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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 May 2006

Vol. 620 No. 3

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31.

Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31. I will call on the Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss an issue of urgent public and national importance, namely, the failure of the Government to provide a good quality health service and its total failure to address the crisis in accident and emergency units in hospitals throughout the country over the past nine years.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of urgent public and national concern, namely, the necessity to reduce primary school class sizes, particularly in view of the fact that they are the second largest in the EU; the abandonment of the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government to ensure that "the average size of classes for children under 9 will be below the international best-practice guideline of 20:1"; the dramatic 45% increase to over 108,000 in the number of primary school children being taught in classes of over 30 pupils; the fact that 15% of primary school children transfer to secondary school with literacy problems; and the need for the Government to reduce significantly mainstream class sizes over the next two years as a matter of urgency.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to raise a matter of urgent national and local importance, namely, the need to implement the recommendations contained in the report produced by Comhairle na nOspidéal on rheumatology services, including budgets and the timeframe for the roll-out of the identified needs and recommendations. Ireland currently has the lowest number of rheumatologists per head of population, because most of the consultant rheumatologists employed by our public hospitals also take part in accident and emergency calls, thereby further reducing their availability to those in need. Diagnosis and timely intervention for patients affected by the disease produce far better outcomes and it is therefore critical that there be no delay in delivering on the recommendations in the report.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to raise a matter of major importance, namely, the question of why raw sewage is still flowing at Achill Sound, County Mayo, due to the failure of successive Governments to provide any sewage scheme whatsoever at Achill Sound; and the imposition of the polluter-pays principle by Government. The imposition of this principle has struck a fatal blow to any chance of stopping the raw sewage pouring into the sheltered Achill bay due to the impossibility of the Achill community being able to provide the local contribution required under the polluter-pays principle because of the total economic neglect of Achill by successive Governments. The contribution is a requirement for businesses but there are no businesses in the locality.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to raise a matter of local and national importance requiring urgent attention, namely, the need to introduce routine immunisation of babies against pneumococal meningitis as this tragic disease has a high rate of fatality — approximately 20% — and is associated with a higher risk of permanent neurological damage, such as deafness and epilepsy.

Having considered the matters raised, they are not in order under Standing Order 31.

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