Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

White Paper on Energy

Shane Ross

224. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he will publish the energy policy White Paper; if it deals with micro-generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44487/15]

Schools Building Projects Status

Shane Ross

164. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the new post-primary schools proposed for the Stepaside and Kilternan areas in Dublin 18, including their locations; if they will both be open from their scheduled date in September 2016 at these locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44289/15]

Value for Money Reviews

Shane Ross

210. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if any of the recommendations outlined in the 2015 value for money and policy review of the Arts Council have been implemented to date; if not, the timeline for such implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44364/15]

Autism Support Services

Shane Ross

476. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Nos. 229 of 4 November 2015 and 162 of 18 November 2015, if she will acknowledge a chronic lack of special classes for students with autism in mainstream secondary schools, and the reason for her policy of allowing schools to undertake such classes subject to their own willingness. [43558/15]

Health and Social Care Professionals Regulation

Shane Ross

208. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health if he will introduce regulations for the counselling and psychotherapy sector, as supported by the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, given that this was promised by the middle of 2015; the reason for the delay; if the absence of clear regulations has resulted in confusion for the general public; if regulations are required to safeguard the most vulnerable in society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43376/15]

Garda Operations

Shane Ross

337. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of arrests made by An Garda Síochána in each Dublin station under Operation Thor since its start date, in tabular form, and the number of arrests nationally under this operation. [42825/15]

Defence Forces Properties

Shane Ross

288. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 356 of 20 October 2015 and 135 of 5 November 2015 and given his statement that St. Bricin's military hospital will continue to offer medical services to members of the Defence Forces for the foreseeable future, if he will encourage the military authorities to investigate and identify medical services in the hospital which could be integrated or shared with local hospitals and hospital groups; if he is prepared to operate St. Bricin's as a joint Department of Defence, Department of Health and Health Service Executive facility, now or in the future, if funding became available to assist with infrastructure works, similar to the United Kingdom armed forces, who operate military wards integrated into National Health Service trusts; his plans to allow the Health Service Executive to invest in and utilise the defunct wards in St. Bricin's to assist in alleviating the national accident and emergency crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41259/15]

Health Care Professionals

Shane Ross

175. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce regulations to protect the professional names of physical therapy and physiotherapy for medically qualified physiotherapists, thus bringing Ireland into line with the international professional body for physiotherapists and the world confederation for physical therapy; why this has not been done to date; his views that the failure to clearly regulate the use of such terms confuses the general public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40974/15]

Corporation Tax Regime

Shane Ross

3. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Finance the reason for the spike in corporation tax receipts and the over-performance of €800 million from this source of revenue; if the increase comes from the multinational sector; if he will provide a breakdown of the increase into one-off factors, early payments and delayed rebates and repayments; the timing factors that were involved; the proportion of the increase that was due to improved trading factors; if a single multinational re-booking profits to its Irish division was a significant factor in the unexpected rise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40399/15]

Mortgage Interest Rates

Shane Ross

5. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Finance to set out the progress he has made in his efforts to force Bank of Ireland to reduce its variable rate mortgages; to state the banks that have reduced variable rates; if Bank of Ireland, in particular, has refused to reduce its variable rates; if, as a shareholder in the Bank of Ireland, he will be able to persuade it to bring back its variable rates to competitive levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40400/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Shane Ross

162. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Question No. 229 of 4 November 2015, her views that, 194 post primary level autistic spectrum disorder-specific special classes in total for the entire country indicates a chronic lack of places for autism students in mainstream secondary schools; her further views that her Department's policy allowing schools to undertake such classes subject to their own willingness is failing; if she will consider directing schools to set up autistic spectrum disorder specific special classes within all secondary schools, as required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40862/15]

VAT Rate Reductions

Shane Ross

219. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Finance his plans to amend the current rate of 13.5% value added tax charged on the carbon tax, which is effectively tantamount to a tax on a tax: his views that this is fair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40705/15]

Nursing Staff Remuneration

Shane Ross

405. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health his plans to reverse the cuts to the hourly rate of pay for nursing and midwife interns, and to implement a minimum wage hourly rate; his views that further steps need to be made to encourage and support nursing and midwifery graduates to stay here upon completion of their training; that treatment as interns is linked to the current shortage of nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40337/15]

Disability Support Services Provision

Shane Ross

131. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the process undertaken by the National Disability Authority for the provision of the employer helpline service, as recommended by the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities; when this helpline service will be operational; the organisation that will be responsible for its provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39901/15]

Enterprise Support Services Provision

Shane Ross

120. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs that have been created to date as a result of the Irish Design 2015 campaign; the costs associated with the campaign to date; if he will outline what, if any, tendering process was in place for contracts granted for Irish Design 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38843/15]

Hospital Services

Shane Ross

135. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 356 of 20 October 2015, when exactly, and by whom, the decision was made to downgrade St. Bricin's Military Hospital to a military medical facility; if this decision was communicated to the Defence Forces representative associations and to the Houses of the Oireachtas; the reason St. Bricin's is listed as the Defence Forces logistics base hospital in all relevant Defence Forces regulations, administrative instructions and orders, if that is no longer the case; given that St. Bricin's continues to offer a number of services comparable to those offered in the Health Service Executive's county and regional hospitals, including radiology, day surgery, lying-in nursing services, consultant clinics and a laboratory service, none of which are offered in the other military medical facilities, the reason for the decision to downgrade the hospital; the Defence Forces' current infrastructure priorities; his views on whether the Defence Forces medical facilities have been given adequate priority in this Government's term of office; if he will commit to advancing the project to replace St. Bricin's immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38847/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Shane Ross

166. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will explain the recent decision by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to impose effective cuts of €50 per week to the fostering aftercare allowance, with an apparent lack of regard for the impact this cut will have on those in aftercare, and on the families trying to support them; if viability studies were undertaken to determine the impact this cut will have on those in continued education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38848/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Shane Ross

229. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the the chronic lack of places for students within the autistic spectrum disorder in special classes attached to mainstream secondary schools contrary to section 2 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; if she will consider directing schools to set up autism spectrum disorder-specific special classes within all secondary schools, as required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38656/15]

Water Fluoridation

Shane Ross

760. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health if he has concerns regarding the methodology undertaken by the Health Research Board earlier in 2015, when reviewing the effects of the fluoridation of water, particularly the board's failure to assess the cumulative exposure for the population to fluoride consumption from not only water fluoridation, but also from the consumption of food, beverage, and medicines, or from occupational exposure to fluoride; his plans to review this policy again, given our unique position in Europe as the only State with nationwide mandatory water fluoridation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37889/15]

Defence Forces Properties

Shane Ross

356. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Defence his plans to close Saint Bricin's Military Hospital in Dublin 7; if so, the timeframe for the closure; in the event of closure, if the Government is committed to building a purpose-built military hospital in another location; if it is not to close, if the Government will ensure that it is included in the upcoming legislation from the Department of Health covering local hospital groups, thus ensuring that the clinical governance and services available there meet agreed national best practice; if he will commit to ensuring that adequate investment in the hospital is made to bring it up to acceptable national standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35954/15]