Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I have received notice from Senator Neale Richmond that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to urgently review the system of processing applications to the national vetting bureau as the current system is clearly overwhelmed, leading to inordinate delays in processing.

I have also received notice from Senator John Dolan of the following matter:

The need for the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability issues to confirm that work is under way across all Departments and public bodies to ensure that implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its optional protocol will commence immediately upon its ratification, to confirm that ratification will be undertaken before end-December 2016 and that preparation for budget 2017 includes resourcing to progress implementation.

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 Terry Leyden of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to give assurances to the people of Roscommon that the primary care centre in Monksland will remain under the HSE west and not be moved under any circumstance to the control of HSE community health organisation, CHO8, which serves counties Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Louth and Meath and that he assures the people of Roscommon that this is not another attack on the integrity of the county of Roscommon.

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

The need for the Minister for Health to introduce an independent appeals process under the fair deal scheme to allow a right of appeal to nursing home providers who are unhappy with the fee proposed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

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

The need for the Minister for Health to respond to the grave concerns on the proposed 50% cut in night nursing staff at Cloverhill remand prison.

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 have also received notice from Senator Kevin Humphreys of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to inform the Seanad of the progress made in the delivery of 500 modular housing units to alleviate the housing crisis.

I have also received notice from Senator Paul Coghlan of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht to outline her intentions and plans for Killarney House and when it will open to the public, what it is intended it will interpret, contain and display and if it will commemorate the previous owners, namely, the Browne family, Earls of Kenmare, who were so involved in the development of Killarney town over the ages and the McShain family, and if it will function as the main visitor centre for Killarney National Park.

I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion. I have selected the matters raised by Senators Richmond, Dolan, Boyhan and Leyden and they will be taken now. Senators Colm Burke, Devine, O'Donnell, Humphreys and Coghlan may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.