Parliamentary questions

Water Quality

Ivana Bacik

270. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to an announcement by the European Commission that it would refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice over alleged non-compliance with the drinking water directive; the water supply zones that have been deemed to have excessive levels of trihalomethane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56984/21]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Ivana Bacik

446. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to centralise and streamline processes with the early years hive, Pobal and Tusla to avoid situations which have arisen in a service provider (details supplied). [57481/21]

Immigration Policy

Ivana Bacik

487. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice if her Department’s regularisation scheme is on track to be delivered in November 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57440/21]

Departmental Policies

Ivana Bacik

667. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health the steps he plans to take to reduce carbon emissions in the healthcare supply chain. [57480/21]

EU Directives

Ivana Bacik

138. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding, and his views on, the EU mandatory human rights due diligence directive being brought forward by the European Commission; and the steps his Department intends to take to ensure that Ireland is in a position to implement it. [56120/21]

National Transport Authority

Ivana Bacik

172. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the beneficial ownership of the land reservation that had been designated for the Dublin eastern bypass given the decision of the National Transport Authority not to proceed with plans for the site. [56116/21]

Road Safety Authority

Ivana Bacik

205. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the use of fixed-term contracts for driving testers at the RSA (details supplied); and his views on the use of contracts of indefinite duration in certain circumstances at the RSA. [56119/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ivana Bacik

268. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the position regarding, and status of, the resumption of indoor basketball practice and games in the context of public health measures; and if there are plans to bring about a further reopening for the sport. [56118/21]

Health Services

Ivana Bacik

651. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health the status of the operation of the maternity and infant scheme; and the position regarding the provision of adequate postnatal support services for women and babies. [56117/21]

Library Services

Ivana Bacik

691. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will be providing updated guidelines to public libraries in respect of the use of library buildings for study and reading given the need for the use of such facilities by further and higher education students. [55731/21]

Water Pollution

Ivana Bacik

39. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role his Department plays in preventing pollution in Dublin Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53538/21]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Ivana Bacik

74. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to promote biodiversity in urban centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53537/21]

Work Permits

Ivana Bacik

171. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will reverse a decision to exclude homecare workers from the critical skills exemption to the non-EEA employment permit system to ensure that community-based care is adequately resourced in line with commitments made in the Programme for Government. [53990/21]

Work Permits

Ivana Bacik

172. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason a decision was taken to exclude homecare workers from the critical skills exemption to the non-EEA employment permit system. [53991/21]

Equality Issues

Ivana Bacik

196. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will request confirmation from all public bodies under his aegis and all bodies publicly funded by his Department that they are in compliance with the Web Accessibility Directive (EU 2016/2102) with regard to web sites from 23 September 2020 and mobile apps from 23 June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54661/21]

Equality Issues

Ivana Bacik

197. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the action that will be taken by his Department for any public body or any publicly funded body under his aegis which is non-compliant with accessibility requirements under the 2005 disability and equality legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54662/21]

Equality Issues

Ivana Bacik

222. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport if public bodies under his aegis and bodies publicly funded by his Department have a procurement policy which includes consideration of obligations under section 27 of the Disability Act 2005; if such procurement is audited for compliance with section 27; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54658/21]

Departmental Funding

Ivana Bacik

223. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the details of all bodies in receipt of direct grant assistance from his Department that are not public bodies for the purposes of the Disability Act 2005; the amount each body is in receipt of each year from 2016 to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54659/21]

Equality Issues

Ivana Bacik

224. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport if all public bodies under his aegis and all bodies publicly funded by his Department are in compliance with the Web Accessibility Directive (EU 2016/2102) with regard to web sites from 23 September 2020 and mobile apps from 23 June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54660/21]

Disability Services

Ivana Bacik

225. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the action that will be taken by his Department for any public body or any publicly funded body under his aegis which is non-compliant with accessibility requirements under the 2005 disability and equality legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54663/21]

Banking Sector

Ivana Bacik

240. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the refusal by Irish banks to finance mortgages for so-called cargo container houses due to the fact they are not fixed foundation housing; his views on this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53988/21]

Departmental Funding

Ivana Bacik

296. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the total allocation of funding for the National Concert Hall in Budget 2022. [53984/21]

Departmental Funding

Ivana Bacik

297. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the total allocation of funding for the National Symphony Orchestra including the funding for the transfer of the orchestra from RTÉ to the remit of the National Concert Hall in Budget 2022. [53985/21]

Departmental Funding

Ivana Bacik

298. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the €8 million allocated in Budget 2021 for the transfer of the National Symphony Orchestra to the National Concert Hall from RTÉ was fully spent; and if she will provide a timeline for the completion of the transfer. [53986/21]

Housing Provision

Ivana Bacik

333. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has a policy position on the construction of cargo container houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54268/21]

State Examinations

Ivana Bacik

411. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the reason the scheme of reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations does not provide comprehension assistance to students who have been assessed as requiring assistance by her Department’s educational psychologists; and the supports that are in place to support students with this form of dyslexia in junior certificate examinations. [54224/21]

State Examinations

Ivana Bacik

412. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education if she plans to review the State Examinations Commission reasonable accommodation at the certificate examinations scheme; if she will amend the scheme to allow readers to explain the meanings of words or phrases to students who struggle with reading comprehension due to dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54225/21]

State Examinations

Ivana Bacik

413. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education further to correspondence (details supplied), if there are plans to use a statutory instrument to amend the scheme of reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations to be more inclusive of students with word processing difficulties. [54226/21]

Citizenship Applications

Ivana Bacik

542. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice if she has given consideration to a reduction in the cost of applying for citizenship to take account of the duration of residency in Ireland of the applicant; and if the digitisation of immigration services in 2021 will allow for a reduction of some or all application fees. [54778/21]

Health Services Staff

Ivana Bacik

596. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if it is projected that there will be a sufficient number of home care workers to further progress the time to move on from congregated settings strategy in 2022. [54269/21]

Climate Action Plan

Ivana Bacik

2. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an urgent timeline, broken down by sectors, for the implementation of the commitments in the national carbon budgets and climate action plan. [53837/21]

Renewable Energy Generation

Ivana Bacik

8. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to make the production of green hydrogen more cost-effective within Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53535/21]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Ivana Bacik

34. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency which shows a deceleration of Ireland’s emissions reductions; the action he plans to take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53539/21]

EU Programmes

Ivana Bacik

68. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the right to repair measures set out in the European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53536/21]

Energy Policy

Ivana Bacik

147. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps his Department is taking to promote the use of solar panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52561/21]

Flood Risk Management

Ivana Bacik

340. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered introducing legislation to regulate new developments which pose a risk of flooding to compel developers to build catchment pools to mitigate flooding risks (details supplied). [52034/21]

Planning Issues

Ivana Bacik

368. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of a review of planning regulations as they pertain to solar panels; and the timeline for the completion of same. [52562/21]

Planning Issues

Ivana Bacik

369. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to put in place an exemption for schools looking to install solar panels on their buildings; and if costs for obtaining planning permission to install solar on educational and community buildings will be waived or discounted. [52563/21]

Passport Services

Ivana Bacik

425. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there is a system of prioritisation in place for the processing of passport applications and renewals; if so, if he will provide details of the criteria used to prioritise applications; if it is policy that applicants who are waiting the longest should receive absolute priority over others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52558/21]

Human Trafficking

Ivana Bacik

712. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the status of the National Referral Mechanism; and if it will be inclusive of all suspected trafficking victims regardless of nationality and immigration status. [52036/21]

Citizenship Applications

Ivana Bacik

747. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the number of successful citizen applicants who did not complete and return their declaration of citizenship in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021. [52559/21]

Residency Permits

Ivana Bacik

748. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to reported issues experienced by Irish residence permit applicants in completing payment for their IRP; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52560/21]

Immigration Policy

Ivana Bacik

749. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice if it is anticipated that her Department’s regularisation scheme will increase processing delays for citizenship and IRP applications; and the steps that are being taken to mitigate this risk. [52564/21]

Health Strategies

Ivana Bacik

792. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if he will develop a national ambition to reduce pregnancy and infant loss; if he will establish a committee tasked with examining stillbirth and neonatal death in Ireland with a view to producing recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52032/21]

Health Promotion

Ivana Bacik

793. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if his Department plans to run an awareness campaign to inform pregnant women and persons of the risk of stillbirth and the importance of foetal movement during the third-trimester. [52033/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Ivana Bacik

794. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health his views on the need to provide additional self-isolation supports for Roma families through the pandemic following the closure of the Covid-19 response for vulnerable people service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52035/21]

Budget 2022

Ivana Bacik

288. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health the legal rationale underpinning the age limit of 17 to 25 years of age for those accessing free contraception as set out in the €31 million women’s health package in Budget 2022;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51700/21]

Employment Rights

Ivana Bacik

240. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if undocumented workers who report illegal employment practices as described in Parliamentary Question No. 169 of 7 October 2021 will be referred to immigration authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50449/21]

Wildlife Protection

Ivana Bacik

306. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the steps his Department is taking to ensure that grey seals are not placed at undue risk due to commercial vessel-based or shipping-based activities. [50453/21]

Gender Proofing of Policies

Ivana Bacik

608. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will develop a new gender and equality proof labour market activation plan to support women into decent work, particularly women who are most distant from the labour market. [50370/21]