Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Walsh, Quinn and Ó Domhnaill expressed full support for Senator Quinn's construction contracts Bill. I hope to indicate to the House tomorrow when the remaining Stages of the Bill will be taken.

Senator Walsh raised the matter of the legal fees in the Curtin case which are in excess of €3 million. It is difficult to understand the logic behind it. As the Senator said, something should be done about the matter as a matter of urgency.

Senator Wilson has once again requested the Minister for Finance to come to the House to discuss the Quinn Group, a matter also raised by Senator Reilly. As I said to Senator Wilson yesterday, it must be addressed seriously. The proposals made should be examined. The commitment of the Quinn Group to the midlands, particularly the north midlands, has been outstanding to say the least. Its level of investment in the area is unbelievable. Its commitment to pay the €2.8 billion owed to the State must be considered a serious offer from such a reputable group. I fully support it in that regard. I will consider if time can be allocated next week for statements to be made with the Minister present.

Senator Cannon outlined the difficulties facing the Zhivago music store and its sister company in Galway. I know the personnel involved and that they have made a tremendous contribution to the industry during the years. RTE Radio, Radio 1 in particular, could examine why, as Louis Walsh said, it is one of the few stations in the world that does not support Irish artists. I wish the Carroll family well in its endeavours and hope it can continue in business, as it has been the backbone of the industry in the western region.

Senator Ó Murchú called on the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Ó Cuív, to come to the House to discuss the matter of jobs, training, upskilling and community social programmes. We must ascertain the up-to-date position from the Minister for any person who is unemployed and wants to upskill or be retrained. I will have no difficulty in arranging such a debate.

Senator Quinn outlined that an investment sum of €17 billion in wind farm applications was available to Ireland. It was alarming to hear the Senator say they were not being processed. I will make inquiries in the Minister's office later today to see how I can progress the matter. The current position is completely unacceptable.

Senator Ó Domhnaill again called on the Northern Assembly to participate with the Irish Government in a specified project. He outlined that the Irish Government had given a commitment to provide capital funding for the development of a unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, the expected cost of which was £25.5 million. The proposed unit was due to be completed by 2015. The Minister for Health and Children has agreed, in principle, to provide a capital contribution towards the cost of the development and to make funding available for the provision of services for patients in County Donegal. She has advised the Senator that it is estimated that approximately one third of the patients in the new centre will come from County Donegal. In the draft business case for the project it is estimated that approximately 400 people from the county will require radiotherapy in 2015. This is a wonderful proposal and the commitment of the Irish Government has been second to none. I will certainly make inquiries to see how we can help the people of County Donegal following the Senator's intervention on the Order of Business this morning.