89. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the full-year cost of replacing the 38-hour threshold for family income supplement qualification with a sliding scale system that would reflect the fact that many persons may be working, or wish to work, fewer than 19 hours per week and may be in just as much need as current recipients of this supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46212/15]
88. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the full-year cost of replacing the three-day rule for the payment of jobseeker’s benefits with a sliding scale system determined by hours worked; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46211/15]
81. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the projected increase, due to changing demographics, in the number of persons availing of the free travel scheme over the next five years; the cost of maintaining the scheme at current levels, taking account of the projected increase in users; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46135/15]
80. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the full-year cost of extending the Youth Guarantee to those under 25 years of age who are in receipt of disability allowance and are currently excluded from the guarantee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46134/15]
78. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of increasing all working-age benefits and payments under the auspices of her Department by €3, €4, €5, €6, €7, €9 and €10 per week in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46088/15]
77. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the average cost of activating a person who is unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46087/15]
76. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of extending jobseeker's benefit to self-employed pay-related social insurance contributors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46086/15]
75. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of increasing the disability allowance payment by €5, €6, €7, €9 and €12; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46085/15]
74. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the financial implications of basing eligibility for jobseeker's benefit on having worked 14 hours or less, 21 hours or less and 28 hours or less per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46084/15]
73. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the financial implications in 2016 of changing the eligibility for jobseeker's benefit from days worked to number of hours worked over the course of a seven-day week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46083/15]
72. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has examined the feasibility of extending the family income supplement to those who are self-employed; the cost of this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46082/15]
71. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the average payment under the family income supplement scheme in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46081/15]
70. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for the carer's allowance and the disability allowance; the number who were initially refused each of these allowances; the number who were granted the allowances on appeal; the administrative cost to her Department of the appeals process; the cost of processing each appeal in each year since 2011 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46080/15]
46. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the name, position and annual salary awarded to her special advisers; the details of requests for increases above the special adviser pay cap as set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45670/15]
45. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has analysed the impact of the increase in the national minimum wage from January 2016 on income disregards pertaining to schemes and payments under the auspices of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45668/15]
44. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons classified as not in education, training or employment; the percentage of youth unemployment; the way this number compares with the European Union area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45667/15]
43. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the average waiting time for a decision on appeal for social protection payments paid on a weekly basis, in cases where there is no oral hearing and in cases where there is an oral hearing, in 2015, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45666/15]
103. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will award a backdated increase to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick who is in receipt of a disability allowance which had been recently reduced to €42 per week based on spousal income, as this income has now ceased from 13 November 2015 and the spouse is now due to recommence employment on a casual basis; if she will confirm that arrears will issue for the full amount of disability allowance to the applicant for the period from 13 November to date, as no other income has been received in the household; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44944/15]
64. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients under the rent supplement scheme, of active tenancies under the housing assistance payment scheme, the number of households who have applied to have their rent supplement increased above the current threshold, the number who have had their rent supplement increased, the number who have been refused, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44432/15]
117. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the direct provision adult allowance from €19.10 to €25.00, €30.00, €35.00, €38.74, and the cost of increasing the allowance paid in respect of children from €9.60 to €15.00, €20.00, €25.00, €29.80 per year in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43756/15]
158. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to address the long waiting times for an outpatient appointment at University Hospital Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42998/15]
57. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the plans in place to provide a statutory entitlement to a home care package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42999/15]
149. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will contact the board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Limerick concerning the position of a retired caretaker; if she will resolve this issue in conjunction with the board of management given that the caretaker would have been prepared to continue to work if made aware of the full facts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43194/15]
547. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to exempt pensioners from the water charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42530/15]
184. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of participants in activation programmes who, because of their participation, are not included on the live register, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42961/15]
150. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection why an application for renewal and extension of a community employment scheme at a place of work was rejected for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7; if she will review the application and appeal, with a view to re-instating it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42593/15]
140. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of the eligibility of participants on community employment schemes who are over 55 years of age; her plans to overturn the recent amendments preventing those over 55 years of age from remaining on a scheme for six years or more; if she will provide clear guidelines to those who administer these schemes, particularly on the subject of extensions, to avoid discrepancies in the use of discretion and to ensure that persons are retained within the community who provide a valuable contribution to it, given the pride they take in their participation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42538/15]
70. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in the Henry Street and Roxboro districts on 1 November 2010 and on 1 November 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42424/15]
62. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the additional resources that will be made available to An Garda Síochána in Limerick city under Operation Thor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42423/15]
225. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will allocate funding through the sports capital grant programme to return the full use of facilities at the University of Limerick Arena, permitting the addressing of significant maintenance issues relating to the 50-metre pool which are having a negative impact on the arena's ability to host any major event at present; why he has not provided these funds to date; why his Department has enabled the loss of business to the locality through its inaction and lack of attention to these health and safety issues, an inaction that has cost Limerick City and the province in general loss of revenue, and has caused detrimental damage to the development of local talent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42217/15]
400. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the number of medical cards in circulation in the Limerick health area on 1 November 2014 and on 1 November 2015, in tabular form; the number of these that were issued, on a discretionary basis; to persons over 70 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41523/15]
323. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda personnel in the Limerick Garda Síochána division in each of the years 2011 to 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41521/15]
143. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension and non-contributory pension in Limerick city and county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41763/15]
142. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the policy that persons in receipt of a jobseeker's benefit have their claim frozen if they go on JobBridge, meaning that if they had one day left on their claim they would not be assessed during the nine month internship and would still have that one day left at the end of the internship, regardless of their assets or other household income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41762/15]
109. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the current number of participants in the JobBridge and community employment schemes, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41296/15]
134. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if lone parents who are in full-time education and who are in receipt of the maintenance grant and the jobseeker's allowance transition payment will be worse off financially when their youngest child turns 14 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40255/15]
114. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of requests for payments of additional rent supplement, over and above the standard rate approved in each local authority, under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme; the number approved, refused, in 2015 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40041/15]
91. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the implications of the Economic and Social Research Institute’s report evaluating the back to education allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40070/15]
76. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views that only two of 40 social protection cuts have been restored in full; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40067/15]
67. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for an update on the issue of determination orders which were not catered for in the legislation on jobseeker's transition payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40069/15]
66. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the JobBridge scheme; if she envisages any amendment or change to the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40068/15]
63. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the adequacy of payments under the rent supplement scheme, given the increase in rents nationally and that approximately 1,500 children are living in emergency accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40184/15]
60. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she proposes to introduce legislation to deal with the position of persons who no longer qualify for a pension upon reaching 65 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40183/15]
60. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the budget cost and the actual cost of the community employment programme, by allowances, supervision, materials and training to 30 September 2015, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39923/15]
594. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the sports capital grant application submitted by a school (details supplied) in County Limerick was deemed invalid due to a missing date on a page from the tender submitted; if this is the case, the reason the applicant was not permitted an opportunity to amend same before a decision was made on the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39327/15]
513. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 187 of 30 April 2015, the reason his Department has not advised on funding to establish a community centre in the Garryowen area of Limerick, despite the reply to the parliamentary question; when the Department intends to respond to the community in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39078/15]
148. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when payment of arrears to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be made; the amount payable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39297/15]
81. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review the issue of social welfare repayments for a family (details supplied) in County Kildare who are under severe financial pressure and cannot afford to repay at the current rate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38871/15]
910. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills the transport measures that will be put in place to assist a child in County Laois (details supplied) to attend school; the reason for the delay in organising appropriate transport; the timeframe within which the transport will be organised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38091/15]
269. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons under 66 years of age who are in receipt of the carer's allowance in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38306/15]