691. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when a vacant position for a dentist for the school dentistry service based in Tuam, County Galway, will be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39890/20]
683. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE is advising that women who are 28 weeks pregnant continue to work as teachers in situations in which they cannot socially distance when organisations (details supplied) advise against doing so; if the HSE has updated its guidelines to take into account recent research on the subject; if his attention has been drawn to the quandary that this is placing teachers in at the end of their pregnancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39860/20]
649. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the reason for the excessive delay in assessing children under the genetics team in Temple Street and Crumlin hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39670/20]
398. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the difficult situation that pregnant teachers are experiencing due to differing advice from organisations (details supplied); the steps she will take to rectify the situation these teachers are in; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39859/20]
374. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education her views on whether the bar on bus drivers over the age of 70 who are medically fit for work is discriminatory on age grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40285/20]
209. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if he plans to lower the threshold on tax free sales by non-EU tourists; and if so, the proposed lowest threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39668/20]
148. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to bring forward a second round of the amnesty for the collection of old tyres dumped illegally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39690/20]
113. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance his views on the impact on Irish tourism and the retail sector of the proposed changes in the retail export scheme in the Brexit omnibus Bill. [38204/20]
13. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to enter discussions with the President-elect of the United States of America, Mr. Joe Biden, on the issue of the difficulties facing undocumented Irish persons in the United States and in particular the progression of the E3 visa Bill through Congress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38205/20]
191. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health his plans for the recognition of the long-term effects of Covid-19; his plans to introduce support for patients affected by the condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38926/20]
992. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her plans to introduce a scheme of supports to incentivise young persons to purchase vacant properties in towns and villages as their first homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37979/20]
944. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health his views on the call by an association (details supplied) to be included in the modifications to restrictions to allow it to commence its activities in a controlled safe manner for the wellbeing of all participants. [38801/20]
853. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when a psychology assessment will take place for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38356/20]
845. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the longest time that a child has been waiting for a MRI scan in UHG; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38343/20]
800. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health his views on making the drug dupilumab available for persons living with severe atopic eczema; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the drug has been available in Northern Ireland and throughout Europe for over two years but is not yet available to the 150 to 200 persons that suffer with this type of eczema in Ireland; when a decision will be made on availability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37977/20]
668. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to a problem that has arisen for veterinary students studying in Poland trying to access SUSI grants for the final one and a half years of their degree course; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the five and a half year course is a degree programme comprised of 330 ECTS and is being treated as if it was an integrated masters course by SUSI; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact is that the current interpretation by SUSI, which deems the first four years of the course as undergraduate and the final one and a half years as masters is placing Irish students studying in Poland at a disadvantage compared to those studying for a veterinary degree in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38348/20]
589. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to cut off new applicants for the pandemic unemployment payment from 1 January 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38802/20]
563. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the current implementation of the saver clause in community employment schemes which states that participants who commenced on community employment prior to 3 July 2017 will be entitled to remain under their existing community employment eligibility rules in which this is to their advantage; if it is more advantageous to the person the current criteria can be applied; if this saver clause is being applied across the country uniformly, especially in relation to persons aged 55 years and over; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38210/20]
536. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the current means-tested disability allowance regime to allow persons with a disability to access payments in their own right (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38345/20]
347. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the long-term impact of the charge of €30 per square metre that Transport Infrastructure Ireland has introduced for each square metre of road carriageway opened; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this cost does not qualify for grant assistance from his Department; if his attention has been further drawn to the significant financial burden that this is placing on group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38240/20]
345. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views in relation to a request by an organisation (details supplied) for an extension to the pheasant shooting season into February 2021 due to the current Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38091/20]
290. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to put in place the programme for Government commitments to regional development (details supplied); the way in which he plans to address regional inequality; if a commitment will be given to a policy of positive discrimination in the upcoming review of the National Development Plan 2018-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38753/20]
280. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if the four-year rule for claiming tax credits has been revised in view of the fact that many business persons face large fines and penalties from the Revenue Commissioners relating to multiple years and there is a large discrepancy between the Revenue Commissioners' willingness to provide repayments limited only to four years while seeking to recoup taxes, interest and penalties from taxpayers going back for much longer periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38359/20]
271. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to a problem being faced by education and training board part-time tutors seeking to access the temporary wage subsidy scheme (details supplied); his views on whether the current situation is unfair on part-time employees of ETBs; his plans to address the inequality in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37972/20]
726. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide proper remuneration to student nurses who are working on the front line of the fight against Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36296/20]
691. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the options open to medical card holders who are being charged for blood tests by their general practitioners; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty and additional costs being placed on many medical card holders; his plans to change the current regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36142/20]
578. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the legislation with regard to the State pension (contributory) as pensioners often lose out on weeks of payment due to the fact they were unaware that a small sum of money is owing to the Revenue Commissioners and by the time this discovery is made and rectified they are left weeks without payment; if she will consider amending the legislation in order that amounts up to €1,000 can be withheld as pertains to overpayments against amounts of pension due as pensioners regularly lose out on six to eight weeks of pension due to the fact sums of €200 or less are owing to the Revenue Commissioners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36510/20]
560. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that changes introduced in 2016 in relation to length of service on community employment schemes are being applied retrospectively to those that commenced under the previous regime; if her attention has been further drawn to the difficulty this is causing to community employment scheme participants that were of the view that the terms they signed up to would continue to pertain; if those that commenced on schemes prior to June 2016 can continue on the schemes for six years in view of the current economic downturn and the value of community employment schemes to local communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36185/20]
357. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Galway County Council receives one of the lowest revenue allocations; if the matrix by which the Local Government Fund is calculated in each local authority will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36193/20]
247. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Transport if he will request TII to examine the public lighting and barriers in place on the junction of the M17-M18 at Rathmorrissy, Athenry, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37049/20]
246. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Transport his views on the fact that TII is reported to have turned off public lights on national roads in order to meet its 20% reduction in usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37034/20]
825. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the feasibility study undertaken by his Department in 2019 to determine the feasibility of future once-off targeted schemes for a voluntary farm building relocation scheme as a result of flooding will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35366/20]
813. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if priority will be given to tree felling applications in forests in which ash dieback has been identified as a problem and trees have to be felled in view of the fact delays in felling these trees will result in the spread of the disease and increase the risk to a tree species which is at the heart of culture and heritage here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34914/20]
808. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a reply will issue from the legal services division in relation to an issue regarding transfer of freehold title (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34804/20]
789. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to change the basic payment scheme, BPS, under which some young trained farmers receive very low payments based on a situation that pertained approximately 20 years ago in terms of historic stocking density; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34552/20]
788. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to change to current level 5 restrictions to allow buyers and farmers attend mart rings in order to purchase cattle and sheep as the current restrictions are having a negative impact on the prices being received by farmers at a crucial juncture in the farming calendar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34550/20]
702. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the length of time it will take to provide treatment to the 1,784 persons on the waiting list for orthodontics in County Galway; if the unfilled specialist orthodontist position has been filled; the plans that exist to fill the position of orthodontists on maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34822/20]
701. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when legislation will be reintroduced to amend the current criteria for the nursing home support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34803/20]
666. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will review the current level 5 restrictions in relation to public religious worship as the inability to attend religious worship is a cause of distress to many persons across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34623/20]
535. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if the duration of the back-to-work enterprise allowance scheme will be extended to facilitate participants who could not fulfil the two-year programme due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35379/20]
383. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the percentage of the €50,000 fund for the hen harrier local action fund in 2020 which has been allocated; the number of groups or farmers that benefited; the breakdown of funding allocated by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34920/20]
355. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the steps she plans to take to assist the chauffeur drive sector which has been badly affected by the downturn in tourism numbers and in view of the fact that many are unable to avail of the various schemes such as the Covid-19 adaptation fund, the coach tourism business continuity grant and the Covid-19 credit guarantee scheme; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the sector plays a vital role in the tourism industry particularly in the west of Ireland and is an important link between various tourism services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34798/20]
194. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications his plans for the introduction of a simpler application process for homeowners in accessing home energy grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35283/20]
98. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the warmer homes scheme and its effectiveness in view of the fact there is a two-year delay in Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, inspectors visiting homes approved by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35282/20]
1361. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will consider using the Reserve Defence Force to help with contact tracing for Covid-19 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33354/20]
1004. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on third level institutions failing to offer a reduction in fees to students at a time when classes are online and many of the on-campus services offered to students are no longer available; if his attention has been drawn to the financial pressure this is placing on third-level students and their families during the pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32571/20]
923. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the time on the scheme for all community employment scheme participants for a period during the current Covid-19 crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33355/20]
846. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason an extension of parental leave is not available until April 2021; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many women who gave birth since the onset of Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020 are struggling due to the lack of available childcare and will be negatively impacted by having to take a further three weeks' unpaid leave; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32476/20]
794. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she is making a contingency plan to allow 2020 leaving certificate students to sit their exams in June 2021 if they cannot go ahead in November 2020 due to the Covid-19 situation; her views on the commitment already made to hold the exams in November 2020; if these exams are going ahead; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33357/20]