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 Neville – the introduction of a non means tested carer's payment; (2) Deputy Wall – the current position on the application for the amalgamation Scoil Eoin and Scoil Mhuire secondary schools in Athy, County Kildare; (3) Deputy Creed – the need for the Minister for Education and Science to reconsider his decision to appeal the Jamie Sinnott case to the Supreme Court; (4) Deputies Shortall and Upton – the request to the Minister for Education and Science to withdraw his appeal of the Sinnott case; (5) Deputy Hayes – the measures the Department of Social Community and Family Affairs has put in place to support people who have temporarily lost their jobs as a result of the foot and mouth crisis; (6) Deputy Howlin – the apparent punishment shooting of a man in Wexford last night and the need for the Government to indicate the steps it intends to take to tackle such incidents; (7) Deputy Broughan – to allay public concern, the importance of giving the necessary powers to the Comptroller and Auditor General to examine all aspects of the privatisation of telecommunications infrastructure in Ireland and to request and enable him to report fully to Dáil Éireann on this matter; (8) Deputy Stanton – the urgent need to put systems in place to allow farmers to proceed with farmyard and dairy hygiene work and remain eligible for grant payments under the schemes given the suspension of inspections by departmental officials under the schemes and given the imminent advent of the silage season in May next; (9) Deputy Fitzgerald – the use by health boards of private security firms for the housing of children in care.
The matters raised by Deputies Wall, Fitzgerald, Hayes and Howlin have been selected for discussion.