I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputies Neale Richmond and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill - to raise issues concerning the operation of the Passport Office during Level 5 restrictions; (2) Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - to discuss an update on plans for St. Gabriel’s special school in Bishopstown; (3) Deputies Mattie McGrath, Carol Nolan, Michael Collins, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae, Richard O'Donoghue and Jennifer Murnane O'Connor - to discuss the need to resume theory tests, driving lessons and driver tests and steps to clear the backlog of driver tests; (4) Deputy Neasa Hourigan - to discuss what steps will be taken to prevent illegal evictions; (5) Deputy James O'Connor - to discuss investment in primary health care facilities in the east Cork area; (6) Deputy Brian Stanley - to discuss what steps will be taken to protect turf-cutting for domestic use; (7) Deputy Alan Farrell - to discuss the occasion of Earth Day on Thursday, 22 April 2021 and the need for Ireland to play a leading role in the fight against climate change; (8) Deputy Cormac Devlin - to discuss the need for the 2020 annual taxsaver tickets for public transport to be extended to the end of 2021; (9) Deputy Michael McNamara - to discuss the retention of teachers in primary schools in County Clare; (10) Deputy Niamh Smyth - to discuss the development of Cavan Institute as a hub for further education and training; (11) Deputy Chris Andrews - to discuss the necessary environment for a return to outdoor sports for adults; (12) Deputy Brendan Griffin - to discuss the risk of delayed diagnosis for endoscopy patients in Kerry; (13) Deputy Brendan Howlin - to discuss the provision of capital works including an MRI facility and the promised 75 bed-unit at Wexford General Hospital; (14) Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - the need to discuss funding for Arklow as Wicklow’s decarbonisation zone; (15) Deputy Jim O'Callaghan - to discuss the return of spectators to sport in accordance with the Ferguson report; (16) Deputy Gary Gannon - to discuss the urgent need for public restroom facilities throughout our cities, towns and national parks; (17) Deputy Bernard J. Durkan - to again raise the ever-increasing daily incidents of worldwide human rights abuses which have accelerated while the global community is preoccupied with Covid-19, clearly illustrating the need for a co-ordinated international response utilising Ireland’s position on the UN Security Council as a means of focusing on and bringing to justice the perpetrators given the situation in Myanmar, Hong Kong and numerous other conflict and non-conflict situations; (18) Deputy Matt Carthy - to discuss the appointment of the new Secretary General of the Department of Health; (19) Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin - to discuss the increasing concern regarding a shortage in places, long waiting lists and numbers of students with no places identified in second level schools in North Dublin for this September; (20) Deputies Darren O'Rourke and Ruairí Ó Murchú - to discuss Louth-Meath mental health services, including the shortage of acute beds, which is the lowest across State, the shortage of specialists to deal with psychological and-or neurological disorders and lack of access to specialist residential units for these disorders, such as eating disorders etc., and to discuss this in light of the increased need and difficulties caused by Covid-19; (21) Deputy Paul Murphy - to discuss the decline in bird populations and the biodiversity crisis; and (22) Deputy Martin Browne - to discuss access to mental health supports for children with disabilities during the pandemic.
The matters raised by Deputies Richmond and Carroll MacNeill; Martin Browne; Gannon; and Jim O'Callaghan have been selected for discussion.