Parliamentary questions

Traffic Management

Matt Shanahan

128. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the concerns raised regarding traffic controls adjacent to a national school (details supplied); if he will acknowledge the obvious dangers that exist, given there is no on-street parking available for school pick-up and drop-off, which is causing both parking congestion at the roadside and visibility issues for traffic circulating through; if he will require the local authority to install speed ramps adjacent to the school area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22236/24]

Heritage Centres

Matt Shanahan

165. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the number of complementary admissions being issued each year at the Custom House visitor centre (details supplied); when the visitor centre will be properly operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22283/24]

Heritage Centres

Matt Shanahan

166. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the progress made on sourcing a cash safe for the Custom House visitor centre (details supplied); the number of complementary visitors admitted over the past five years; his views on whether this issue should be relatively easy to rectify; when the visitor centre will receive the long awaited cash safe that will enable it to process cash payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22292/24]

Energy Policy

Matt Shanahan

109. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if Ireland has purchased the gas storage ship it announced in 2023 which customers were told that they would be paying for through their household bills; if, given that Ireland has apparently less than two years' supply of gas left and this ship was intended for reserves, the ship has been purchased; if customers have begun paying for it; to provide a status update; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21263/24]

Emergency Planning

Matt Shanahan

110. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the 'public warning system' which enables mobile phone operators in Ireland to send warnings to the public via text message on behalf of the Government before or during large-scale public emergencies or when there is danger to life; if, given that it is EU law that every State operates a warning system to alert citizens to a national emergency, he will respond regarding an announcement around this in 2023; what progress has been made with respect to any implementation; to provide a timeline for the completion of this emergency service fully tested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21264/24]

State Properties

Matt Shanahan

144. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the St. Bricin's military hospital in Stoneybatter, which is currently lying idle, could be readied in case of emergency or surge capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21260/24]

Defence Forces

Matt Shanahan

145. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department would consider increasing the size of the 'bambi buckets', the collapsible bags that hang from a helicopter assisting with firefighting and so on (details supplied); if he will provide an update on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21261/24]

School Transport

Matt Shanahan

165. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport the provisions being made to reopen the public school transport office, currently located on the fourth floor of Plunkett train station in Waterford (details supplied); if he will enquire as to whether provisions are being made to have this public office reopened to visitors, or if the Covid restrictions will remain in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21253/24]

Airport Policy

Matt Shanahan

166. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if he will confirm the present status of the proposed tunnel project being proposed at Dublin Airport; if he will outline the procurement stage of the project; the envisaged capital allocation required to complete it; the timelines surrounding the project proposal; whether or not this project has been approved for capital funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21254/24]

Airport Policy

Matt Shanahan

167. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if he will confirm whether any contacts have taken place within his Department with respect to the possible acquisition of land in County Wicklow for a future designated airport capable of passenger jet traffic; the engagement, if any, that has taken place between Department officials and any possible promoters of such a project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21255/24]

Rail Network

Matt Shanahan

168. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the status of Metro North, including the latest timelines to approval and tender award for initial construction; if he will outline the total projected project cost; if he concurs with recent NTA published material indicating a September 2024 start date for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21256/24]

Transport Policy

Matt Shanahan

169. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if he will advise, beyond a train Metrolink service connecting Dublin Airport to the Dublin city area, what other options have been explored recently in his Department or with outside agencies or private specialists in terms of looking at alternate proposals to increase connectivity between the airport and the city; if his Department has looked at the latest transport infrastructure being used in Asia to connect airports and urban areas, some of which includes articulated buses rotating at short intervals; what activity is ongoing in his Department to consider other transport options to comparatively price against the Metro North project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21257/24]

Rail Network

Matt Shanahan

170. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport his views on Kilkenny railway station (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21258/24]

Tourism Industry

Matt Shanahan

249. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform his views on security at this country's largest tourism sites (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21262/24]

State Properties

Matt Shanahan

255. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the OPW's regional architects office located on Catherine Street, Waterford (details supplied) will be given desk space in the nearby Government buildings with a view to releasing the property on Catherine Street to add to other city initiative potential; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21799/24]

Business Supports

Matt Shanahan

271. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps that need to be taken to complete a ICOB scheme application given that the MyCoCo programme timed them out and shut down (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21555/24]

Digital Archiving

Matt Shanahan

344. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if digitisation has commenced on the first census of the new Irish State, which will have its centenary in 2026 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21802/24]

Departmental Expenditure

Matt Shanahan

355. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the total printing expenditure per annum over the past five years of all Government-sponsored reviews and reports which were translated into Irish and published, broken down by Department and year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21703/24]

Vacant Properties

Matt Shanahan

364. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to make contact with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to a vacant centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21259/24]

National Monuments

Matt Shanahan

389. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider forming an expert working group for national monuments (details supplied) given all structures recognised after 1888 are not considered as monuments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21800/24]

Departmental Records

Matt Shanahan

476. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Land Commission records (details supplied) will be digitised and made available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21801/24]

International Protection

Matt Shanahan

508. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide the outline specifications his Department is using to assess properties, namely, the minimum number of beds, the threshold costs per bed on offer, the ratio of bathrooms to beds, the requirements to mixed or single gender use and the offered duration of contract from inception (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21265/24]

International Protection

Matt Shanahan

509. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, given that there appears to be a renewed emphasis on the possible suitability of individual housing units to be considered for IPAS accommodation, he will outline what the minimum number of refugee spaces his Department will consider for contract accommodation; the specific considerations his Department is applying when reviewing such property offers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21266/24]

Hospital Staff

Matt Shanahan

616. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health the number of new positions to be filled as part of a new seven-day service delivery at University Hospital Waterford (details supplied); the stage recruitment is at; the final deadline proposed to achieve the full recruitment number; the target date to begin the seven-day service; if he will confirm that funding has been authorised and released to University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21660/24]

Hospital Facilities

Matt Shanahan

617. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health how a new cardiac day ward at University Hospital Waterford is proposed to be delivered (details supplied); where it will be located; where the project plan exists on a capital or estates project list; the stage recruitment is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21661/24]

Departmental Expenditure

Matt Shanahan

184. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the total printing expenditure per annum over the past five years of all Government-sponsored reviews and reports, broken down by Department and year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20991/24]

Departmental Expenditure

Matt Shanahan

246. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the expenditure in each of the individual Gaeltacht areas provided by her Department from 2018 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20518/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

247. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the expenditure in each of the individual Gaeltacht areas approved by her Department from 2018 to 2023 and to date in 2024 by Údarás Na Gaeltachta, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20519/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

248. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the expenditure by Údarás na Gaeltachta in each of the individual Gaeltacht areas from 2018 to 2023 and to date in 2024, and the individual expenditure headings to which this spending was allocated within each individual Gaeltacht area, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20520/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

249. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a detailed charter of Údarás na Gaeltachta in terms of its mission statement, its governance structure, and the responsibilities and KPIs to which it is tasked; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20521/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

173. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she can provide the precise amount of funding, in tabular form, which has been provided to Waterford over the past six years by Údarás na Gaeltachta; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20023/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

174. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media how Údarás na Gaeltachta decide where and how their funding is allocated and; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20024/24]

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Matt Shanahan

175. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media what the key performance indicators are for Údarás na Gaeltachta; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20025/24]

Post Office Network

Matt Shanahan

176. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she is aware of the situation in an area (details supplied) where the village is about to lose its only post office which is integral to the vibrancy of the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20026/24]

School Meals Programme

Matt Shanahan

222. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update as to when a school (details supplied) will be included in the new programme of national school meals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18644/24]

Media Sector

Matt Shanahan

4. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the scope for increasing the funding for recommendations made within the Report of the Future of Media Commission; and when funding from these proposals will be rolled out to media organisations nationwide, given that the local and European elections and the first directly-elected mayor election in Limerick will take place at the start of June 2024.. [17014/24]

Tourism Funding

Matt Shanahan

194. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding her Department is making available in Waterford and the south east for festival supports in 2024. [17015/24]

Disability Services

Matt Shanahan

568. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason a person in Waterford (details supplied) is finding it impossible to access a vital service here; if he agrees that it is the responsibility of his Department to provide such services; if he will now instruct his Department to devise a plan of care where the person's needs are taken care of as swiftly as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16262/24]

Business Supports

Matt Shanahan

33. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Finance the changes that are being considered to the debt warehousing scheme to support private businesses availing of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5746/24]

Banking Sector

Matt Shanahan

311. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Finance if he will engage with the banking sector (details supplied) and request it to provide a status report regarding the offer to provide a 'gambling block' to customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15047/24]

Banking Sector

Matt Shanahan

312. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Finance if he will publish the timeframe provided by the financial institutions required to deliver gambling block security to their online platforms (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15048/24]

Sports Events

Matt Shanahan

570. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide the current application status of a funding request from an organisation (details supplied) to support hosting of the world rally championships in Ireland on a three-year programme event; to confirm that Government will commit to €15 million funding in total, based on a €5 million support payment per year on a three-year contract basis; if he will acknowledge that a decision needs to be provided within the next ten days in order to ensure Ireland remains a contender for these rally slots. [14607/24]

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Matt Shanahan

1602. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health the present status of the HSE estates development of business case and associated tender developments with respect to a new operating theatre in Kilcrene, County Kilkenny to support the Waterford and South east orthopaedic activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15380/24]

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Matt Shanahan

1603. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health to provide contract timelines for the build and development of the new operating theatre in Kilcrene, County Kilkenny to service outreach, orthopaedic surgery from UHW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15381/24]

Departmental Policies

Matt Shanahan

220. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered changes to the recognition of mortgage applicants to meet repayment costs - at present many private tenants are paying significant monthly rental costs yet there does not appear to be clear guidance in terms of financial institutions accepting these payments as proof of a tenant's ability to pay a future mortgage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11653/24]

Departmental Policies

Matt Shanahan

221. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered making changes to the required 10% deposit ask of new first-time buyers understanding that many are in rental situations requiring more onerous rent repayment then that would be required in the event of a mortgage repayment and as such, tenants are disadvantaged in their ability to save up to a 10% deposit requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11654/24]

Teaching Qualifications

Matt Shanahan

527. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 195 of 7 February 2024, what criteria is actually examined and referenced with respect to this individual case; the depth of analysis that was entered into in terms of examining this claim; if previous employers and employment situations were examined to see how they correspond with known criteria referenced; if the public school system in the UAE is recognised as a corresponding platform to the Irish school system; if it not, when and how was such analysis made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12946/24]

Teaching Qualifications

Matt Shanahan

528. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 195 of 7 February 2024, given the apparent lack of recognition to experience increments raised in in relation to teaching work undertaken in private school settings in the UAE, if and how this policy is communicated to Irish persons who may take up temporary residence and work in this country in the private school sector and may be at economic disadvantage if returning to an educational teaching post in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12947/24]

Sports Events

Matt Shanahan

557. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the status of a submission and if she supports a proposed initiative by an organisation (details supplied); if so, when an official statement will be made confirming the €15 million in support funding, as requested; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12300/24]

National Planning Framework

Matt Shanahan

584. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage within the pending review of national planning framework, if he has considered the impact of present required density guidelines and how, in a city such as Waterford, they are proving to be a disincentive to the provision of public and private housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11651/24]