Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome a former Minister of State to the Public Gallery, Mr. Austin Currie.

I have notice from Senator Colm Burke that, on the motion for the Adjournment of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to clarify the situation in respect of Irish people adopting children from India, in particular when the Department is likely to approve and give recognition to an agency in Ireland to deal with these applications.

I have also received notice from Senator Catherine Noone of the following matter:

To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if, given its importance to the retail and social revitalisation of Laois, his Department plans to assist in the development of Rathdowney shopping centre and sites like it around the country with a rates discount.

I have also received notice from Senator Marie Moloney of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Social Protection to examine the possibility of having homemaker's credits awarded to women who gave up work to rear their children prior to 1994.

I have also received notice from Senator Jillian van Turnhout of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the total funding allocated to the scheme to support national organisations in 2013 in light of the recently announced 12% cut to funding for the first half of 2014 and the new scheme to come into effect in July 2014 and if he will outline the total funding to the scheme in 2014 and the justification for the disproportionate cut.

I have also received notice from Senator Lorraine Higgins of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to review the restrictions imposed by the EU habitats directive on the carrying out of essential works on the Rivers Shannon, Dunkellen, Clune and other rivers in the south Galway area to reduce the impact of flooding on property owners and farmers.

I have also received notice from Senator Deirdre Clune of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the steps he is taking to ensure the personal data of individuals is protected following the recent revelations that personal data from leaky smartphone applications can be gathered by surveillance operations.

I have also received notice from Senator Fidelma Healy Eames of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Finance to ensure that Irish home owners are given first refusal and a window of time to buy back their mortgages from banks selling their loan books and, failing this, to ensure any foreign purchasers of Irish mortgages conform to the Central Bank's code of conduct for mortgages.

I regard the matters raised by Senators Clune, Higgins, Moloney and Van Turnhout as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment and they will be taken at the conclusion of business. The other Senators may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.