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

The need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a comprehensive update on the Government’s efforts to press the British Government to implement the Stormont House Agreement with particular reference to the need to provide a truly independent investigations unit that will conduct effective, independent, reasonably prompt investigations into conflict-related killings.

I have also received notice from Senator Gerard Craughwell of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to explain and address the apparent discrepancy between the number of people waiting for hospital treatment, as indicated by the RTE "Prime Time Investigates" programme of 6 February, and the figures published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, and to state the current figures for the NTPF waiting list and the HSE south east waiting list, including the pre-admit and pre-planned lists.

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

The need for the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to make a statement on the situation regarding the indigenous red deer and the Japanese sika deer in the Kerry area and in particular in the vicinity of Killarney National Park.

I have also received notice from Senator Robbie Gallagher of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to outline, in light of the vote on the motion in the Dáil in respect of an independent report on the North-South interconnector, the next steps in this process and a timeline for same.

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

The need for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to introduce a mechanism whereby the traditional block grant given to town councils to cover improvements to roads and footpaths will be reinstated in its original format to allow members of municipal districts to decide the spending of moneys on roads and footpaths in the same way town councils did in the past.

I have also received notice from Senator Jennifer Murnane O’Connor of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to provide an update on the provision of a suitable working environment for the paramedic and ambulance drivers based in Carlow.

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

The need for the Minister for Health to outline the measures he will take to tackle the waiting list for orthopaedic surgery at Merlin Park University Hospital in light of surgeons currently working through a backlog stretching back to 2013.

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

The need for the Minister for Social Protection to clarify the future role for more than 300 people who are currently employed in the local employment service in view of the significant decrease in their workload because of the increase in full employment for those who previously were long-term unemployed.

I have also received notice from Senator Tim Lombard of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Health to provide an update on the distribution and uptake figures of the free meningitis B vaccination programme and to consider the proposed backdating of vaccinations for children outside the original timeframe.

I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion. I have selected Senators Craughwell and Ó Domhnaill and they will be taken now. Senators Coghlan and Gallagher have withdrawn their matters, which I had selected. Senators Conway, Murnane O’Connor, Conway-Walsh, Burke and Lombard may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.