Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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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 Paul Connaughton — the proposed cessation of turf cutting on raised bogs; (2) Deputy Fergus O'Dowd — the possible loss of more than 100 jobs at the IFF factory, Drogheda, County Louth; (3) Deputy John Cregan — medical cover at the rehabilitation unit of St. Ita's community hospital, Newcastle West, County Limerick; (4) Deputy James Reilly — the need for remedial safety works to be undertaken at Ward Cross, County Dublin; (5) Deputy Michael McGrath — that the HSE implement the new "Fair Deal" nursing home support scheme as soon as possible; (6) Deputy Ciarán Cuffe — to discuss the importance of the Road Safety Authority improving road safety for cyclists by running a public information campaign educating motorists and HGV drivers on the need to give adequate space to cyclists, particularly child cyclists; (7) Deputy Chris Andrews — as Georgian Dublin is of huge cultural significance to the city and deserves to be protected and promoted as an integral and beautiful part of Ireland's history, to this end the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should seek to ensure that it is designated a UNESCO heritage site; (8) Deputy Joan Burton — the closure of the Phoenix Park gate at Castleknock for two months; (9) Deputy Ulick Burke — the urgent need for the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to provide professional dental support services to a pupil who suffered a serious accident while attending school, requiring ongoing professional orthodontic treatment for which no agency has taken responsibility and which has been appealed to his Department on the expectation that costs involved would be recovered; (10) Deputy Brian O'Shea — the need to appoint additional dermatologists in the south-east region, HSE south; (11) Deputy John O'Mahony — the urgent need to address the long waiting times to process jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit in Ballinrobe — 14 weeks, Claremorris — 15 weeks, and Swinford — seven weeks; (12) Deputy Joe McHugh — the need for Government to pressurise Irish banks to provide stocking loans to Irish farmers; the cattle trade has collapsed this year because farmers with long records of not defaulting on agricultural credit are being refused stocking loans and credit extensions from banks; the establishment of the National Assets Management Agency provides the Government with an opportunity to pressurise banks to provide stocking loans to farmers; (13) to ask the Minister with responsibility for community development projects in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to outline in detail his plans to restructure community development projects across the country, to say what cost savings he anticipates making from this plan and to guarantee that communities currently benefiting from locally run CDPs will continue to get this service provision; (14) Deputy Tom Hayes — in light of the serious financial situation facing farmers across the country, calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to outline what measures he is taking to assist cereal, beef and dairy farmers who are experiencing huge drops in income and finding it very difficult to survive; (15) Deputy Ciarán Lynch — to ask the Minister for Health and Children when a child (details supplied) in urgent need of brain surgery can expect to receive treatment and the reason for the delay, and if she will make a statement on the matter; and (16) Deputy Tom Sheahan -the erection of a telecommunications mast in Annascaul, County Kerry.

The matters raised by Deputies O'Dowd, Cregan, O'Shea and Sheahan have been selected for discussion.