Parliamentary questions

Covid-19 Pandemic

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

636. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the reason a service (details supplied) was still operating until recently on a reduced two-day service despite Covid-19 restrictions being lifted; the reason it is currently closed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54534/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

637. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the resources that have been put in place to support the families that are unable to avail of the day services at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54535/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

638. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been put in place to address the staff shortages in a service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54536/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

709. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will publish the recently concluded survey by the Marine Institute on brown crab stock in coastal waters here; and if he will request the Marine Institute to meet with brown crab fishermen representatives to discuss this survey and their proposals for sustaining the stock. [54259/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

710. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will set out the parameters and methodology used by the Marine Institute when it conducted a recent marine survey on brown crab stock in coastal waters here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54260/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

711. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the organisation or body that is responsible for overseeing standards and quality in brown crab for sale in Ireland and overseas; the way these standards are enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54261/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

716. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has developed or is developing a strategy to support sustainable and eco-friendly inshore fishing; the grant funding that is available; if he has engaged with fishing representative organisations on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54462/21]

Harbours and Piers

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

717. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding that is available from his Department to fund pre-dredging works at Helvick Head Pier, County Waterford such as for an environmental impact assessment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54463/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

718. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will release the proposed terms for acceptance into the temporary and permanent tie-up and cessation schemes suggested in the recently published report of the Seafood Sector Task Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54464/21]

Harbours and Piers

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

719. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will release to this Deputy the most recent development plans devised by his Department for a harbour extension at Dunmore East, County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54465/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

720. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to allow the inshore fishing fleet to diversify its fishing opportunities away from over reliance on non-quota shellfish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54466/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

721. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to create additional educational and training opportunities including apprenticeships for young persons to enter the fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54467/21]

Visa Applications

Pádraig MacLochlainn

335. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice if she will grant a visitor’s visa in respect of a person (details supplied) to visit with their ill child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53794/21]

Cabinet Committees

Pádraig MacLochlainn

7. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee which deals with marine and fishing will next meet. [47859/21]

Healthcare Policy

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

806. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if the Northern Ireland planned healthcare scheme in its current model in providing healthcare will extend beyond 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52097/21]

Special Areas of Conservation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1227. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that public access to Estat Mhic Manusa, the Coillte managed forest at Rossylongan, Donegal Town and its status as a special area of conservation will be reinstated as soon as possible. [52922/21]

Harbours and Piers

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1240. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the completion works for the breakwater at Greencastle Harbour, County Donegal; and when the works will be completed. [52939/21]

Harbours and Piers

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1241. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Donegal County Council has contacted his office or his Department in relation to the need for urgent investment and urgent improvement works at Rathmullan Pier, County Donegal. [52940/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1242. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Iceland, Norway, and the Faroe Islands have not availed of the quota of bluefin tuna allocated to them by ICAAT in recent years; and if he will engage with his European counterparts and these three countries and territories to work towards a reasonable and sustainable quota of bluefin tuna being allocated to Irish inshore fishermen to allow them to diversify from the limited number of species they are presently allowed to fish and to reflect the abundance of this predatory species that is being reported around the coast. [52941/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

1243. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of fish quota in the Irish EEZ that has been allocated to the fishing fleets of EU member states who joined the EU in the past two decades; and the way this allocation corresponds with the relative stability justification for the huge quota of fish in the Irish EEZ that has been allocated to the fishing fleets of other EU member states since the accession of Ireland to the EU in the 1970s. [52946/21]

Public Transport

Pádraig MacLochlainn

166. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if his Department will give priority in the forthcoming all-island rail review to a rail link of quality between Derry and Letterkenny, which are centres with a very high commuter interchange, that would enable further potential growth in the future onto the west of Ireland rather than light rail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51841/21]

Hospital Facilities

Pádraig MacLochlainn

108. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if he will deliver a joint diabetes centre of excellence at Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital as called for by diabetes campaigners in the region. [50616/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

145. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the budget allocated to Letterkenny University Hospital, the 13th highest in the State, does not reflect on the fact that the hospital is the sixth largest in the State based on inpatient numbers; and the action he plans to take to address this imbalance. [50617/21]

Defective Building Materials

Pádraig MacLochlainn

241. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the State organisation that assumed responsibility for ensuring the quality of concrete blocks from the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards after it was merged with the National Board for Science and Technology to form Eolas in 1988 and then Forbairt in 1993. [50457/21]

Hospital Staff

Pádraig MacLochlainn

735. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors and nurses working in the community ophthalmology service in County Donegal in each of the years 2001 to 2021, in tabular form. [50486/21]

Hospital Staff

Pádraig MacLochlainn

736. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors and nurses working in the ophthalmology service at Letterkenny University Hospital in each of the years 2001 to 2021, in tabular form. [50487/21]

Hospital Staff

Pádraig MacLochlainn

737. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of administrative and secretarial staff working in the ophthalmology service at Letterkenny University Hospital in each of the years 2001 to 2021, in tabular form. [50488/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

738. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the numbers of patients in County Donegal on the waiting list for the community ophthalmology service. [50489/21]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Pádraig MacLochlainn

739. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of patients in County Donegal on the waiting list for the ophthalmology service at Letterkenny University Hospital. [50490/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

740. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the interim arrangements that have been put in place at the Letterkenny University Hospital community ophthalmic service in view of all three physicians having left the facility. [50491/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

741. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a full service will be restored at the Letterkenny University Hospital community ophthalmic service. [50492/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

742. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the protocols that were in place at the Letterkenny University Hospital community ophthalmic service on 24 August 24 2021 when a person (details supplied) requiring urgent care was referred to Sligo University Hospital; the protocols that were in place at Sligo University Hospital ophthalmic service on 24 August 2021 that failed to deal with the patient until 8.30 pm; the reason the patient who had to endure a 200km journey back to north County Donegal on 24 August 2021 due to the fact the phlebotomy department at Sligo University Hospital was closed at 8.30pm; if on the morning of 24 August 2021 there were three physicians on duty at the Letterkenny University Hospital campus, when the patient was advised to travel onwards to Sligo University Hospital due to the fact no physician was available; and the protocols that were in place at Letterkenny University Hospital ophthalmic services that allowed the above patient to be denied access to a physician given that the patient had eye inflammation and was in pain. [50493/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

743. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the level of ophthalmic service is in accordance with best health practice for the community of north County Donegal, where many of the patients are over 200 kilometres from Sligo Hospital. [50494/21]

Aquaculture Industry

Pádraig MacLochlainn

937. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of the funding required to resource the proposals in the report of the Seafood Task Force that will be allocated from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund as opposed to the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. [51205/21]

Aquaculture Industry

Pádraig MacLochlainn

938. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the proposals in the report of the Seafood Task Force will be resourced after the sunset clause for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund of 31 December 2023 is implemented. [51206/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig MacLochlainn

939. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional arrangements that will be introduced at piers and harbours around the coast to allow fish landings to be facilitated if a new control plan for fish landings is not approved by the European Commission soon. [51207/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig MacLochlainn

940. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if in the absence of a new control plan for fish landings not being approved by the European Commission, if a peri plan or interim arrangements will be introduced in order that fish landings can be facilitated under control and to allow for in-factory weighing. [51208/21]

Hospital Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

214. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 633 of 15 September 2021, when a response will issue (details supplied). [50000/21]

Hospital Appointments Status

Pádraig MacLochlainn

216. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be rescheduled for a recently cancelled procedure in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50004/21]

Departmental Consultations

Pádraig MacLochlainn

54. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns of concerned communities regarding the limitations of the consultation being carried out by his Department on the subject of mining; and if he will proactively engage and listen to the representative groups from those concerned communities in which mining licences are currently being considered. [49779/21]

Rail Network

Pádraig MacLochlainn

85. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport his vision for the way in which the communities from the south-west area, the west and on to counties Sligo, Donegal and Derry can be connected by rail; and his plans to advance this vision. [49487/21]

Youth Services

Pádraig MacLochlainn

300. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the submission from an organisation (details supplied) with its business plan for the reinvigoration of the voluntary clubs network across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48850/21]

Fisheries Protection

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

113. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will publish any data his Department obtained on numbers of salmon present in Irish waters over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47820/21]

Tax Reliefs

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

173. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Finance if he has plans to introduce tax reduction measures for the Irish fishing industry that would allow expenses such as harbour fees, ice plant fees and slip off fees for paint and repair to be written off against annual tax returns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47824/21]

Wildlife Protection

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

272. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the most recent study that has been carried out by his Department on the seal population in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47819/21]

Fishing Industry

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

273. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans, including timelines, for the establishment of the seafood working group which is planned to be a compensatory body to oversee any disruption caused to fishing livelihoods as a result of the designation of marine protected areas and installation of renewable energy sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47826/21]

Maritime Jurisdiction

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

274. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when it can be expected that his Department will establish the maritime area regulatory authority that will be an important requirement of the Marine Area Planning Bill 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47827/21]

Consular Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

350. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent of the consular assistance that he and his officials have provided to the family of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48154/21]

Work Permits

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

525. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice the number of visas that were issued in the past five years including location and country of origin for the fishing industry in tabular form; the engagements her office has had with the fishing industry to determine future requirements for foreign workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47828/21]

Vaccination Programme

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

626. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when the EU Digital Covid certificate will be made available for Irish citizens vaccinated outside of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47757/21]