I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 21 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Creed – the need to establish an inter-agency task force to provide alternative industrial employment in the Duhallow region of north west Cork in view of the announced closure of De Regt Cable in Kanturk; (2) Deputy Sheehan – the need to compensate farmers for the reduction of EU retirement and REP scheme payments by more than 5 per cent; (3) Deputy Lawlor – the extensive waiting list within the Dublin area for residential places for disabled persons; (4) Deputy Bradford – the need to increase the number of towns in County Cork to be included in the town renewal scheme; (5) Deputy Ring – the up-to-date position with the proposed extension of Carrowkennedy national school, Westport, County Mayo, where children are being taught in a local community centre; (6) Deputy Ulick Burke – the works to be undertaken by the Office of Public Works on the three minor drainage schemes in County Galway; (7) Deputy Wall – the need to attract new industry to south Kildare in the wake of another factory closure in Athy, resulting in the loss of 50 jobs; (8) Deputy Broughan – the need to avoid cutbacks in the community employment programme without prior consultation with the social partners; (9) Deputy Jim Higgins – the need for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to clarify the circumstances in which the individual convicted in the X case was granted a licence to drive a taxi since his release from prison; (10) Deputy Shortall – the urgent need to make nursing home subventions payable to private nursing hospitals, in view of the severe shortage of suitable public care facilities for male dementia patients with specific reference to a person in Dublin 11; (11) Deputy Farrelly – the backlog of inspections for agricultural schemes in County Meath; (12) Deputy Olivia Mitchell – the need, in view of recent revelations, to ensure the safety of hackney users by means of external identification.
The matters raised by Deputies Sheehan, Farrelly, Shortall and Jim Higgins have been selected for discussion.