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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Jun 2008

Vol. 656 No. 2

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32.

Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with requests to move the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of urgent importance, namely, the consequences for the criminal justice system as a result of the complete failure of our bail laws, notwithstanding changes in legislation and a national referendum a decade ago, the fact that crimes being committed by persons on bail have risen by over 60% in the past four years from 15,500 in 2004, to 18,500 in 2005, to 22,750 in 2006 and 24,200 in 2007, and having regard to the fact that specific sections of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, designed to address these specific shortcomings, are clearly not working, resulting in a situation where many known criminals continue to engage in serious criminal activity while on bail, thus undermining confidence in the criminal justice system in this State.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of urgent importance, namely, the danger that transport providers may withdraw from school bus routes for the coming school year due to rising fuel costs and the need to clarify what measures will be introduced to avert such action.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of urgent importance, namely, the failure of the Government and the HSE, one year on from the publication of the emergency department task force report, to reduce the numbers of patients waiting on trolleys in accident and emergency departments due to a lack of hospital beds, with five major hospitals — Beaumont, Sligo General, the Mid-Western Regional in Limerick, Portiuncula in Ballinasloe and University College Hospital Galway — showing significant increases in numbers on trolleys as compared to this time last year and the need to provide additional hospital beds to address this crisis, as well as the delivery of the promised network of primary care centres and the reversal of the disastrous policy of centralisation of virtually all hospital services to those centres which are currently under most pressure.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of urgent importance, namely, that 59 children had to be admitted to adult psychiatric hospitals or units in the first three months of this year, that there is still no significant increase in the number of beds for children who need to be admitted for psychiatric care, that staffing of child and adolescent multidisciplinary teams is poor and that the HSE staff embargo has worsened the situation further.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of urgent importance, namely, the decision by the senior management of the Irish Coast Guard to refuse to allow the Spanish ambassador to visit the Valentia coast guard radio station tomorrow in order to thank the staff of that station for the tremendous rapport they have shown towards his fellow countrymen and if the Minister will allay the fears of Irish Coast Guard staff and state his plans for the location of the coast guard station and their headquarters.

Having considered the matters raised, they are not in order under Standing Order 32.

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