadmap are likely to be impacted to a far greater extent than 30% which has featured to date in the design of supports of general application. [25269/20]
240. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if the extension of employment wage subsidy scheme to proprietors and executive directors of small businesses will be considered. [24901/20]
220. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he has considered making the wearing of helmets by cyclists mandatory; and his plans to update legislation regarding cycling in view of the big uptake in use and the hazard posed by some practices on the roads at present. [25418/20]
202. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if capacity of the travel agent industry to survive the Covid-19 crisis has been assessed; and if a special range of supports will be developed in view of the particular circumstances of the sector.. [24900/20]
68. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the basis of appeal of grades in the leaving certificate; if the deviation of the results of a school from a pattern in previous years can be a basis for appeal; if there is consideration being given to reserving some of the extra college places for late entry for persons who choose to sit the exam in November 2020 rather than accept calculated grades; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24205/20]
727. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the extension of general practitioner only cards to those up to eight years of age is going ahead in September 2020 as originally planned. [23710/20]
724. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the protocol for arranging a test for a person who does not have access to a car to drive himself or herself; if there is a backlog or delay in handling such tests; and if he is satisfied that there is a satisfactory clearing house for persons experiencing difficulties in this regard. [23706/20]
286. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some insurers are unfairly seeking to take advantage of the benefit-in-kind concession granted to encourage company car fleets to go electric and that some insurers are refusing to recognise no-claim bonuses accumulated by drivers on their private policies, thereby overcharging for the risk of cover. [23894/20]
225. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if the airport authority has the legal entitlement to charge persons who drop off passengers to the airport; the public benefit that will arise from such a charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23882/20]
58. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the key indicators relating to Covid-19 are tracked relative to comparable countries such as the UK, Denmark and Austria and the EU as a whole covering such matters as testing rate per hundred thousand, hospital admissions per hundred thousand, reproduction rate of the virus, indicators of levels of social contact and so on; if so, if the indicators will be published on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23273/20]
504. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied that many schools in disadvantaged inner city areas do not get the sort of supports needed to even up educational opportunity; her plans to assess the scale of the gap in educational opportunity; and if proposals are being developed to close the gap. [21359/20]
503. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the significant gap in funding between voluntary secondary schools and those which are run by the ETB sector; and her plans to close the funding gap. [21358/20]
251. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the supports available to families that book holidays in destinations that were not on the green list and that opted not to travel even though the flight went ahead. [22520/20]
242. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the status of legislation in preparation to provide a legal framework for the use of e-scooters; the work that has been done to date on that legislation; when it is scheduled to be presented; and his views on whether an opportunity for safe transport in a Covid-19 world is being lost through this gap in legislation. [22269/20]
995. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to examine options to increase flexibility within centre based care in addition to options to accelerate access to subsidies for non-relative childminders as set out in the Programme for Government; if terms of reference and tenders for this examination have been initiated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19748/20]
994. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to set a cap on parental fees irrespective of income and publish a policy, legal and economic analysis in 2020 as set out in the Programme for Government; if terms of reference and tenders for this report have been initiated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19747/20]
993. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to reform the childcare system to create one that brings together the best of community and private childcare provision; if terms of reference have been drawn up; if stakeholders will be included; the time frame for establishing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19746/20]
992. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to his statement to provide financial supports for parents who opt to look after their children themselves, if he will provide further details on the proposals; if this will be pursued through the national childcare scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19745/20]
991. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to establish childcare Ireland; when he expects to have the agency established in order to provide greater support to the childcare sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19744/20]
82. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the planned reform of the leaving certificate will be accelerated in view of the changes which are necessary to the conventional curriculum and examination system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17961/20]
65. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the spend by her Department on improving school leadership and in delivering in-service training to teachers; the proportion of teacher payroll which it represents; and her plans to increase that ratio over her term in office in a significant manner. [17962/20]
189. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider increasing hours and or posts supported in schools for guidance counselling in view of the increased pressures on students as a result of Covid-19; and if supports will be particularly focused on children that may be at a disadvantage. [19396/20]
53. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the ratio of persons aged 65 years of age and over in 2016 to the numbers aged between 25 and 64 years of age and to the numbers at work; her projection for these ratios in ten and twenty years’ time, respectively; and the implications for projected pension costs and the balance between spending and revenue in the social insurance fund. [17965/20]
638. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to improve animal welfare in the greyhound industry here and in countries to which they are exported; and if he will report on the progress being made. [18338/20]
34. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the way in which new legislation designating political protest as a criminal offence with huge penalties was introduced and the new security apparatus has been installed in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17963/20]
31. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his preparations for the climate conference which has been postponed until 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17964/20]
202. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if spinraza has been evaluated for funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17698/20]
15. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the initiatives to accelerate affordable housing schemes such as in a case (details supplied) in circumstances where the development of such homes has been the subject of numerous proposals and is long anticipated. [16637/20]
11. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of finalising the criteria under which affordable purchase and cost-rental will be made available to applicants; and the national elements such as income limits and guidance on local elements in cases in which local authorities have discretion. [16636/20]
230. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that private hospitals are seeking cash contributions over and above the insurance cover of patients to cover PPE costs; and if he will consider that seeking insurers and hospitals ensure that these costs are included in cover in order that patients are not prevented from receiving the needed treatments by unexpected cost barriers. [17594/20]
188. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of extending parental leave by three weeks; and if primary legislation is required to introduce the extension. [17664/20]
69. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of projects completed under the deep retrofit scheme; the expenditure involved; the number of outstanding projects to be completed; the estimated cost of each; and the number that will not go ahead. [17522/20]
64. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if his attention has been drawn to delays in some Dublin authorities in processing applications for the restart grant; and if steps can be taken to rectify this. [17535/20]
729. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the distinct protections, advice and oversight of tourist and non-tourist arrivals from countries deemed to have a safe level of Covid-19 infections to those with an unsafe level; if the effectiveness of the proposed approaches are evaluated either by way of international experience or domestic trials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17135/20]
723. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to restore leave to frontline workers who had to use it to provide childcare, particularly for couples who both worked on the frontline and used their leave to ensure one parent was always available to provide childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17095/20]
645. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health his plans to develop a new policy to take account of the Covid-19 experience in long stay residential settings; if a consultative process is planned with key stakeholders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16711/20]
561. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that parents whose baby was born before the extension of parental leave at the end of 2019 are not eligible for the extension of parental leave announced recently. [17236/20]
554. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the fact little or no childcare is now available for children under one year of age; and if he will assist parents still unable to get childcare in order to return from parental leave. [17236/20]
463. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the duration of jobseeker’s benefit will be extended temporarily in order that persons who lost their jobs before Covid-19 can continue their claims at least until the period while special supports continue. [16710/20]
292. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to extend the freeze on evictions and on rent increases beyond 20 July 2020 in view of the vulnerable position of many still out of employment. [16705/20]