Griffin, Brendan

Order of Business (Continued)

I want to ask about promised legislation. Also-----

With regard to the ordering of business, there has been a very important reform proposed for Oral Questions that would allow only Members who are present to have their questions answered. That des...

Many hundreds of convictions are costing the State huge amounts owing to free legal aid. Will the Bill actually provide for a means of recouping the moneys from the people concerned or a way of el...

Tax Code

Asked the Minister for Finance: if he will divert a percentage of any taxes raised through consumption taxes on tobacco or high sugar or fat products towards an oral healthcare programme; and if he will make a statement on the ma...

Excise Duties Yield

Asked the Minister for Finance: the extra revenue that was generated by the €1 levy on wine in Budget 2013; if he would provide in tabular form the 2010, 2011, 2012 and most recent 2013 figures for wine sales and the related Stat...

European Stability Mechanism

Asked the Minister for Finance: the efforts to date to separate legacy banking and sovereign debt; the efforts he will make in the future; if he is confident of a positive deal for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the ...

Banking Sector Issues

Asked the Minister for Finance: if his attention has been drawn to AIB's practice of not allowing customers to transfer their tracker mortgages when moving homes; if he will meet with the chief executive of AIB to discuss same; a...

Tobacco Smuggling

Asked the Minister for Finance: the amount allocated annually towards reducing the illicit tobacco trade, counterfeit and illegal; the amount the State estimates is lost in tax revenue because of this trade; and if he will make a...

School Holidays Issues

Asked the Minister for Education and Skills: his views on whether the return of schools in the last week in August is damaging to the domestic tourism industry, in view of the fact that the last week in August was traditionally a busy week fo...

Teaching Contracts

Asked the Minister for Education and Skills: if he has considered this Deputy's proposals from the meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection of July 2013 on disincentivising the practice of retired and pensioned teache...

Third Level Fees

Asked the Minister for Education and Skills: if he has considered alternative models of student contribution towards higher level course provision; if he is concerned that access to higher level is still a major issue for many young persons; ...

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Asked the Minister for Education and Skills: if he will include illness benefit as an eligible payment for the special rate of maintenance grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Dental Services Provision

Asked the Minister for Social Protection: if she will reinstate preventive and restorative care under the dental treatment benefit scheme for PRSI payers and introduce a new voucher system for eligible patients; and if she will make a stat...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will reinstate preventive and restorative care under the dental treatment services scheme for medical card holders and introduce a new voucher system for eligible patients; and if he will mak...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will introduce financial incentives to dentists similar to those provided to other healthcare professionals, and address the cost of doing business here; and if he will make a statement on th...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will explore with the Irish Dental Association the potential participation of dentists in health promotion and chronic disease management; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Departmental Schemes

Asked the Minister for Social Protection: the number of teaching posts and other educational positions that will be filled in the 2013/14 academic year through the JobBridge programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility

Asked the Minister for Social Protection: if there is any additional financial support available to a person who received a bereavement grant to assist them with the costs of a headstone; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Invasive Species

Asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: if EU funding is available to Ireland to help tackle the problem of the invasive species known as Japanese knotweed; if so, if he will apply for same; his views regarding the potential cost to the ...

Wildlife Protection

Asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: the cost to the State per mink culled through State schemes in recent years; his plans to increase the number of mink culled; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: if he will indicate the number received by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2013 relating to corncrakes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Telecommunications Services Provision

Asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: if lo-call and local numbers could be displayed for all Departments and local authorities to provide persons with an option to choose the most economical telephone number based on their current tel...

Digital Television Service Provision

Asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: if he will confirm that when TV signals turned digital, persons were told the existing infrastructure and antenna would improve the bouncing around of phone and broadband signals, if so, if this ha...

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: if the increased use of smart phones and other such devices is placing additional pressures on mobile communications infrastructure and could this be contributing to poorer network coverage in some...

Health and Safety Issues

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: if he has any concerns regarding health implications of smart meters; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Motor Tax Collection

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: if he will introduce a system of one month short-term motor taxation for emigrants who return here for short periods and drive their own cars that were parked up in their garages while they were go...

Water and Sewerage Schemes Status

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: the position regarding the provision of an extension to a sewerage scheme at a location (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: if a group sewerage scheme in County Kerry (details supplied) will be included in any future round of funding, in view of its strategic importance and the long time that it has been campaigned; and...

Motor Tax Exemptions

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: his views on a matter relating to declarations regarding restoration projects of cars off the road (details supplied) on the motortax.ie website; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Architectural Qualifications

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: if the position of the Architects Alliance will be implemented in the context of the architects register review; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: if he will introduce a Statutory Instrument similar to SI 341 of 2012 to have a course in educational institutes (details supplied) recognised as a prescribed course and bodies under the Building C...

Road Safety Strategy

Asked the Minister for Justice and Equality: if he will consider the installation of point to point speed cameras for sections of road with particular problems with speeding motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Garda Vetting of Personnel

Asked the Minister for Justice and Equality: his plans to introduce a Certificate of Universal Garda Clearence in view of the delays currently being encountered by persons applying for Garda clearence in respect of individual organisations; a...

Electronic Tagging

Asked the Minister for Justice and Equality: the position regarding the post-release electronic tagging of sex offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Daylight Savings

Asked the Minister for Justice and Equality: if he will consider not putting the clocks back this October; if his attention has been drawn to the many benefits that would accrue from such a move, such as longer evenings for winter tourists, m...

Forestry Sector

Asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine: if a decision has been made on a forestry application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Salmon Hardship Scheme Issues

Asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine: his plans to replace jobs in communities that depended heavily on drift net salmon fishing; the amount that been spent to date in these communities to find replacement industries; the number of tha...

Agriculture Schemes Payments

Asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine: if area aid is being claimed or has ever been claimed in respect of land (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine: his views on whether a fraudulent claim for area aid may have been made in respect of land (details supplied) in County Kerry up to 1 April 2012; the action he will take to investigate whether his ...

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Eligibility

Asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine: if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will qualify for the disadvantaged area scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Child Protection Issues

Asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs: her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding child welfare and protection services; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Health Services Staff Issues

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will reinstate sufficient number of staff in all Health Service Executive areas to ensure patients of the HSE's public dental service and orthodontic service have access to equitable services...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will engage with the Irish Dental Association on the reconfiguration of the Health Service Executive's Public Dental Service and Orthodontic Service to ensure any changes fully reflect the be...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will introduce a national oral health policy, which provides equitable access to a range of treatments required to achieve and maintain optimal oral health for all citizens; and if he will ma...

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will reinstate the Health Service Executive vocational training scheme in dentistry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Health Services Staff Recruitment

Asked the Minister for Health: if he will appoint a full-time Chief Dental Officer to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Medical Card Applications

Asked the Minister for Health: if a medical card will be reinstated in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Hospital Facilities

Asked the Minister for Health: if signage for a clinic (details supplied) at Kerry General Hospital will be erected to help avoid patients from having to ask for directions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Medical Card Eligibility

Asked the Minister for Health: if a medical card will be reinstated in respect of a person (details supplied) in Co. Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Driving Licence Issues

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: the position regarding negotiations with provincial Canadian authorities to make it easier for Irish citizens living abroad to have their driving licences recognised; and if he will make a statemen...

Sporting Events

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: if he will provide an update on efforts to bring the Rugby World Cup to Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Road Projects Issues

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: how improved road access to Kerry from Limerick via Adare and from Cork via Macroom can be progressed as quickly as possible; the plans to improve these two access corridors; and if he will make a ...

Road Safety Issues

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: if he will call in the National Speed Limit Review Group with a view to progressing changes to speed limits on roads around the country; if he appreciates that there are extremely dangerous situati...

Road Improvement Schemes

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: if he will bring the case of Listry Bridge, on the R563, Killarney to Dingle Road, County Kerry, to the attention of the Road Safety Authority in view of concerns expressed (details supplied) about...

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: when a section of roadway (details supplied) in County Kerry will be resurfaced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Vehicle Test Centres

Asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport: if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is currently no commercial vehicle testing centre in South Kerry; that owners of commercial vehicles in South Kerry have to travel up to two a...