9 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Defence his plans to sell one of the two Government jets in view of the fact that ministerial air transport has reduced significantly; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[42206/09]
59 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the negotiations to fill the post of President of the European Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41969/09]
60 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on whether the funding spent on translating official documents into Irish would be better spent on reviving the Irish language in view of the current economic climate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[41611/09]
88 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the existence of a group (details supplied), an independent non-profit making enterprise support group which alleviates unemployment in the area by fostering the growth of small businesses and employment in the local community; if her further attention has been drawn to the fact that the group provides office facilities at a reasonable cost, together with professional business supports, mainly to start up businesses; if funding will be made available to this group to enable it to continue providing suitable accommodation and other services; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40772/09]
16 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps she has taken to implement the recommendations in the Forfás report of the overview of the main infrastructure issues for enterprise; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[40941/09]
261 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the 3% disability employment quota still pertains in the public service; the extent to which it has been taken up in the various local authorities; the steps he proposes to take to ensure its enforcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[40085/09]
112 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children the action, legislative or other, she will take to prevent the €190 per bed annual Health Information and Quality Authority licensing and registration fee from being passed on to nursing home residents; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[39319/09]
1139 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision that is available for the special educational placement of a child (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[38756/09]
608 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will establish a Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown vocational education committee to coincide with the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[37031/09]
347 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for citizenship through naturalisation of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[37032/09]
13 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the REP scheme deadline for spreading slurry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36237/09]
116 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the national spatial strategy is relevant in view of recent population trends; if he will place the strategy or a revised strategy before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35916/09]
10 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Defence the number of overholders resident in married quarters of the Defence Forces; the rental charged to overholders for the use of the quarters; the average length of time overholders remain in Defence Force quarters following their discharge from the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[34751/09]
110 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on persons travelling to other EU countries to seek employment, in receipt of jobseeker’s assistance, who are being penalised for failing to comply with the instructions of social welfare inspectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[34232/09]
1197 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 408 of 3 February 2009, and 440 of 31 March 2009, if approval has been given for the construction of a replacement second level school (details supplied) in County Dublin to proceed to tender and construction stages in 2009; if the project architect’s sketch design, regarding which he replied to departmental queries in June 2009, has been approved by his Department; the reason for the delay in progressing the tender process and construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33440/09]
8 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has received confirmation from the Department of Finance regarding the availability of national development plan funding for projects falling under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32229/09]
331 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason Crohn’s disease does not qualify under the long-term illness scheme; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that Crohn’s disease requires lengthy follow-up maintenance treatment extending over the patient’s lifetime; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30275/09]
318 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the matter of the over 70s medical cards was removed from the responsibilities of the Health Service Executive community services and centralised in the HSE primary care reimbursement services in Finglas, Dublin 11; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that over 70s medical card applications have been lost and that delays have ensued as a result; if she will direct the HSE chief executive to restore this service to the local HSE offices where elderly persons have more personal contact and familiarity; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[30120/09]
265 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Finance his plans to direct public procurement authorities to modify the tendering process in respect of smaller public sector construction contracts under the EU procurement directive level of €5.25 million by short-listing ten randomly selected approved local contractors; if he will apply the open tender procedure in the case of all civil engineering projects with a value of less than €15 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30686/09]
240 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Finance the steps he will take to address the illegal market in tobacco products that is costing the State €387 million per annum in lost revenue, and retailers €496 million in lost sales turnover, while undermining the efforts of small retail businesses to provide employment and retail services to local communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30160/09]
7 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport when he expects to introduce a lower drink driving blood alcohol limit; the reason for not meeting the deadline as set out in the road safety strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[28490/09]
33 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Finance if he has received a report from the steering committee established at the time of the bank recapitalisation on credit availability to small and medium enterprises and on the promised extensions of lending capacity.
[27874/09]
178 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he will take to deal with the number of qualified primary teachers who are finding it impossible to obtain a teaching post, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the reason for the spiralling number of unemployed primary teachers is the promised decrease in the pupil-teacher ratio, which failed to materialise; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26890/09]
75 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport if he proposes to amend the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 and specifically the (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006) in order that he can exercise influence in the way national car tests are arranged; the reason roadworthy four year old cars, many of which have low mileage, must be included; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26889/09]
337 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason that most children with autism and intellectual disabilities have been turned down for the domiciliary care allowance; if the qualification criteria for the allowance have been changed; the reason for such change; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[25690/09]
398 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the provisions of the telecommunications antennae and monopole support structures guidelines for planning authorities prepared by his Department in July 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24528/09]
343 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his plans to control the activities of so-called headshops, in which mind altering drugs (details supplied) are sold as substitutes for banned drug substances; the place of headshops in the national drugs strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24557/09]
319 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the experience of a person (details supplied); if he will advise how they will remove the refusal stamp from their passport; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24517/09]
138 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Finance his views on introducing a tax deferred incentivised disability savings plan similar to the plan introduced in Canada in 2008 to enable families with disabled children to provide financially for their children’s futures; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24583/09]
109 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether it is feasible to impose five point penalties on motorists in respect of national car tests when there is no valid notification system in place to afford them a reasonable opportunity to comply with the law; his further views on whether it is satisfactory that NCT centres here should have a three month backlog of NCT test applications that result in these applicants being in extended breaches of the law; the reason road worthy four year old cars are required to be tested; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24314/09]
8 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress that has been made on securing a further memorandum of understanding with electric car manufacturers following the agreement with companies (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24100/09]
155 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport if, arising from his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 324 of 9 June 2009, he will explain the terms on which a licence could be granted to a company (details supplied) to operate bus passenger services between Dalkey and Dublin Airport; the reason the company appealed such terms; the company’s submission to his Department and its proposed significant changes to its service; the new terms for the grant of a licence presented by his Department to the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[23550/09]
103 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason potential adoptive parents who have completed the Health Service Executive preparatory adoption courses are compelled to wait for in excess of six months without a social worker being assigned to their cases to assess their applications and written homework; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[23501/09]
412 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the post-conflict humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka in which thousands of innocent civilians remain trapped in the battle zone with the International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian workers refused entry to assist them; if he will call on the international community to prepare a package of measures to help Sri Lanka to deal with this crisis; if he will urge the international community to prevail on the Sri Lankan Government to permit access of food, medicine and medical personnel into the internment camps; if he will support EU calls for an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes; if he will press for a mediated just and lasting political solution involving both Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22224/09]
324 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport the position in relation to the application by a group (details supplied) for a licence to operate bus passenger services between Dalkey and Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22081/09]
220 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children the action she plans to take to deal with the sale of potentially dangerous stimulant substitutes for a drug substance (details supplied) banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[22490/09]
9 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the proposal advanced by a number of aid agencies that, for the purposes of Ireland’s overseas development aid to Third World countries, Ireland should adopt a different and more efficient model involving concentrating the development aid to an individual country, thereby ensuring greater accountability, transparency and control; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21689/09]
8 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there is funding available to assist a person (details supplied) in the two cross-Border cross-community projects that he has undertaken and that have been crucial in promoting reconciliation and overcoming prejudice and mistrust between communities on both sides of the Border; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21688/09]
56 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of times he meets with the Inspector of Prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21549/09]
230 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the protracted delay in the development of an integrated ticketing system for Dublin’s public transport network since it was first mooted in the late 1990s; the further reason the Railway Procurement Agency was entrusted with this task; the expenditure to date on the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20981/09]
85 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Finance the levies and taxes for which persons aged 70 years and over are liable particularly as a result of the recent budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20805/09]
209 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that it can take up to 12 weeks for a person applying for jobseeker’s benefit on completion of a FÁS course to receive the payment; the steps she is taking to ensure that jobseeker’s benefit will be automatically payable to an applicant immediately on completion of a FÁS course; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[20534/09]
92 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the amount of cuts in euro in expenditure in his spending in each section of his Department in 2009 in comparison to 2008; the percentage this represents; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20155/09]
68 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the predicted decrease made by his Department in planting due to the reduction in forestry premiums; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20154/09]
186 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children if, in view of the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 238 of 6 May 2009, which did not address this Deputy’s query, it would be deemed appropriate for persons who ticked the “yes” box for persons with disability in the 2011 census of population to be asked to specify the type of disability in the interests of compiling valuable statistical data in the areas of autism and sensory and physical disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[19685/09]
229 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of the fact that social housing is at a premium in the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, he will make available the funding sought by a housing charity (details supplied) in County Dublin to complete for the county council, a full refurbishment of six social housing units, which would thus be provided at reasonable cost to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[19267/09]
448 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science when section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, in relation to the remuneration of non-registered or suspended teachers will take effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18905/09]
449 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will remove the cap on the number of English as an additional language support teachers allocated to primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18906/09]
90 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the smart meters pilot project from the ESB will be completed; the timing of the evaluation following completion; when there will be a large scale roll out of this technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18729/09]
557 Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason part-time teachers working in vocational education committee adult education courses who work on a non-guaranteed term contract and variable hourly paid basis with no pension scheme or rights and no holiday have had the pensions levy deducted from their salary; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17644/09]