361 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of money that remains in the Dormant Accounts Fund; when he expects to distribute this money; the way organisations can petition to be included for funding from the fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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360 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider exempting executors of wills from liability for the non-principal primary residence and household charges on account of the temporary nature of their possession of residences; if he will consider deferring these changes until the properties in the charge of executors have been sold on or passed to the appropriate beneficiary under the terms of the governing will of the deceased; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15268/12]
281 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance is eligible to participate in a FÁS or community employment scheme; if a meeting will be arranged for the person with the relevant agency to allocate a place on a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15582/12]
276 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a private bus operator (details supplied) is no longer operating under the free travel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15564/12]
275 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if diabetes sufferers are entitled to apply for the special dietary supplement payable by her Department on account of the modifications that individuals must make to their diets; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15549/12]
274 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carer’s allowance applications currently waiting to be processed by her Department; the average length of time that it takes to process new carer’s allowance applications; her views that this length of time is fair and equitable; the steps she will take to significantly reduce both the backlog of applications and the inordinate length of time that applicants are being forced to wait; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15545/12]
273 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline all the supports, grants and payments payable by her Department to persons who are self-employed and have seen significant reductions in their remuneration; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15539/12]
266 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeframe for the extension of JobBridge to persons with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[15416/12]
249 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will account for a delay of six weeks in sending a file (details supplied) within her Department in order that it may be assessed for appeal; her view on the delay in view of the financial pressure being experienced by the family concerned; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[14998/12]
235 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff that Enterprise Ireland has based in China; the budget they have for their work on behalf of this country in China; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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234 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when he intends to travel to China to meet Chinese leaders; the specific priorities of this trip; the proposed composition of the delegation to accompany him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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233 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if there is a section within his Department’s set up to promote opportunities for Irish businesses to export to China and for investment into this country from China; the number of persons in his Department who work on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15678/12]
161 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the tender process for the construction of new school buildings; the criteria upon which decisions are based; if he intends to introduce any initiatives to support local businesses or unemployed tradespeople in engaging with the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15452/12]
118 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the expenses payable to members of the Garda Reserve are taken into account by local authorities and vocational education committee when deciding if a person applying for third level support grants meets the relevant income criteria or if Garda Reserve expenses are exempted from consideration in view of the fact that they cover only expenses incurred by reserve members and do not constitute additional income; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14999/12]
85 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify if invoice discounting is included in the lending targets to small and medium businesses which banks have agreed with the Government; if he shares the view that this money is essentially simply recycled loans and does not constitute new lending; if he has received any information from State owned banks or part State owned banks on this procedure; the way they account for it in terms of their lending figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15661/12]
84 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance the current status of the National Asset Management Agency’s deferred consideration initiative, a scheme which was first announced by NAMA in May 2011 to effectively provide mortgages which attempt to safeguard buyers from negative equity; if permission for this initiative has been received from the European Commission; his views on this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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83 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance if the National Asset Management Agency has undertaken a study of the number of public infrastructure projects such as schools, harbours, roads, council land banks and so on currently impacted on by NAMA administering land which is preventing access to the necessary public sites; if he will provide details of such sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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82 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance the number of vacancies that currently exist on the board of the National Asset Management Agency; when he intends to fill these vacancies; the criteria which will be applied to filling such a vacancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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81 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance the number of judgments the National Asset Management Agency has obtained through the courts since its establishment; the number of these judgments that have subsequently been enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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80 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons employed by the National Asset Management Agency; the number of these individuals paid a salary and the number of individuals paid a fee; the total amount spent on salaries; the total amount spent on fees since the establishment of NAMA; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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78 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance the reason VAT is charged at different rates on the gas, electricity and telephone bills; the reason telephone bills are charged at a higher rate of VAT — 23% — compared to gas or electricity — 13%; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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113 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the rights to maternity or parental leave accruing to the parents or adoptive parents of a child; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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112 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has any plans to consolidate the leave entitlements outlined under the Maternity Protections Act, the Adoptive Leave Act and the Parental Leave Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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111 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he intends to amend adoptive leave regulations to allow either parent to avail of this entitlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14866/12]
110 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he intends to make any amendments to maternity leave regulations in order to allow parents to share this entitlement to leave between them; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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20 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine the possibility of asking a vocational education committee organisation to make available current surplus premises to a school (details supplied) which is housed in temporary accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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19 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding he has provided to a school (details supplied) in respect of renting land and prefabs at its current location; his plans to provide permanent facilities to the school, which is currently located at an unsuitable site in temporary accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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9 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline any rights mortgage guarantors might have in their dealings with financial institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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8 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Finance his plans to introduce measures to assist persons who acted in good faith in becoming guarantors for mortgages at the height of the boom and now find themselves being pursued by the financial institutions in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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83 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the legislative responsibility of an employer to an employee who acquires an illness, injury or disability, whether occupational or non-occupational; how this responsibility compares with international best practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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65 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered any alternative education programmes at post-primary level in the area of drugs awareness; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14466/12]
62 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the use of trained assistance dogs by students with disabilities in mainstream schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14419/12]
61 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines currently in place for mainstream schools in addressing the needs of students reliant on trained assistance dogs; if he intends to review these guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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60 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has had any contact with a school (details supplied) in County Cavan in relation to its policy on the use of trained assistance dogs by students with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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59 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing failure of a school (details supplied) in County Cavan to introduce policy measures to allow a student of that school who is reliant on a trained assistance dog to attend; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14416/12]
398 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update as to the status of the buy to rent scheme whereby local authorities will be empowered to purchase houses from struggling mortgage holders and rent them back to those tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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372 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline the current schemes operated by him which enable local authority tenants to purchase their houses from councils; if he is introducing any new scheme in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13930/12]
318 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline in tabular form the supports and grants administered by him that the volunteer producers of a cultural publication (details supplied) may avail of.
[13990/12]
184 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the Health Service Executive supports available to the families and carers of persons with dementia; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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183 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the dementia care services available nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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182 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the number of persons eligible for the Health Service Executive home care package in an area (details supplied); the take-up of this package; the way this compares to the national take-up; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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181 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the function of memory clinics in the treatment of dementia; if this service is available in an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13322/12]
180 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the psychiatry and old age services available in an area (details supplied); if there are any specialist units for dementia care; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13321/12]
179 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in an area (details supplied) who have been diagnosed with dementia; the way this compares with the national average; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13320/12]
155 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will outline any recourse available to retailers who have been victims of card fraud; if his attention has been drawn to the particular difficulties online retailers have in verifying credit card purchases as the purchased items have often been shipped before the fraud is identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
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154 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the work of the Garda fraud investigation bureau in combatting identity theft, including card fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13263/12]
153 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he intends to introduce measures to support retailers in combating fraudulent online purchases; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13262/12]
100 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline, in tabular form, the cost to the State of illness benefit, invalidity pension and occupational injury benefit for each of the years 2007 to 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13289/12]
98 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers who have availed of the disability awareness training grant for each of the years 2007 to 2012; her plans to increase awareness of this grant among employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13286/12]
97 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline, in tabular form, the number of employers who availed of the employee retention grant for each of the years 2007 to 2012; her plans to increase awareness of this grant among employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
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