Parliamentary questions

Child Abuse

Paul Murphy

110. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reopen the redress scheme for survivors of sexual abuse in schools and require it to act in accordance with the recommendations from a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16376/20]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Murphy

29. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the carbon emissions reductions he expects will be achieved annually in this term of Government. [16042/20]

Consumer Protection

Paul Murphy

76. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will instruct each airline (details supplied) that operates flights out of Ireland on pain of forfeit of Government financial support to discharge their responsibilities to customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16257/20]

School Transport

Paul Murphy

141. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has approved the cancellation by Dublin Bus of all school transport contracts operated by private bus companies in the Dublin area; his plans for the way in which those private bus operators that depend on school transport contracts will continue in business if the school transport contracts are cancelled; his further plans for the way in which and by which service operator a comprehensive school transport service is to be provided at least to the level previously provided when the schools reopen if the private school transport contracts are cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14954/20]

School Transport

Paul Murphy

265. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address a series of matters relating to the non-renewal of school transport contracts (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15964/20]

Commemorative Events

Paul Murphy

377. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the National Famine Commemoration will take place on the third Sunday in May 2021 in Buncrana, County Donegal. [16032/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

693. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will accept self-assessed income for 2019 from self-employed persons, as would be accepted by the Revenue Commissioners for tax purposes, as reference year evidence of income for the purposes of determining the level of continued payment of the pandemic unemployment payment rather than only using 2018 as self-employed reference year income to determine the level of continued payment (details supplied). [15577/20]

Carer's Leave

Paul Murphy

925. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider introducing a statutory instrument to extend carer’s leave and allowance until the end of 2020 for certain cohorts of persons (details supplied). [15144/20]

Immigration Status

Paul Murphy

966. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the delay for a review by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, INIS, of the EU treaty rights of a person (details supplied) who has applied for citizenship. [16027/20]

Heritage Sites

Paul Murphy

297. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on the proposal by South Dublin County Council to spend an estimated €22 million on the development of a visitors centre and walkways at the Hellfire Club, Rathfarnham (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14226/20]

Passport Applications

Paul Murphy

334. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of an application for Irish passports for the children of an Irish citizen (details supplied); and the way in which the person should now apply for renewal of their Irish passport which expired on 22 May 2020 in the context of their circumstances. [13836/20]

Animal Sales

Paul Murphy

550. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to take action to deal with the widespread non-compliance with the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019, in view of the fact that the majority of advertisements for dogs on a website (details supplied) breach the regulations as highlighted to him in correspondence from a number of animal welfare organisations, Deputies and MEPs. [13779/20]

Bord na gCon

Paul Murphy

552. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an interest free loan reported to be €250,000 from the Irish Greyhound Board to the private operators of Clonmel greyhound stadium has been repaid; and the details of all current IGB loans to tracks and outstanding repayments. [13831/20]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

553. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will order the immediate closure of Enniscorthy, Youghal, Thurles and Kilkenny greyhound tracks in view of fire safety concerns highlighted in two Indecon reports (details supplied). [13832/20]

Assisted Decision-Making

Paul Murphy

623. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans regarding the prompt roll-out and full funding of the decision support service and further to same, the abolition of the ward of court system in view of commitments made by her predecessor to roll out the new decision support service. [14098/20]

Naturalisation Applications

Paul Murphy

632. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of an application for naturalisation by a person (details supplied); and if she will request her officials to treat this application as a priority. [14259/20]

Anti-Racism Measures

Paul Murphy

313. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a staff member of a company (details supplied) is sitting on the anti-racism committee in view of the involvement of the company in the private prison industry, multiple allegations of human rights abuses at its facilities and its involvement in the surveillance of asylum seekers in the UK. [13298/20]

General Practitioner Services

Paul Murphy

501. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if medical card holders should not be charged by their general practitioners for blood tests; and the steps persons that have been incorrectly charged should take. [13295/20]

Driver Test

Paul Murphy

722. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if emergency or prioritised driver test appointments will be provided for persons that are essential carers and or essential workers and that urgently need to do a test in order to be able to drive legally but whose planned tests were cancelled due to Covid-19, in view of the planned lifting of many of the Covid-19 restrictions on 29 June 2020. [13368/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

808. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons on the pandemic unemployment payment due to have it reduced to €203 as a result of having previously earned less than €200 in wages, in receipt of child benefit. [12884/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

809. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of women on the pandemic unemployment payment due to have it reduced to €203 as a result of having previously earned less than €200 in wages.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12885/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

810. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of women on the pandemic unemployment payment due to have it reduced to €203 that were not previously in receipt of another social welfare payment (details supplied). [12886/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

811. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons on the pandemic unemployment payment due to have it reduced to €203 and in receipt of child benefit, that were not previously in receipt of another social welfare payment (details supplied). [12887/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

812. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of the pandemic unemployment payment to the end of 2020. [12888/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

813. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of the pandemic unemployment payment if it were maintained at €350 for all those availing of the scheme to the end of 2020. [12889/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

814. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated difference in cost of leaving the pandemic unemployment payment at current levels to the end of 2020, compared to reducing it to €203 for those previously earning less than €200 in wages from 29 June 2020. [12890/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

815. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of the pandemic unemployment payment for July 2020. [12891/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

816. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of the pandemic unemployment payment for July 2020 if it was maintained at €350 for all recipients. [12892/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

817. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if declarations of income from cash tips will be accepted in assessing income for the purposes of the pandemic unemployment payment. [12893/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

69. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will request his officials and-or the Revenue Commissioners to contact an airline (details supplied) to request that it immediately pay the temporary wage subsidy scheme payments to those employees that it made redundant on 29 May 2020 due to Covid-19, but for whom it has continued and will continue to receive payments under the scheme until 29 June 2020 on account of it keeping these ex-employees on its payroll list for revenue until that date; and if he will request that it pay these workers such temporary wage subsidy scheme payments due until 29 June 2020 alternatively. [12251/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Paul Murphy

70. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will request that his officials and-or the Revenue Commissioners will contact an airline (details supplied) to request that it immediately remove from its payroll listing, those employees who were made redundant on 29 May 2020 due to Covid-19 but have been unable to claim the pandemic unemployment payment, due to the fact that it has the ex-employees listed on its payroll and that it indicates will remain listed on its payroll for purposes of the temporary wage subsidy scheme until 29 June 2020, meaning the ex-employees continue to be ineligible for the pandemic unemployment payment and will have had no income for a month; and if he will arrange for such employees to receive arrears of the pandemic unemployment payment from 29 May 2020. [12269/20]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Paul Murphy

126. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider reducing the pupil-teacher ratio to ensure smaller class sizes are possible in the context of the need for social distancing in schools due to Covid-19. [11701/20]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Paul Murphy

127. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider reducing the pupil-teacher ratio to ensure smaller class sizes in DEIS band 1 schools in the context of the loss of teaching time, the impact on children from deprived backgrounds and the particular need for smaller class sizes in DEIS band one schools. [11702/20]

School Accommodation

Paul Murphy

156. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps his Department will take to ensure that a school (details supplied) can continue to be located in Firhouse, County Dublin from September 2020. [11924/20]

Maternity Leave

Paul Murphy

331. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will extend maternity leave and maternity benefit to 38 weeks, that is, a three-month extension for all who were on maternity leave and maternity benefit prior to the introduction of the Covid-19 emergency legislation, are currently on maternity leave and benefit or who become eligible for maternity leave and benefit before the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions on 29 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12308/20]

Departmental Communications

Paul Murphy

369. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the communication that has taken place between her Department and the representative organisations of the barbers, hairdressing and other personal care salons. [11941/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

370. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the detailed Covid-19 safety advice that has been issued to the representative organisations of the barbers, hairdressing and other personal care salons. [11942/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Paul Murphy

371. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the advice that has been issued to the representative organisations of the barbers, hairdressing and other personal care salons with regard to reopening dates. [11943/20]

General Practitioner Services

Paul Murphy

440. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will call for the general practitioner card to be made available to all persons who are deemed eligible for the respite care grant as certified by their respective general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11961/20]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Paul Murphy

788. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if those previously earning a salary under €200 a week but also in receipt of a jobseeker’s allowance, jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s transition payment that brought their total weekly incomes over €200 will be moved to the reduced pandemic unemployment payment. [11749/20]

Carer's Allowance

Paul Murphy

789. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will raise the household income threshold for eligibility for the carer’s allowance to €1,000 a week in view of the fact it has remained at €663 since 1982; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11960/20]

School Meals Programme

Paul Murphy

791. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason it has been indicated that outstanding school meals programme funding cannot be used to provide food for families in need beyond May 2020. [12172/20]

Carer's Allowance

Paul Murphy

823. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will suspend the current round of reviews of carer's allowance until after all the impacts of Covid-19 have been fully considered or for at least a year in view of the additional emotional and financial stress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11954/20]

Carer's Allowance

Paul Murphy

824. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will raise the household income threshold for eligibility for the carer’s allowance to €1,000 a week in view of the fact it has remained at €663 since 1982; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11955/20]

Local Authority Housing

Paul Murphy

878. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will contact the housing department of Kilkenny County Council to determine the reason for delays in processing approval of arrangements for a housing transfer on certified health grounds for persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11855/20]

Erasmus+ Programme

Paul Murphy

264. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will request and urge UCD to revoke the cancellation of all outgoing Erasmus arrangements for 2020 in circumstances in which the receiving institutions are willing to accept students from Ireland and in view of UCD preparing to accept international students onto campus-based courses from September 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11199/20]

Direct Provision System

Paul Murphy

324. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to unsanitary or unsafe conditions in the direct provision centre at a location (details supplied); if his officials or the international protection accommodation service, IPAS, will be instructed to arrange for an inspection of the building or to publish the findings of a recent inspection of the building, its accommodation and facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10707/20]

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Paul Murphy

603. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the details of the existing grant agreement between the State and St. Vincent's Healthcare Group under which the Nutley Wing was funded by the State; the other public healthcare facilities funded under the agreement; the amount expended on each facility; and if he will provide a copy of the agreements. [11026/20]

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Paul Murphy

604. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the amount expended to date on the preparatory works under way on the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group site relating to the new maternity hospital; the detail of the works involved; the funding provided to date for each of the works; the dates of the payments made in this regard; and the budgetary allocation that has been made for the continuation of the works. [11027/20]

Aviation Industry

Paul Murphy

850. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will instruct an airline (details supplied) to discharge its responsibilities to customers who booked flights with the airline which were subsequently cancelled due to Covid-19 and promptly provide refunds to those customers who want them and vouchers to those who are willing to accept them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10994/20]