Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 21 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Joan Burton — the substantial debt of up to €40 million owed by the Department of Education and Science to Fingal County Council in respect of school sites acquired on the Department's behalf; (2) Deputy Denis Naughten — the plans for the provision of acute medical and surgical services for the people of Roscommon, Galway, Westmeath, Longford, Leitrim and Offaly; (3) Deputy Frank Feighan — to ask the Minister for Education and Science whether Ballinamore school will be included in the next batch of schools going to design stage, when it is envisaged this announcement will be made and whether the Minister will make a statement on the up-to-date progress of Ballinamore school; (4) Deputy Thomas McEllistrim — the need for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to establish a special squad in the Garda force to deal with anti-social behaviour and public disorder and to introduce this squad on a pilot basis in Tralee town; (5) Deputy Joanna Tuffy — the need to act upon the findings and recommendations regarding contaminated water in counties Cavan and Monaghan; (6) Deputy Thomas P. Broughan — the need to establish a task force to investigate the continuing pyrites infill problem; (7) Deputy Charles Flanagan — to raise with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the consequences for the criminal justice system of the complete failure of our laws on bail, notwithstanding legislative change and a national referendum a decade ago, the fact that crimes being committed by persons on bail have risen by 60% in the past four years — the number was 15,500 in 2004, 18,500 in 2005, 22,750 in 2006 and 24,200 in 2007 — and having regard to the fact that specific sections of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 designed to address shortcomings are clearly not working, resulting in many known criminals continuing to engage in serious criminal activity while on bail and thus undermining the criminal justice system in the State; and (8) Deputy Ciarán Cuffe — the difficulties faced by private bus companies in obtaining bus licences.

The matters raised by Deputies Denis Naughten, Ciarán Cuffe, Joanna Tuffy and Thomas P. Broughan have been selected for discussion.