Longford-Westmeath — week of Mon, 25 Sept — Watch Them Work

What your Longford-Westmeath TDs did this week

Mon, 25 Sept – 1 Oct 2023 · 5 TDs · 8 bills voted on · 53 questions · 2 new lobbying filings

Votes this week

Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages

2023-09-27 · 1 vote

An amendment to the bill · motion failed 49–70

Voted against 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023

2023-09-27 · 1 vote · Govt (Health)

A bill to prohibit persons from engaging in certain conduct in safe access zones, that is to say, in certain areas in and adjacent to certain healthcare premises

full description

A bill to prohibit persons from engaging in certain conduct in safe access zones, that is to say, in certain areas in and adjacent to certain healthcare premises; to make provision for enforcement in respect of engaging in conduct prohibited in such safe access zones, and to provide for offences in relation to such prohibited conduct; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Whether the bill should proceed (Second Stage) · motion passed 111–10

Voted for 1 Joe Flaherty

Did not vote 5 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Robert Troy · Sorca Clarke

Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Referral to Select Committee

2023-09-27 · 1 vote

The motion · motion passed 113–10

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

Mortgage Interest Relief

2023-09-27 · 2 votes

An amendment to the bill · motion passed 70–55

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

The motion · motion passed 69–55

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

Affordable Housing

2023-09-27 · 1 vote

An amendment to the bill · motion passed 68–53

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

Reversal of Planned Fuel Price Increases

2023-09-27 · 2 votes

An amendment to the bill · motion passed 68–54

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

The motion · motion passed 68–53

Voted for 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

Eviction Ban Bill 2022

2023-09-27 · 1 vote · People Before Profit-Solidarity PMB

A bill to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to ban evictions for the duration of the current housing emergency

The motion · motion failed 52–69

Voted against 2 Joe Flaherty · Robert Troy

Did not vote 4 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy · Peter Burke · Sorca Clarke

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

2023-09-26 · 1 vote

The motion · motion passed 73–52

Voted for 3 Joe Flaherty · Peter Burke · Robert Troy

Voted against 1 Sorca Clarke

Did not vote 2 Kevin Boxer Moran · Micheál Carrigy

Kevin Boxer Moran — Independent 0 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Quiet week — no questions filed or new lobbying returns.

Micheál Carrigy — Fine Gael 0 votes · 0 questions · 1 new lobbying return

New lobbying 1 return

Men's Development Network CLG Justice and Equality
- Task Force on Safe Participation in Political Life

Peter Burke — Fine Gael 1 vote · 16 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 16 total

Education 12 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education when the ICT will grant be paid to primary schools for 2023/2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41432/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41625/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41626/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41627/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41628/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41629/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41630/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41631/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41632/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41633/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for a school pupil (details supplied). [41634/23]
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the status of school transport for two school pupils (details supplied). [41918/23]
Foreign 1 question
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the timescale for the processing of an application for inclusion on the foreign births register (details supplied). [40985/23]
Tourism 1 question
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when the review of the large-scale sport infrastructure fund will be completed; when the scheme will be open for new applications; what the budget for the scheme is for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41076/23]
Agriculture 1 question
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering a scheme whereby farmers and landowners would be compensated for safely felling ash trees that have been infected by hymenoscyphus fraxineus, leading to ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41050/23]
Children 1 question
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the case of adoptees, illegally adopted in the past, who are now being offered €3,000 in compensation, and not €4,000, as had been agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41312/23]

Robert Troy — Fianna Fáil 9 votes · 34 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 34 total

Finance 11 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify who in the State is responsible for assessing the performance of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman with respect to Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for consumer disputes (the ADR Directive). [41298/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he can clarify which Oireachtas Committee is responsible with respect to the workings of the FSPO and the protection of consumers who have purchased financial products in the State (details supplied). [41299/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify who is responsible for ensuring that the changes introduced by section 51(2) of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017, extending the statute of limitations beyond six years, are implemented in the manner anticipated by the Houses of the Oireachtas when making those changes; and who is charged with ensuring that the EU Community Principle of Effectiveness is being met by Ireland and that consumers are not precluded from rights granted to them under European law. [41300/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, FSPO, rejected or refused to investigate 2,296 consumer complaints in 2022, which represents 49% of complaints, i.e., complaints that did not go to investigation in any form; and if he is surprised at the level of rejections and refusals given, that it is also the responsibility of the FSPO to educate the consumer as to what complaints can be processed. [41301/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance of the 2,296 complaints rejected/refused by the FSPO, how many of these complainants were actually advised/directed to the FSPO in 2022, by the financial institution processing the complaint in question. [41302/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance the reason that the FSPO, when reporting under S.I. No. 343/2015, does not report the required, under EU law, statistic "(e) the average time taken to resolve disputes", and instead uses a fabricated statistic, "closed", which is a term not recognised or defined (details supplied). [41303/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if, given that the ADR Directive recommends that "A properly functioning ADR entity should conclude online and offline dispute resolution proceedings expeditiously within a timeframe of 90 calendar days…", and that the FSPO has the option to refuse complex cases or redirect them to the Courts, he is not surprised by this statistic of 934 days versus the EU-recommended 90 days. [41304/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will explain the term "closed", which is most commonly utilised by the FSPO when assessing its complaint handling performance, as it is not a term used or defined by the European Commission when assessing the performance of Alternative Dispute Resolution entities in Member States. [41305/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will explain how, when reporting to the EU for the year 2021, the FSPO reported that 4,279 complaints were "accepted for handling" with only 130 identified as "refused" or "rejected" against its own published "Overview of Complaints 2021", which showed that only 2,676 complaints were handled through investigation or mediation. [41306/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance the reason that the FSPO, when rejecting/refusing consumer complaints, makes no reference to relevant European Law, such as the Unfair Terms in consumer contracts Directive (UCTD) when raising opinions on its jurisdiction to investigate. [41307/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance if he will adjust the cap on pension contributions in Budget 2024 (details supplied). [41438/23]
Children 4 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, as part of Budget 2024, he will ensure that sufficient funding is in place for an organisation (details supplied) opening the remaining four beds in their respite facility and ensure that all beds are open 52 weeks in the year. [41319/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, as part of Budget 2024, he will ensure that sufficient funding is in place for MS to replicate the physio offering of CHO2 region across all CHO regions. [41320/23]
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will ensure that a child (details supplied) will have their speech and language/OT and psychology assessment carried out without delay. [41781/23]
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure in the context of budget 2024 that all 121 FRCs are brought up to the optimum level of €220,000 funding per annum, in recognition of their increased service provision and in acknowledgement of a raise in costs. [41816/23]
Transport 3 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport if he will ensure adequate road maintenance funding is in place in Budget 2024 to ensure the safety of roads for road users. [41323/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport if he will outline all of the current services linking Athlone with Tullamore, via Moate, following the withdrawal of a private service on this route earlier in the year. [41456/23]
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 82 of 20 September 2023, to provide the name of each attendee at the ten Ministerial Committee on Road meetings referenced in the reply – the names of officials and Ministers that were present. [41815/23]
Justice 3 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice if, given the recent ballot by the GRA, she will acknowledge that morale within An Garda Síochána is low; if she will consider using the mechanism of the Workplace Relations Commission to address issues between management and rank-and-file gardaí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41316/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice the number of serving gardaí as of 1 September 2023, in comparison to September 2021; how many retirements in that period; and how many recruitments. [41317/23]
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice if she has considered introducing a registration of wills; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41722/23]
Rural 3 questions
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the assessment of all CLÁR applications; and when she expects to announce the funding. [41998/23]
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the assessment of all town-and-village scheme applications; and when she expects to announce the funding. [41999/23]
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will approve a CLÁR application for four groups (details supplied). [42000/23]
Education 2 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that an application for additional accommodation by a school (details supplied) will be progressed without delay; and if she will provide an update as to the current status of same. [41322/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the recruitment of a NEPS psychologist to service schools in Westmeath; if she is aware that multiple schools in south Westmeath have been informed that they will not have access to a NEPS psychologist for the foreseeable future; and if she agrees that this will have a hugely adverse impact on the possible supports and educational progression of many students in the area. [41649/23]
Health 2 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure the automatic provision of medical cards to people with a spinal cord injury based on certified medical needs, rather than means (details supplied); and if he will extend the review cycle for medical card holders with a spinal cord injury to ten years. [41177/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an appointment for surgery for a child (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41406/23]
Housing 2 questions
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to engage with the National Association of Regional Game Council to explore how it can assist with the protection of wildlife. [41779/23]
- 2023-09-27 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider apportioning a percentage of the revenue generated from gun licence fees to NARGC with criteria based on wildlife protection enhancements given their nationwide coverage. [41780/23]
Environment 2 questions
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications why projects approved under the Just Transition Fund cannot qualify for an increase under building inflation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41853/23]
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when funding will be approved for the community climate action programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41852/23]
Social 1 question
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is an entitlement to PRSI benefits for an Hungarian national who is working part-time during the college term and full-time on holidays in order that his contribution record while here is kept up to date. [41409/23]
Foreign 1 question
- 2023-09-28 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs what action he plans to take in regard to the British government's legacy Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41869/23]

Sorca Clarke — Sinn Féin 1 vote · 2 questions · 1 new lobbying return

Questions asked 2 total

Housing 2 questions
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of contracts containing confidentiality clauses of non-disclosure agreements that Waterways Ireland have entered into in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 by county, in tabular form. [41534/23]
- 2023-09-26 Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of the current Board of Waterways Ireland, and where that information is publicly available for members of the public. [41535/23]

New lobbying 1 return

Men's Development Network CLG Justice and Equality
- Task Force on Safe Participation in Political Life