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) Deputies McGrath and Penrose – the need for a new second level school in Kilbeggan to replace the Mercy secondary school; (2) Deputy Deenihan – the crisis in Tralee General Hospital because of the lack of beds in the accident and emergency unit; (3) Deputy Rabbitte – the reason the Minister for Education and Science is withholding permission to go to tender for a school refurbishment project in Dublin 24, given that the required local contribution has been met, plans agreed and professional fees discharged; (4) Deputy Ring – the need to reverse the proposals for the registration of small boats and to exempt all boats under 12 metres from the regulations; (5) Deputy Enright – the announcement by Flextronics in Tullamore that it is to lay off 370 workers in the next three weeks and the need for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Government to take immediate steps, to ascertain the reasons for such large scale redundancies and to provide alternative employment for the redundant staff; (6) Deputy Fitzgerald – the proposed closure of the Ardagh glass bottle plant in Ringsend with the loss of up to 375 jobs, the serious consequences for the people employed there, the impact on the community of Ringsend and the major repercussions for the recycling industry and its consequent impact on the environment due to the loss of this major facility; (7) Deputy Flanagan – the job losses in County Offaly and the need for the Government to deal with the matter; (8) Deputy Stanton – the closure of Youghal Carpets at Carrigtwohill, the meetings the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has had and the action, if any, she plans to take; (9) Deputy Clune – the need for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to make a statement following the announcement of the closure of the Ardagh plant and its implications for the future of the recycling industry.
The matters raised by Deputies McGrath and Penrose, Deenihan, Clune and Ring have been selected for discussion.