Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of questions for the Taoiseach on proposed legislative measures. As he is aware, the Church of Ireland in particular is very concerned about the threat to its schools, given the Government's policy on small rural schools generally. Given that about 50% of all Protestant primary schools have fewer than 56 pupils there is huge concern in terms of the capacity of members of the Church of Ireland to have education through their faith and have members of the Church of Ireland educated in Protestant schools. Will the Taoiseach indicate when the education Bill will be brought forward and if it can take into account the genuine concerns of minority faiths in regard to the impact the Government's policies will have on small rural schools?

Will the Taoiseach indicate when the Eirgrid Bill is to be published? This is the Bill to establish Eirgrid in primary legislation. It currently depends on statutory instrument.

Yesterday, I asked the Taoiseach about a number of pieces of legislation on health that were committed to under the programme for Government. I gave those to the Tánaiste last week but he did not have a clue about them, and I do not mean that in a disparaging way. It was as if the commitments in the programme for Government belonged to a different planet that the Tánaiste inhabited in terms of the way he responded. I asked the Taoiseach the same questions yesterday and I got the same reply; it is as if I was introducing something completely new. What I am asking about is in the programme for Government.

In the bioethics area I asked when we will legislate to regulate stem cell research, and when the legislation on assisted human production will be published. I asked when the integrated care agency will be established. I asked also when the hospital insurance fund will be established. I asked when the legislation for the patient safety authority will be published.

In regard to the care of older people in communities, I asked when more residential places, more home care packages and the delivery of more home help and professional community care services will happen because that is in the programme for Government. I asked also when we can expect the legislation on the review of the fair deal system of financing nursing homes. I asked the Taoiseach, in regard to the new GP contract, which will be central to the universal primary care advance in the programme for Government, if negotiations have begun and when we can expect a new GP contract regarding the primary care proposals the Government has put forward. Finally, when can we expect access to primary care without fees to claimants of free drugs under the high tech drugs scheme?

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