Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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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 27A and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Joe Carey - to ask the Minister for Health to allocate the necessary resources to reopen the five respite beds at Raheen Community Hospital, Tuamgraney, County Clare; (2) Deputy Patrick O'Donovan - the need for the HSE to re-examine the decision to close respite beds in St. Ita's Community Hospital, Newcastle West and St. Camillus's Hospital, Limerick; (3) Deputy Joe McHugh - the closure this autumn of the Irish Post newspaper, which has maintained a link between this island and its 19,000 Irish readers in Britain, and which has maintained links between the various Irish groups in Britain; (4) Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin - the need to address the delay in the employment of junior hospital doctors; (5) Deputy Robert Troy - to ask the Minister for Health to clearly outline his future proposals for the existing services at MRH Mullingar; (6) Deputy Michael McCarthy - ambulance service cover in the West Cork area, in particular the intention to reduce ambulance services in Skibbereen; (7) Deputy Michael Lowry - the decision to close 22 beds in the Community Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles and six beds in the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit, Roscrea; (8) Deputies Derek Keating, Jerry Buttimer - the payment of lump sums and pensions to public servants who will retire by end of February 2012; (9) Deputy Mattie McGrath - the scandalous behaviour of An Post with regard to the closure of Bansha Post Office; (10) Deputy Joanna Tuffy - the need to change the criteria for the eligibility for JobBridge; (11) Deputy Noel Coonan - the need for the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, to revisit the recruitment embargo which has caused the closure of 22 respite and rehab beds in the Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles and a further six beds in Dean Maxwell Home, Roscrea and to outline if he will review the decision with the aim to prevent the closure of these beds and any further loss of these crucial facilities bearing in mind the commitment to protect front line services; and make a statement in this regard; (12) Deputy Catherine Murphy - the notification by the HSE that they will not fund the operation of the only centre specialising in domestic violence in Kildare, Teach Tearmainn. The new purpose built centre was funded by the HSE and caters for the whole of County Kildare which is now the fourth most populated county with 209,000. There is a particularly young demographic. This decision comes at a time when refuges in Ireland generally are experiencing a huge increase in the demand for their services. To have a building that could provide a measure of safety to women and children and not be in beneficial use can surely not be justified as a good use of the millions it cost to build; (13) Deputy Michael McNamara - the matter of health services in the midwest, Clare in particular; (14) Deputy James Bannon - the need to review the decision which has led to the suppression of the posts of resource teacher for travellers and the rural co-ordinator for disadvantage at St. Mary's national school, Edgeworthstown, County Longford; (15) Deputy Timmy Dooley - the matter of respite beds in Raheen Community Hospital; and (16) Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett - the Government's new social housing policy, its effects on housing applicants and its costs to the Exchequer.

The matters raised by the following Deputies Bannon, Keating and Jerry Buttimer, Tuffy and Ó Caoláin have been selected for discussion.