Meath West — week of Mon, 30 Nov — Watch Them Work

What your Meath West TDs did this week

Mon, 30 Nov – 6 Dec 2020 · 3 TDs · 3 bills voted on · 56 questions · 0 new lobbying filings

Votes this week

Finance Bill 2020

2020-12-02 · 4 votes · Govt (Finance)

A bill to provide for the imposition, repeal, remission, alteration and regulation of taxation, of stamp duties and of duties relating to excise and otherwise to make further pr…

full description

A bill to provide for the imposition, repeal, remission, alteration and regulation of taxation, of stamp duties and of duties relating to excise and otherwise to make further provision in connection with finance including the regulation of customs; to amend Part 7 of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 and otherwise make provision for supports to certain sectors of the economy; and to provide for related matters.

An amendment to the bill · motion failed 52–80

Voted for 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Voted against 1 Damien English

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

An amendment to the bill · motion failed 50–71

Voted for 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

An amendment to the bill · motion failed 51–77

Voted for 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

The motion · motion passed 80–49

Voted against 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

State Pension Age

2020-12-02 · 1 vote

An amendment to the bill · motion passed 86–66

Voted for 1 Damien English

Voted against 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

Pay for Student Nurses and Midwives

2020-12-02 · 2 votes

Amendment again put: · motion passed 79–72

Voted for 1 Damien English

Voted against 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

The motion · motion passed 79–72

Voted for 1 Damien English

Voted against 2 Johnny Guirke · Peadar Tóibín

Did not vote 1 Aisling Dempsey

Aisling Dempsey — Fianna Fáil 0 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Quiet week — no questions filed or new lobbying returns.

Johnny Guirke — Sinn Féin 7 votes · 6 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 6 total

Enterprise 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of new investment arising from IDA-sponsored enterprises in County Westmeath in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39635/20]
Environment 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when he plans to enact the Private Members' motion passed in November 2016 by the previous Government regarding the future of the post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39638/20]
Education 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Education the reason teachers who are 28 weeks plus pregnant are being denied Covid-19 based health and safety leave by Medmark occupational health care for teachers on HSE advice despite the recommendations of their doctors, and the relevant medical bodies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39634/20]
Justice 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Justice when the recommendations of the report of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on the reform of the family law system, published 25 October 2019, will be considered and-or implemented; the timescale for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39637/20]
Health 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors and nurses, respectively, employed in Navan and Mullingar regional hospitals in January 2020 pre Covid and in September and October 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39633/20]
Children 1 question
- 2020-12-03 Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children formally taken into care to date in 2020, compared to 2019 in total; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40789/20]

Peadar Tóibín — Aontú 7 votes · 50 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 50 total

Health 11 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions on which babies have survived abortions here and have been born alive (details supplied); the number of occasions on which doctors have requested palliative care in relation to same; and if it will be ensured that palliative care will be provided to babies who have survived abortions and been born alive in each case in the future. [39531/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the steps he has taken by to address the gap in clinical genetic services at the National Maternity Hospital in the period between receipt of a protected disclosure (details supplied) and the mistaken abortion at the hospital; and when the necessary clinical genetic services will be put in place. [39532/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of abortions performed after 12 weeks here in which pain relief is being given and not given to the child, respectively. [39533/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the research being carried out by his Department on the trauma, stress and psychological distress on doctors and nurses of delivering early-term and late-term abortions in Ireland (details supplied). [39534/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce changes to abortion procedures here to provide for pain relief in late-term abortions, medical treatment for abortion survivors and palliative care for abortion survivors; and if he will seek to make the procedure somewhat humane. [39535/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the body that will be carrying out the inquiry into the use of the epilepsy drug sodium valproate; and if he will provide the terms of reference for that enquiry [39836/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of miscarriages recorded in Ireland in each of the years 2015 to 2019; and if the number or rate of miscarriages is an outlier in terms of other EU or European countries. [40191/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if an investigation into the number of miscarriages in Ireland has taken place; if these investigations have taken place on a purely case by case basis; and if a review of underlying factors across a number of cases has taken place. [40192/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if responses, policies or initiatives have been implemented by his Department to reduce the number of miscarriages by Irish women; if so, the details of same; and the success of same. [40193/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the actions taken to investigate the death of a person (details supplied) by his Department or the organisations that report to his Department. [40374/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 25 November 2020, if all 100 of the ministerial notifications received by his Department of terminations carried out here under section 11 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 in the year 2019 contained signatures from two medics as required by the Act (details supplied). [40422/20]
Finance 8 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the measures being considered to broaden Ireland's tax base beyond over-reliance on income tax revenues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40195/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the size of Ireland's national debt; and the annual repayment and servicing of the debt costs. [40196/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance when he expect Ireland's national debt to be reduced by at least 50%. [40197/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the cost to the Exchequer of the VAT exemption on white and cylindrical candles per annum. [40198/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the research he has undertaken as to the effect on the Irish banking market by the proposed exit of a bank (details supplied) from the Irish market; the effect this will have on retail interests rates, customer access to physical banking facilities, the likelihood of banks to lend and so on. [40237/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the steps he has taken to tackle the damage that will be created by the increased concentration of the banking market with the leaving of a bank (details supplied) from the Irish market. [40238/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the plans he has to create competition within the Irish market, given the proposed exit of a bank (details supplied) from the Irish market; and if will he undertake the development of a public banking system to increase competition. [40239/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Finance the research his Department is undertaking on the level of sales of property by receivers that are the subject of impaired loans; the analysis that is being carried out by his Department on whether receivers are fulfilling their duties to borrowers in terms of achieving the best price for their properties; and if the research and analysis will be made available. [40259/20]
Children 7 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps his Department has taken to tackle the problem of cockroaches in a direct provision centre (details supplied). [39818/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to an instance in which an asylum seeker is reportedly sleeping at the gates of a centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39819/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to a cockroach and mice infestation in a centre (details supplied); the engagement he has had with the management of the centre on this topic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39820/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons that died while residing in direct provision for each of the past five years; and the breakdown by cause of death, age, nationality and geographical location. [39821/20]
- 2020-12-02 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to open additional direct provision centres here; and if so, the details of the geographical location of such centres. [40737/20]
- 2020-12-03 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to open additional direct provision centres in the country; and the planned geographical location of such centres. [40885/20]
- 2020-12-03 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department is planning to open accommodation for asylum seekers in Letterkenny, County Donegal; the number of asylum seekers the centre will accommodate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40887/20]
Justice 7 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State in each of the past 20 years. [39877/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State to persons on the grounds that they were born in Ireland in each of the years between 2000 and 2010. [39878/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State to children in each of the years between 2000 and 2010. [39879/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of notifications regarding early releases or temporary releases made each year; and the proportion of these notifications to the total number of early releases or temporary releases. [40200/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of victims of crime that have registered with the victim liaison service for updates on offenders; and the proportion of these victims to the total number of eligible victims to register for the service. [40201/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of those offenders released temporarily or released early that go on to repeat offend; and the number of these repeat offences that involve prior victims of their crime. [40202/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if repeat offences have been linked to failure to adequately notify prior victims of the offenders; and if so, the number. [40203/20]
Education 5 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the monitoring and analysis she is undertaking to examine the quality of education leaving certificate 2020 students are receiving; and if it has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. [40075/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education her plans to increase the number of Gaelscoileanna to meet the demand around the country. [40076/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the reason some special needs assistants are not performing catheterisation at some schools as per circular 30/2014 being supported by their union and contrary to the Department of Health, which says the procedure does not need to be carried out by trained medical personnel (details supplied); the provisions in place in schools in which SNAs are not currently performing the procedure in circumstances in which a legal basis exists for them to do so as per the circular and a Labour Court ruling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40376/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the circular under which special needs assistants can insist on a two-to-one ratio of two SNAs per one child to assist with toileting in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40377/20]
- 2020-12-02 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education her Department's strategy to ensuring there are enough secondary school places in the rapidly expanding town of Trim, County Meath; the plans in place to extend existing secondary schools and to build new schools in the town; the time frame for proposed plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40546/20]
Housing 3 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress on the investigation his Department is conducting into the rise in deaths among homeless persons in Dublin in 2020 (details supplied). [40276/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing a system whereby the number of homeless deaths in each county are documented and published monthly given that statistics on deaths are currently only available for Dublin. [40277/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the practice whereby homeless persons who seek assistance in Dublin are being told to return to their home counties and seek help there, resulting in many sleeping on the streets due the travel restrictions during Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40278/20]
Tourism 2 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason the circus sector has been excluded from the Covid restrictions support scheme despite the statement she made that the sector may qualify for same (details supplied); the grant scheme for which the circus sector is eligible; if none, if a financial support package will be put in place for the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39927/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason she has stated that the circus sector may qualify for the Covid restrictions support scheme when the eligibility criteria for the scheme expressly exclude the circus sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39921/20]
Defence 2 questions
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of annual operations by the Defence Forces; the percentage that are day patrols and so on; and the level of personnel and resources needed for each operation. [40189/20]
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the obstacle to the implementation of the technical pay agreement agreed over a year ago with the Defence Forces. [40190/20]
Social 2 questions
- 2020-12-03 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment. [40081/20]
- 2020-12-03 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of the funding issued through the restart grant plus scheme which has been sought back; and if there have been other instances in which her Department has retrospectively sought the return of funding issued through various grant schemes. [40080/20]
Enterprise 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applicants for the restart grant plus who pay commercial rates in shared commercial spaces and who had their application approved but who were later informed by their local authority that there had been a misinterpretation of qualifying criteria and who had their offer rescinded; the number of applicants who had their application approved, received payment and were then informed the grant had to be paid back afterwards due to the same circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39687/20]
Environment 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has undertaken any research or investigation into the alleged use of fake social media accounts or robots by political parties in Ireland; if so, the findings of such investigations and research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40317/20]
Further and Higher Education 1 question
- 2020-12-01 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if additional details will be provided on the Revised Estimates for his Department (details supplied); and the areas in which the remainder is being spent. [40491/20]