Questions asked 14 total

• Education 3 questions

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she is considering allowing families relying on the Covid-19 payment to access free school transport for the academic year 2020/2021 in view of the fact that the current payment regime is causing great difficulty for many families particularly in rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25235/20]
  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she will immediately put in place an appeals process for those persons whose teacher predicated grades were downgraded by her Department and which resulted in them losing out on first choice college places; if her attention has been drawn to the huge anger and disappointment felt by many students and their families in relation to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24724/20]
  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the financial burden being placed on rural families by the cost of school transport; her plans to reduce school transport fees; her views on low income families paying €650 per year for school transport; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that many rural communities agreed to school amalgamations on receiving assurances that their children would receive free school transport to a centralised school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25231/20]
• Health 3 questions

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if his Department has carried out quantitative health risk assessments on the use of face masks; if so, if the results of those assessments are available to the public; if he has sought advice on the wearing of face coverings outside of the advice issued by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24728/20]
  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the reason qualified PHECC registered advanced paramedics are not being recruited into the National Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24872/20]
  • 2020-09-23 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that primary care centres built under a public private partnership arrangement cannot be structurally altered without a formal approval by the PPP company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25710/20]
• Agriculture 3 questions

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made in recent months to resolve the delays in issuing felling licences; the extra resources and investment put in place to deliver the necessary changes; the reason for the delay in getting felling licences; the objectives in terms of processing times in the coming months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24721/20]
  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the spread of ash dieback disease here; the measures being taken to combat the disease; his plans for awareness campaigns in relation to the disease; the funding that has been provided for third-level institutions or researchers in relation to the disease; and the assessments that have been done in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25232/20]
  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for the introduction of a new early retirement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25237/20]
• Social 2 questions

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for Jobpath, the administration of the scheme and the contract with the company (details supplied) which was due to finish in 2019 and was extended due to Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24757/20]
  • 2020-09-23 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to immediately reinstate the full rate per week of the employment wage subsidy scheme and pandemic unemployment payment payments to those persons employed in the events and entertainment industry until they are allowed to return to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25711/20]
• Climate 1 question

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Climate Action and Communication Networks the steps he is taking to speed up the process of applications for the warmer homes scheme; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that homeowners in County Galway that are in receipt of fuel allowance and that applied for the scheme in October 2019 were informed in September 2020 that it will take two years before a surveyor is appointed; his plans to allocate resources to clear the backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24740/20]
• Further and Higher Education 1 question

  • 2020-09-22 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on the difficulties facing medical students here which is creating a situation whereby doctors that achieved their education through graduate entry programmes are defaulting on student loans due to the high education costs they face here which incentivises them to work abroad; his views on the introduction of a HSE style bursary for clinical years three and four; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25236/20]
• Media 1 question

  • 2020-09-23 Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht her plans to appoint a nominee from the commercial live events sector onto the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25712/20]