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 Willie Penrose — the delay in commencing work on a number of primary school projects in County Westmeath; (2) Deputy Pat Breen — the need for the Minister for Education and Science to explain why an extension to a school (details supplied) in County Clare has not been progressed and to outline the current position in respect of the school, which was originally built for 175 pupils but now has 300 pupils who are forced to operate in substandard prefabricated accommodation; (3) Deputy Joe Costello — the need to lift the recruitment embargo on staff in the health service; (4) Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin — the need to restore local democracy, political accountability and community participation in the planning process for major infrastructural projects and accordingly to repeal the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006; (5) Deputy Ulick Burke — the delay in publishing the conditions and guidelines for the implementation of the mid-Shannon tax incentive scheme; (6) Deputy James Bannon — the need for the Minister for Health and Children to reconsider the situation in relation to cancer care in the midlands and to establish a centre of excellence in Longford-Westmeath General Hospital to cover all the midland counties — Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon, Cavan, Laois, Offaly and south Leitrim — in light of the fact that it is logistically untenable for women and men living in those counties to avail of cancer care centres in Dublin or Galway; (7) Deputy Deirdre Clune — the review of the work of a pathologist in Cork University Hospital; and (8) Deputy Joan Burton — the need for the Minister for Education and Science to tell the House when a special unit for children with special needs, including Asperger's syndrome and autism, which has been built with a school (details supplied) in Castleknock, Dublin 15, will be opened and to explain the delay in opening the unit in view of the many children waiting for such a facility.
The matters raised by Deputies Ulick Burke, Joe Costello, Deirdre Clune and Willie Penrose have been selected for discussion.