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 Michael Creed — the issue of the forthcoming closure of a company in County Cork (details provided) with the loss of 120 jobs and to highlight the need for replacement industry; (2) Deputy Tom Sheahan — whether the Minister will put funding in place (details supplied) to hold the invaluable services provided by a counselling service in County Kerry as a matter of urgency and if she will make a statement on the matter; (3) Deputy Thomas P. Broughan — to introduce legislation to end the self-certification of quality standards in the housing construction industry and the ongoing need for concerted joint action by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Fingal county manager and Dublin city manager to address the issues of traceability of pyrite contaminated infill, the quality standards of new homes and the reconstruction standards of pyrite damaged homes and infrastructure in the continuing pyrite infill scandal in north and west Dublin and Leinster; (4) Deputy Shane McEntee — the provision of a new national school in Laytown, County Meath; (5) Deputy Olwyn Enright — the delays in the application process in respect of thalidomide victims; (6) Deputy Bernard J. Durkan — a matter of national and local importance, namely, the recent altercation between the Minister for Education and Science and the principal of a school (details supplied) with particular reference to the hurt, distress and anxiety caused to the principal teacher and the serious consequences likely in the event of a breakdown of trust between the Minister and her Department and principal teachers or boards of management in the wider educational sense, her plans to engage with and apologise to the teacher in question and the authorities concerned and if she will make a statement on the matter; (7) Deputy Michael Ring — to extend the salmon hardship scheme application closing date, as administrated by BIM, and ask that the Minister secure the same tax concession scheme for this group as that announced for the decommissioning payment for the white fishermen and that he make a full statement on the matter; (8) Deputies Liz McManus and Andrew Doyle — the need to sanction the provision of additional permanent accommodation at schools in County Wicklow; (9) Deputy Jimmy Deenihan — the need to approve tender documents and appoint a contractor for a proposed new primary school in County Kerry; (10) Deputy Chris Andrews — that the vaccine for pneumococcal disease be introduced by the Department of Health and Children as a matter of urgency; and (11) Deputy Catherine Byrne — to address the serious lack of home helps in the Rialto and Dolphin's Barn area due to lack of funding from the HSE, there being 37 people currently waiting on home helps in this area and some people who may not be able to get out of hospital for Christmas without access to a home help, which is unacceptable.
The matters raised by Deputies Olwyn Enright, Shane McEntee, Liz McManus and Andrew Doyle, and Jimmy Deenihan have been selected for discussion.