Parliamentary questions

Voluntary Sector

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

65. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on how her Department intends to assist community groups with growing regulatory burden; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28428/23]

Departmental Funding

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

73. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the community recognition fund; if she will advise if the fund is on track to allocate the target of 60% of funding in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28383/23]

Rural Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

77. 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. [28385/23]

Rural Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

108. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the engagement her Department have had with the Department for Transport on securing joint funding for the local improvement scheme considering the consistent demand for the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28386/23]

Departmental Policies

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

110. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on how her Department are implementing the published guidelines on rural-proofing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28387/23]

Rural Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

111. 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 to 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. [28384/23]

Schools Building Projects

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

476. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the latest position regarding the building of a permanent school building for a school (details supplied); when children can expect to be in place within this school; and if temporary accommodation is in place and secure for the intervening period. [27068/23]

Energy Conservation

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

46. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what is required from a contractor to be added to the list of approved contractors for work in energy efficiency, with specific reference to installation of heat pumps. [25038/23]

Energy Conservation

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

47. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the mechanism for removal of a contractor from the list of approved contractors for work in energy efficiency, with specific reference to installation of heat pumps. [25039/23]

Energy Conservation

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

48. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the checks in place to ensure that contractors who are on the list of approved contractors for work in energy efficiency, with specific reference to installation of heat pumps, are in compliance with high standards, and that their work is satisfactory and efficient; and if there are reviews, inspections or audits of work, or what quality control is in place. [25040/23]

Social Welfare Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

72. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on her Department's review of the extension of the free travel scheme to people with epilepsy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24660/23]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

74. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the fact that adult dependants were excluded from the recent €200 cost-of-living bonus payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24661/23]

Employment Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

76. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the tender for EmployAbility that was due to be published in April 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24662/23]

State Pensions

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

103. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on a State pension solution for long-term family carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24663/23]

Departmental Consultations

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

119. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the consultation process as part of her Department's work on addressing the cost of disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24664/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

120. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the proposed legislation on child maintenance system changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24665/23]

Social Welfare Code

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

128. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise on her Department's review of means testing for carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24667/23]

Social Welfare Code

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

136. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will ensure that households that have accumulated significant debts, including arrears on bills and on pre-payment meters, have access to sufficient support to avoid a long-term legacy of indebtedness and reduced financial resilience; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24666/23]

Domestic Violence

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

442. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has issued guidance on assessing credit time for an applicant for social housing, who may have, in fleeing domestic violence, left one local authority for another area, and in so doing lost credit time built up within that local authority; and if he agrees that if this person is an applicant in the local authority they have moved to, the previous credit time may be taken into account. [24815/23]

Social Welfare Code

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

476. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage increase she prescribed by which the preserved benefit of occupational pension schemes should have been adjusted each year since 2013 under Section 33(4) of the Pensions Act, 1990/the Occupational Pension Schemes (Revaluation) Regulations; for schemes exempted under Section 37(1) of the Act on the basis that they provide benefits that are no less favourable to members concerned than those required by the Act, how her Department monitors that these schemes continue to meet the criteria for exemption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24495/23]

Food Poverty

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

481. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the pilot food poverty programme announced in budget 2023; the timeline for implementation of the programme; if there has been any work undertaken by her Department to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24593/23]

Departmental Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

511. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual budget for the JobPath scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25014/23]

Employment Schemes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

512. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual budget for the JobsPlus scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25015/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

375. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing each weekly social welfare scheme by €1 per week, in tabular form. [23951/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

376. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the qualified child payment by €1 for children under the age of 12 years, and €1 for children over the age of 12 respectively. [23952/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

377. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of including carer's allowance as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. [23953/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

378. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of extending the current rate of fuel allowance by €1 per week. [23954/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

379. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of extending the fuel allowance for one additional week. [23955/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

380. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of including working family payment as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. [23956/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

381. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the carer’s support grant to €2,000. [23957/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

382. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of bringing the current young jobseeker’s rate of €129.70 per week up to the full rate of €220. [23958/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

383. 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 per week by an additional €5 per week. [23959/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

384. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the jobseeker’s transitional payment scheme age cut-off to 18 years of age. [23960/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

385. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the one-parent family payment scheme age cut-off to 14 years of age. [23961/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

386. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the current number of recipients of the benefit for over-65s; the full year cost of this scheme in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23962/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

387. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the weekly payment rate for carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit to €325 per week, by payment in tabular form. [23963/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

388. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of extending child benefit to 18-year-olds still in secondary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23964/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

389. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing an additional €10 per week payment to all recipients of disability-related social welfare payments in total, and by payment type, in tabular form. [23965/23]

Nursing Homes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

447. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the situation facing residents (details supplied); the action he proposes to take to ensure that the residents are protected and can remain in place; and if he intends to ensure the HSE re engages to find a fair solution. [23769/23]

Nursing Homes

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

448. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health if he intends to review the payments to nursing homes, both private and public, both in regard to those payments and to wage levels in the sector. [23770/23]

Technological Universities

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

259. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reasons for the delay of approval to purchase a shareholding (details supplied). [23327/23]

Local Authorities

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

123. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the interest rates charged for the local authority home loan are set on the date one draws down one’s loan rather than on the date that the mortgage offer is received. [22125/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

244. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer of providing a recipient of one-parent family payment with access to the living alone allowance, household benefit package and the telephone support allowance. [20244/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

245. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost to the Exchequer of providing a recipient of jobseeker’s transitional payment with access to the living alone allowance, household benefit package and the telephone support allowance. [20245/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

365. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to list in tabular form how much it would cost to increase the increase for a qualified child for over 12s by 10, 12 and 15 euro; and how much it would cost to increase the under 12s rate by 5,7 and 10 euro. [19289/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

366. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to list in tabular form the number of recipients of one parent family payment and jobseeker's transitional payment who are also in receipt of the fuel allowance. [19291/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

367. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection how much it would cost to increase the fuel allowance by €15 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19292/23]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

368. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection how much it would cost to increase the payable period for the fuel allowance by four weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19293/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

369. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has conducted an analysis of the cost of extending the child benefit payment to all second level students over the age of 18 years; if there are plans to extend the payment in this way as a response to the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19294/23]

Driver Test

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

163. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting for a driving test; and the number of persons waiting for a theory test in County Cork, by test centre, in tabular form. [18647/23]