Parliamentary questions

Social Welfare Payments

Richard Bruton

506. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households which benefit from the fuel scheme; and how this number has grown as a result of the extended eligibility introduced in January 2023. [35376/23]

Disability Services

Richard Bruton

508. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if the suite of interventions to support placement in developmental roles needs to change now that unemployment is so low and those who need to be placed often have greater needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35412/23]

Departmental Funding

Richard Bruton

548. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she has considered a core budget to fund innovative projects for the current initiatives in Dublin 17; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35413/23]

Harbours and Piers

Richard Bruton

573. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the assessment of the need for dredging of Howth Harbour, which his Department has completed; and if he will indicate his plans for the undertaking of needed work over the coming years. [35276/23]

Departmental Policies

Richard Bruton

628. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether he plans new calls for the integration and employment of migrants, in view of the substantial increase in inflows since the last call in July 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35217/23]

Health Services

Richard Bruton

639. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the participation levels in programmes in disadvantaged areas which use an approach of working with parents, and particularly mothers, from before the birth of the child; his plans for the strengthening and extending of this approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35414/23]

Home Care Packages

Richard Bruton

787. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the progress in developing a national home care scheme; whether it envisages a uniform standard for access to care in all parts of the country; whether new oversight of the various private providers of home care is envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35272/23]

Health Services Staff

Richard Bruton

788. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to develop the terms and conditions under which home care workers are employed, in order that more people could be attracted to this work. [35273/23]

Care of the Elderly

Richard Bruton

789. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the number of active age groups and the number of day centres for persons being cared for at home that his Department supports through the HSE or other funding routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35274/23]

Further and Higher Education

Richard Bruton

867. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of college places now being made available outside the CAO system in the different schemes; how these have grown over the past five years, to include Springboard, apprenticeships, human capital initiative, skillnet, FET, and his new scheme for entry into certain health and practical skills announced recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35375/23]

Pension Provisions

Richard Bruton

173. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the terms of the pension of a person (details supplied); and whether continuing payments are due to their surviving spouse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34512/23]

Disability Services

Richard Bruton

215. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of children who have been in the disability services since birth who now find themselves without any prospective placement as they complete their school attendance, as in a particular case (details supplied); and if there are any policy options through which he could assist. [34461/23]

Departmental Programmes

Richard Bruton

223. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of programmes, and their purpose, operated by his Department with ESF support in place during 2023; the prospects of additional programmes in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34595/23]

Crime Prevention

Richard Bruton

86. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she has received a report of the impact of the initiative in crime statistics and in feedback from organisations in the area. [33994/23]

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Richard Bruton

126. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware of a report which suggests inaccuracies in the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the levy on single-use containers, particularly concerning: the overall size of the market impacted, the existing penetration of reusable cups, the elasticity of demand in response to the levy; and the emission intensity of the production and use of a recycled paper cup compared to that of reusable cups commonly in use when compared over their life cycle; and his views on the claim that this invalidates much of the argument in favour of the levy. [33556/23]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

133. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether any policy options exist for homes which have no fireplace and cannot heat their home without power in the event of a power cut. [33866/23]

Tax Code

Richard Bruton

199. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance whether the Tax Strategy Group is looking at any particular issues in respect of the structure of USC and of income tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33867/23]

Special Educational Needs

Richard Bruton

285. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the number of new SNA posts which have been created in the past five years; how these extra posts have been allocated as between special schools, special classes within mainstream and to mainstream classes to support children with special needs; and if she is satisfied the children in different settings have an equitable chance of having their needs for support met. [33984/23]

Animal Culls

Richard Bruton

336. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the cull of seagulls which was permitted on a pilot basis in Balbriggan proved a success; whether an extension into other areas where over-invasion of residential areas is occurring, could be considered where these birds are clearly moving out of their natural habitat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33448/23]

Housing Policy

Richard Bruton

384. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that many apartments built to high insulation standards seem to be without any method for achieving reasonable temperatures during a very hot spell; and whether the regulatory standards have considered how this matter might be addressed, without recourse to very energy intensive air conditioning. [33847/23]