Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have received notice from Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter:

An gá atá ann go dtabharfaidh an tAire Sláinte léargas ar cén straitéis atá á cur ar bun ag an Rialtas chun dul i ngleic leis na liostaí feithimh in Ospidéal na hOllscoile, Gaillimh.

I have also received notice from Senator Joan Freeman of the following matter:

The need for the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people to outline the plans she has for the mental health of younger people, in particular, the need to stop the practice of children being detained in adult mental health units, the proposed budgetary contribution to youth mental health in the upcoming budget, and the need to extend the child and adolescent mental health services procedure to 16 to 18 year olds.

I have also received notice from Senator Máire Devine of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to outline how his Department intends to deal with the serious concerns being raised by the Psychiatric Nurses Association which have led to planned industrial action.

I have also received notice from Senator Jerry Buttimer of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to make a statement regarding the ongoing talks between the Department of Transport, Norwegian Airlines and US authorities concerning transatlantic flights from Cork Airport.

I have also received notice from Senator Martin Conway of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to review urgently the guidelines in place for valuing cattle that have been deemed to be reactors following TB testing, given that they are clearly inadequate and proving to be a financial burden to farm families.

I have also received notice from Senator Rose Conway-Walsh of the following matter:

The need for the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works to provide an update on the commitments made to communities affected by flooding, in particular those made in respect of Crossmolina, County Mayo, and the need to instruct the OPW to arrange the dredging of the River Deel while the river bed is dry and to confirm that it is within his scope to seek and secure a derogation from the EU habitats directive to deal with the health and safety issues presented by the lack of flood protection mechanisms and structures.

I have also received notice from Senator Neale Richmond of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to review urgently the system of processing applications to the National Vetting Bureau given that the current system is clearly overwhelmed, leading to inordinate delays in processing.

I have also received notice from Senator Victor Boyhan of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to update the House on the expected timeframe for the roll-out of the new National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin.

I have also received notice from Senator Colm Burke of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to establish a forum involving all interest groups in the provision of elderly care including the HSE, the Department of Health, Nursing Homes Ireland, general practitioners and geriatricians in order to plan and develop the way in which services should be provided for elderly people.

I have also received notice from Senator Kieran O’Donnell of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Social Protection to outline the plans and timeframe he has for the introduction of a jobseeker's benefit scheme for the self-employed.

I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion. I have selected the matters raised by Senators Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Joan Freeman, Máire Devine and Jerry Buttimer and they will be taken now. Senators Rose Conway-Walsh, Neale Richmond, Victor Boyhan, Colm Burke and Kieran O’Donnell may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.

I had understood that the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, was to take the first three matters, however she has no briefing on the first matter. Therefore, we will deal with the second matter first. Senator Joan Freeman has four minutes. I must be strict on time, given that last week somebody complained that I gave five minutes to one speaker and less to another.