Parliamentary questions

International Protection

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

1081. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether there were any persons residing in the designated accommodations centres prior to their designation; if they are going to remain there; and if not, where they will be accommodated subsequently. [13898/24]

International Protection

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

1082. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the duration that such designated accommodation centres are expected to serve a person, by location if the dates in question are different. [13899/24]

Primary Care Centres

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

1575. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on whether a primary health care centre is planned for the Douglas area in Cork. [15138/24]

Energy Prices

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

124. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to address the challenges that rural communities are facing in relation to increased costs with household energy and fuel. [10553/24]

Housing Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

42. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on her Department’s plans to address dereliction and vacancy in rural towns and villages. [10548/24]

Island Communities

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

46. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has engaged with Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann since the publication of its report on the housing needs of Ireland’s offshore islands in November 2023, and if her Department discussed its recommendations with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. [10552/24]

Control of Dogs

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

50. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development what efforts are being made by her Department to ensure that local authorities are enforcing the legislation to collect fines under dog control regulations. [10551/24]

Legislative Process

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

54. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on the Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023. [10550/24]

Transport Costs

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

55. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to address the challenges that rural communities are facing in relation to increased costs with transport. [10553/24]

Library Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

62. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development what efforts are underway to increase library membership and participation; and to provide an update on membership numbers at local authority libraries each year over the last five years. [10549/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

440. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection what the average wait time for an additional needs payment application is; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10206/24]

Sentencing Policy

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

506. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide details of correspondence or reports she has received from the Judicial Council regarding its responsibility for sentencing guidelines within the past two years. [10834/24]

Apprenticeship Programmes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

808. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether any consideration has been given to supports to people transitioning from full-time jobs, who may have costs such as mortgages, to allow them to take up apprenticeships, but are concerned they could not meet their financial obligations. [10835/24]

Youth Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

115. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he and his Department have mapped the existence of youth-focused community projects and staff across the state; if he is aware of gaps in coverage or large and populous areas without or with inadequately resourced projects and how do they intend to resolve this. [4038/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

85. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the discussions between her Department and the Irish Dental Council in relation to the treatment benefit scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9721/24]

Health Services Staff

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

599. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health whether the recent decision in the parity claim of medical scientists with biochemists, which has put both categories on the same payscales from January 2024, will also apply to recent retiree medical scientists; and whether their pensions will also be brought to parity, particularly given the attempts to secure parity have been ongoing since 2002. [9212/24]

EU Directives

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

50. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify what the beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive will be entitled to upon the elapsing of the directive, and what preparations her Department is undertaking for this date. [8088/24]

Children in Care

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

52. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the fact that standard disregards for maintenance that apply in the means testing of other payments do not apply in the means testing of the guardians payment, non-contributory. [8089/24]

School Meals Programme

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

65. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the roll-out of the hot school meals programme. [7916/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

85. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered whether illness benefit can be extended to self-employed persons. [7913/24]

Social Welfare Code

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

88. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection whether she has considered the situation of those providing kinship care, and the discrepancy between the financial supports provided to kinship carers by comparison to non-familial foster carers. [7915/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

97. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the fact that standard disregards for maintenance that apply in the means testing of other payments do not apply in the means testing of the guardians payment non-contributory. [7914/24]

Bus Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

72. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that the 220 and 220X bus service in Ballincollig, Cork is experiencing significant delays, with buses only turning up every 90 minutes regularly on what is supposed to be a 15 minute interval service at peak times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5175/24]

School Transport

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

175. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport when the application process will open for the Safe Routes to Schools Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4698/24]

Library Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

68. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her views on the need to provide capital funding for new library buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4303/24]

Offshore Islands

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

70. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to discuss the provision of subsidies for the transportation of freight to the offshore islands, the maximum cost of same and the oversight mechanisms that exist. [4304/24]

Community Development Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

74. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on the community centres investment fund; and if there is any scope to extend the scheme in the future. [4041/24]

Departmental Policies

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

104. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the Towns First policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4037/24]

Departmental Funding

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

105. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be another round of the Community Recognition Fund in 2024. [4039/24]

Departmental Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

114. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how her Department will work with local authorities to encourage them to apply for new funding for the town and village renewal scheme; if there will be a minimum submission requirement for each local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4040/24]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

126. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the average, median, maximum and minimum primary school class sizes for the Cork city and Cork County Council area from 2019 to date in 2024, in tabular form. [3312/24]

Pensions Reform

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

150. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the proposed auto enrolment scheme. [3306/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

151. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the actual number and the percentage of working family payment claimants, respectively who are also claiming the one parent family payment. [3307/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

152. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of claimants over each of the past five years of claimants who lose the working family payment due to the claimant moving from the one parent family payment to the jobseeker’s transitional payment when their youngest child reaches seven years of age. [3308/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

153. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection for a breakdown of the average wait time for a decision on an appeal, for each social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3309/24]

Rail Network

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

192. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport whether he supports the provision of electric trains to Cork in early 2024 for the purposes of expansion of the Cork area commuter rail; and if he has had discussion with Iarnród Éireann in relation to this. [3018/24]

An Garda Síochána

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

998. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost to the Exchequer to provide ten additional Garda youth diversion programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56412/23]

Youth Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

114. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he and his Department have mapped the existence of youth-focused community projects and staff across the State; and if they are aware of gaps in coverage, or large and populous areas without or with inadequately resourced projects, and how they intend to resolve this. [49716/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

359. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of a €1 increase in each of the social insurance schemes, social assistance schemes, other weekly schemes and other scheme payments, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55959/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

360. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of introducing a child benefit double payment. [55960/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

361. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of raising the earnings disregard for the one parent family payment by €1. [55961/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

362. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of raising the earnings disregard for the jobseeker’s transitional payment by €1. [55962/23]

Departmental Data

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

363. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost to the exchequer of the JobPath scheme. [55963/23]

State Pensions

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

364. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of reintroducing the State pension for 65-year-olds who choose to retire. [55965/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

365. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost to the Exchequer of the benefit payment for 65-year-olds. [55966/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

366. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the qualified child increase by €1 for children under the age of 12 years and €1 for children over the age of 12 years, respectively. [55967/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

367. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the current young jobseeker’s rate of €129.70 by €1 per week. [55968/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

368. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of including the working family payment as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. [55970/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

369. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the annual carers support grant by €1. [55971/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

370. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing child benefit by €1. [55972/23]