Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator has the news here fresh. It is a personalised news service for him.

While I have been slightly upstaged by my party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, earlier today, will the Leader explain the resignation of Paul Quinn from the development board of the new children’s hospital? Mr. Quinn led the procurement reform programme across the public sector. The troubling fiasco of the national children’s hospital was one of his greatest concerns, however. Will the Leader brief us on this?

On a local issue, it has been proposed that a regional sludge centre will be located at the existing sewerage works in Mullingar, County Westmeath. However, these are based in the town and there are serious concerns about the amount of sludge that could be brought to this facility as a result. It will be quite large as it will serve the whole Leinster region. The existing plant is located in a built-up area and local residents have concerns, including the effects on drinking water quality. It will be located near the Brosna River which feeds into many of the water supplies in the midlands. It would be a bad mistake by Irish Water to locate this facility in Mullingar. There are many other modern facilities which are not built in the middle of towns. The Mullingar plant is in the middle of the town and it is anything but the appropriate place. Will the Leader address this matter?