158. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the threats to the life of a person (details supplied) in Argentina and the ongoing repression, intimidation and delegitimisation of the Mapuche; and if he will raise the issue with his Argentine counterpart. [3439/18]
90. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to open a commission of investigation into matters surrounding a person (details supplied) in view of the fact that a number of their victims have made claims alleging that several State agencies failed in their duty of care to them; and if he will meet with these persons in this regard. [2205/18]
1920. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department plans to purchase a site (details supplied) in Athy. [55121/17]
1739. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of homes acquired by compulsory purchase order by each local authority in tabular form. [55119/17]
630. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs delivered by the Industrial Development Agency in south County Kildare and north County Kildare since 2010; and the number of site visits that have taken place in both areas since 2010. [55120/17]
212. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Finance his plans to amend legislation regarding the taxation requirements and inheritance implications for siblings living together in the same home or at the same address. [55128/17]
168. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will raise concerns regarding the arrest and treatment of the person with the Indian government. [1667/18]
167. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if developments in Honduras are being monitored (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1666/18]
166. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the former President of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights violations, has been pardoned by the current Peruvian President and released from jail after only serving eight years (details supplied); his views on the statement of 28 December 2017 of a group of UN human rights experts; and if he will raise these concerns with his Peruvian counterpart. [1665/18]
165. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the killing of a person (details supplied) in northern Peru on 30 December 2017; his plans to ensure Ireland supports efforts to protect human rights defenders and political activists in the country in view of the fact that Ireland recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Peru; and if he will raise this case with his Peruvian counterpart. [1664/18]
164. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 20 human rights advocacy groups are now on an official Israeli state blacklist and that an organisation (details supplied) has been included on this list; his views on the creation of this list and Israel’s decision to block human rights activists from travelling to Israel and Israeli-occupied Palestine; and if he will raise his concerns directly with his Israeli counterpart. [1663/18]
135. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the situation in Urabá, Colombia, in which persons (details supplied) have been killed in the past two weeks; his plans to send officials to visit the region and assess the human rights situation; if the killings and the ongoing harassment and threats to human rights defenders in Urabá and Colombia in general will be condemned; and his further plans to raise the killings with his Colombian counterpart in view of worrying developments with regard to threats and intimidation of human rights defenders in Urabá. [54416/17]
37. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the trial of a person (details supplied) in Turkey that began on 7 December 2017; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the Turkish authorities are not allowing him attend his own trial in person; his views on whether the person will receive a fair trial in view of the present conditions in Turkey and the fact that President Erdogan openly calls his political opponent a terrorist; his views on the imprisonment of other People's Democratic Party, HDP, members and MPs; and if an official from the Irish Embassy in Turkey is attending and monitoring this high-profile trial. [53545/17]
59. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the worrying and volatile situation in Honduras; his views on the violent tactics employed by state forces against persons in the aftermath of the recent contentious election (details supplied); and his plans to contact his Honduran counterpart to protest the actions of the state forces. [53150/17]
53. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the UN’s record appeal for $22.5 billion to help victims of conflict and humanitarian crises around the world (details supplied); and the way in which his Department will respond to this record appeal. [53149/17]
43. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the continued imprisonment of Vice President Orio Junqueras and the Interior Minister of the former Catalan Government Joaquim Forn; his further views on the continued imprisonment of two civic leaders (details supplied); and if he will raise concerns regarding their continued detention with his Spanish counterpart. [53151/17]
39. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will call on Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade of Yemen (details supplied); and if he will contact his Saudi counterpart to request that they lift this siege. [53152/17]
37. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the declaration by the President of the United States of America that Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel; his views on whether Israel’s occupation of east Jerusalem violates numerous international laws; his further views on whether this declaration is reckless and dangerous; and the timeframe for the Government to recognise the state of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, in view of the motion unanimously passed in Dáil Éireann on 10 December 2014 calling for same. [53148/17]
300. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for a person to see a gastroenterologist in Tallaght hospital; the number of persons on this waiting list; the longest waiting time on the list; and the measures he is taking in conjunction with the hospital authorities to resolve delays in this area. [52823/17]
108. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the reports that the American Government may move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (details supplied); his views on the plans to move the embassy to Jerusalem; and if he has raised concerns regarding this development with the United States Government. [52824/17]
503. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that persons born in or before January 1955 will qualify for a State pension at 66 years of age, whereas those born after January 1955 will receive it at 67 years of age (details supplied); her plans to amend the legislation to stop such discrimination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51884/17]
255. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of refugees resettled and relocated here in view of the fact that the former Minister for Justice and Equality in September 2015 pledged to relocate and resettle 4,000 refugees by September 2017; and when the Government now plans to reach that target. [51885/17]
132. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to attend a planned meeting between EU foreign affairs ministers and the Israeli Prime Minister which is due to take place in Brussels on 11 December 2017 (details supplied); his views on such a meeting taking place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51886/17]
229. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the president of an association in Turkey (details supplied) has been arrested and imprisoned; his views on the arrest; if he will request their release; and if the case will be raised with his Turkish counterpart. [50094/17]
207. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a decision was made to remove the special needs assistant support for a person (details supplied); if this decision will be reviewed; and if this decision will be reversed. [50569/17]
203. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the delays being experienced by returned persons in exchanging their foreign driving licence for an Irish one, in particular the case of a person (details supplied); and his plans to speed up this process. [49693/17]
101. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by pupils attending a school (details supplied) in Dublin 16; if the site has been identified as a priority site by the school capital appraisal section; when the conveyancing process will commence; when it will be completed; and if it has been or will be passed to the major projects section. [49694/17]
22. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Saudi Arabia has again placed an illegal and inhumane blockade on Yemen (details supplied); if he will condemn the imposition of this blockade; and if he will contact his Saudi Arabian counterpart and demand that it is lifted. [48399/17]
20. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the fact that two Catalan civil society activists remain in jail in Spain awaiting trial on charges of sedition for organising peaceful and democratic public demonstrations (details supplied); his views on whether the Spanish Government’s decision to dismiss the Catalan Government, dissolve the parliament and bring serious charges against Ministers with a democratic mandate is undemocratic and counterproductive; and if he will raise his concerns regarding these decisions with his Spanish counterpart. [48398/17]
14. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a report on his trip to Ethiopia and Kenya; the stakeholders and government officials he met; and his views on whether his trip will lead to an increased political and humanitarian engagement between his Department and the Horn of Africa region. [48396/17]
10. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the continued expansion of illegal Israeli colonial settlements in Palestine (details supplied); and the measures being taken at a bilateral and international level to tackle Israel’s continued violations of international law and the impunity it currently has to expand illegal colonial settlements. [48395/17]
9. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Armed Forces (Statute of Limitations) Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 1 November 2017 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48397/17]
127. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that according to an organisation (details supplied) more than 80 social leaders have been killed in Colombia in 2017; and if he has raised the level of assassinations with his Colombian counterpart. [48411/17]
126. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures his Department is taking to assist Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and stop the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar; and if he has contacted his counterpart in Myanmar to condemn the actions of the Myanmar government which amount to ethnic cleansing. [48410/17]
425. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason a service station on the M9 between Kilcullen and the next exit at Ballytore going south has not been delivered (details supplied); and the amount that has been spent to date on this project. [47759/17]
424. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a van for personal use needs a yearly commercial vehicle test whereas a car van for commercial use needs a bi-annual national car test; and if so, the reason therefor. [47758/17]
460. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the murder of a person (details supplied) in a rural area of Tumaco, Colombia; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the community council in the area has repeatedly denounced human rights violations against the Afro-Colombian, Mestizo and indigenous persons in the region; his views on the Colombian Government's programme of forced coca eradication and the methods it has used which has resulted in a number of deadly clashes between communities and security forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46413/17]
458. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are schemes within his Department to financially support Irish families who are fighting legal cases in foreign countries due to the death of their immediate Irish family member in a foreign country; and if not, if there is Government help available to families that find themselves in this difficult and expensive scenario. [46321/17]
457. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the crackdown on NGOs in Israel; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Israeli MPs have considered initiatives to shut down NGOs that they claim are trying to have Israeli soldiers tried under international law; his further views on whether this will particularly affect one of the most high profile anti-occupation civil society organisations (details supplied); his views on these moves; his further views on the safety and security of activists in Israeli civil society organisations that oppose Israel's occupation of Palestine in view of the current crackdown on NGOs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46320/17]
375. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) has had its application for an additional teacher refused (details supplied); and if the decision not to provide the school with an additional teacher will be reconsidered. [46412/17]
164. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Azerbaijan is refusing to release a person (details supplied) from an Azerbaijani prison; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the person's imprisonment is in violation of a clear verdict of the European Court of Human Rights which ordered the person's immediate release on 22 May 2014; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, is proposing to the Committee of Ministers that it ask the European Court of Human Rights to decide if Azerbaijan can be considered as acting in accordance with the European Convention of Human Rights; and his views on such a move. [44825/17]
101. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason for the cut to expenditure on a programme (details supplied); and the elements of this programme that will be affected by these cuts. [44408/17]
114. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the reports that at least 4,000 refugees, including pregnant women, newborn babies and unaccompanied children, were caught up in violence between rival factions battling for control of Sabratha in Libya and had to be rescued; if his attention has been further drawn to an organisation's (details supplied) reports on conditions faced by refugees trapped in detention centres in Libya; and if he will meet with the organisation to discuss the gross violation of the human rights of refugees in Libya. [44121/17]
66. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on reports that training for Defence Forces recruits has been reduced in a bid to reverse an exodus of personnel from the organisation; if the period of basic training for new recruits has been cut from 18 weeks to 16; and his views on whether this is preventing the Defence Forces from reaching minimal operational strength. [44040/17]
65. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason the report into allegations contained within protective disclosures relating to Casement Aerodrome fails to address the fact that staff are at greater risk of serious illness as a result of their service at Baldonnel; and his views on whether these serious matters can only be properly assessed through a thorough health survey of current and former members. [44041/17]
206. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to introduce a scheme to cover the repatriation costs encountered by the families of Irish citizens who have died abroad. [43459/17]
113. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the security situation of persons (details supplied); his views on these cases and the use of criminal charges to obstruct the work of human rights defenders; and if he will raise the issue with his Honduran counterpart. [42019/17]
209. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Bedouin villagers from Khan Al Amar and Susiya in the occupied West Bank are urgently fighting the demolition of the villages by Israeli forces; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that their case will come before the Israeli High Court soon; his views on the fact that these villages might be demolished in violation of international law; if officials from his Department will visit the villages before the case; and if they will attend the court hearing. [41476/17]
456. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans for exemptions for those with medical conditions that require the use of incontinence pads in view of the difficulties those people are now experiencing following the changes being introduced by refuse companies and the pay by weight policy. [40755/17]
183. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the political and human rights issues in Nigeria regarding pro Biafra activists (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40281/17]