356. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the delay in the payment of social welfare payments and pensions on 1 and 2 May 2014; if her Department had been made aware of the issues surrounding the single euro payments area and advised to make payments for the previous working day to ensure clients were not inconvenienced; the reason they do not follow this course of action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21023/14]
355. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made regarding the payment of pensions to the Waterford Crystal workers in view of the fact the court of justice of the European Union has made a ruling on this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21022/14]
187. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the reasons for which persons (details supplied), having applied for advertised positions as emergency operators in the National Ambulance Service, were offered these positions and were informed that a training programme was arranged, and, subsequently, resigned from previous jobs to take up these new roles, and were then contacted and informed that the positions were no longer available; the reason despite their repeated attempts to contact relevant personnel within the National Ambulance Service for an explanation, they have never received a response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20412/14]
121. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made on an application for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20468/14]
172. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the number of persons who have been adversely affected as a result of the swine flu vaccination provided, one example of this being narcolepsy; the steps being taken to compensate for such injuries following the vaccination; the steps being taken to help sufferers live normal lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19733/14]
854. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that ten audiology graduates are now being told that their jobs are possibly going to be pulled and they are to pay back €20,000 each; if he is further aware that these ten persons were sent to train in the UK to gain the expertise required for senior positions and yet the Health Service Executive is attempting to hire them at a basic level; the reason the HSE is putting out tenders to private companies for large sums of money to get the waiting lists down when there are ten highly qualified persons waiting to be taken on; the reason the ten graduates are being discriminated against when applying for locum work when they are trained in Ireland, yet the HSE is recruiting and paying persons from outside the country at a much higher rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19300/14]
651. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of cases that have been prosecuted on indictment for animal cruelty; the number of sentences of imprisonment that have been imposed for the mistreatment of animals in the past five years; the average fine imposed upon conviction in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18920/14]
568. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a decision will be made on an application for a residency card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18955/14]
370. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress in relation to confidential files found on top of a litter bin (details supplied); and if any conclusions have been drawn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19436/14]
367. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason she has discontinued the lough payment scheme whereby household budget scheme deductions from a person's social welfare payment will be discontinued for any Money Advice and Budgeting Service client using the lough payment scheme; if she will reinstate the lough payment scheme until there are more suitable and affordable saving, credit and payment options available to the financially marginalised members of society who depend on this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19374/14]
366. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason she is not prepared to implement the LCR 19293 for the provision of a pension for community employment supervisors; if she will provide funding for same to allow them work to the age of 70 if they so wish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19368/14]
365. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on jobseeker's allowance who have had their allowance reduced as a result of penalties imposed by her Department; if she will provide a breakdown of the numbers by the reasons for these penalties imposed; the total savings from penalty measures; the average length of the sanctions imposed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19303/14]
364. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the implications for persons who take time out of the workforce to undertake caring duties of the plan to move to a total-contributions approach to pension qualification from the current average contributions test for State pension, contributory, by 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19302/14]
363. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons aged 62 and over currently on the live register who are exempt from activation measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19301/14]
41. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of training or education places that have been set aside this year for young persons who are out of work as part of the Youth Guarantee; the current number of young persons who qualify for the Youth Guarantee scheme at this time; the ratio of her Department case officers to the number of unemployed persons currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17735/14]
23. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to transfer payments from her Department to an electronic system; if she has discussed this proposed change with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17736/14]
18. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of defined benefit pension schemes that closed in 2013 and to date in 2014; her plans to further reform the pensions industry here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17734/14]
12. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is concerned at the failure of 40% of those who take an internship through JobBridge to secure full-time employment on completing that internship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17733/14]
11. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to address the increasing numbers of long-term unemployed here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17732/14]
4. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons under the age of 26 years now in receipt of reduced jobseeker's allowance; if this change has reduced the number of persons unemployed under the age of 26 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17794/14]
1. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will contact persons who have been refused domiciliary care allowance for the past two years in view of the decision of the High Court of 1 April 2014 that found serious flaws in her Department's handling of such applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17793/14]
602. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the scheme that has been put in place to support those who previously depended upon the motorised transport grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17619/14]
362. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the public procurement criteria used when tenders are issued by her Department; if there is a restriction on the turnover of companies who can submit to tender for her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17873/14]
361. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will set out in tabular form the total number of persons in financial difficulty who have benefited from the Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service in each month since it was established; the total number of practitioners who have signed up to the scheme to provide advice under the scheme; her views on whether the €250 amount available for payment for advice is adequate; her plans to review the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17872/14]
139. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a regional breakdown, as per the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics, of the number of persons aged 16 to 25 years who are not currently engaged in employment, education or training; the percentage of the population between 16 and 25 years that this represents; if he will provide in tabular form the primary status education, unemployed, training, employed or none of the above of those under 25 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17886/14]
133. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Taoiseach the number of persons who signed off the live register in 2013; the number of persons who signed off the live register in the first three months of 2014; if he will provide a breakdown of the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17871/14]
99. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will reconsider the method by which casual workers are means assessed for receipt of jobseeker's payments, that is, where a person can lose social welfare entitlement for a full day when working only for one or two hours of that day, thus acting as a deterrent to those wishing to return to work; if she will consider permitting a jobseeker to work a set number of hours per week to a maximum cap while still maintaining a payment on a sliding scale from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16921/14]
317. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review her response to Parliamentary Question No. 297 of 15 November 2011 in view of the fact that the Labour Court did in fact consider submissions made to it by FÁS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16705/14]
303. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will detail the progress of the Gateway initiative scheme; her views on the progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16479/14]
44. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Taoiseach the number of persons aged 16 to 25 who are not currently engaged in employment, education or training; the percentage of the population aged between 16 and 25 this represents; if he will provide in tabular form the primary status - education, unemployed, training, employed, none of the above - of those under 25 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16704/14]
298. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to G4S's security operations in Israel; if she has any concerns regarding the company's activities in Israel; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that G4S has submitted a bid for the JobPath contract; if she will outline the criteria for this contract; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15275/14]
230. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of pension levy paid by public service pensioners who retired up to 29 February 2012 due to the impact of the public service pension reduction under the following bands for 2013: €12,000 - €24,000, €24,000 - €60,000, €60,000 - €100,000 and €100,000 upwards; the amount paid each month in 2014 in the above bands; the amount paid by the same pensioners who retired under PSPR after 29 February 2012 in the above bands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15325/14]
114. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of demand to date for amortising bonds used to underwrite sovereign annuities; her views on the operation of sovereign annuities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14647/14]
524. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the roll out of the Intreo offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13537/14]
523. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the number of landlords who will not accept tenants in receipt of rent allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13536/14]
522. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employment service officers and or advisers currently employed in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13535/14]
521. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of under 25s who have been out of work for four months or more; the number of under 25s who are classified as underemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13534/14]
520. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress of the implementation of the youth guarantee scheme; the amount pledged to this scheme; the number of participants who have taken part in this scheme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13533/14]
519. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a recipient of a widow's pension would be excluded from taking part in the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13532/14]
333. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide funding for a new second level school in the Raheen-Dooradoyle area of Limerick; the stage this project is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13328/14]
220. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm due to a recent change in his Department's policy pertaining to long-term illnesses, that a number of persons with medical cards are still paying prescription charges; when this change in his Department's policy came into operation; the arrangements that will be made to refund these persons since this change in policy was announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12486/14]
557. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if he will consider abolishing the €100 emergency department charge for families-next of kin who are grieving following the death of a loved one in road traffic accidents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12026/14]
254. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason her Department invited unemployed persons to a conference in Liffey Valley and then cancelled the event; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11923/14]
109. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funding for a second level school in the Raheen/Dooradoyle area of Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11520/14]
43. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she received a submission from an organisation (details supplied) regarding reduced social welfare rates for homeless young persons; if she has considered these proposals; if she will take action on these proposals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10448/14]
31. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the progress in tackling food poverty in Ireland as part of the commitment to do so in the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10446/14]
28. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of appeals made by those refused the invalidity pension, the carer's allowance and the disability allowance for 2013 and to date in 2014; the percentage of successful appeals arising from those appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10447/14]
14. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of JobBridge participants that have been employed by her Department; the number of JobBridge participants that have gained full employment in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10444/14]
7. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date to broaden the social insurance system to include the self-employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10445/14]
4. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of the population who live below the poverty line, measured as 60% of the median income; the actions she is taking to reduce this number; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10612/14]