I have received notice from Senator Michelle Mulherin that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, she proposes to raise the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Finance to grant aid to Ireland West Airport Knock at the rate of 90% for development and expansion projects from the connectivity fund set up under the auspices of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund on the sale of the State's share in Aer Lingus to ensure the airport's viability and growth in order that it can be self-financing after 2023.
I have also received notice from Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline his plans to financially support City of Derry Airport, considering that 40% of the passengers who use the airport are from County Donegal.
I have also received notice from Senator Mark Daly of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to reinstate the provision whereby if a family have a medical card and there is space on a bus, a pupil is entitled to a concessionary ticket to travel to the school of the family's choice.
I have also received notice from Senator Kevin Humphreys of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Health to outline the current situation with regard to the co-location of the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, with St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park.
I have also received notice from Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to increase the herring quota under the Celtic Sea herring management plan for the Dunmore box to compensate for the loss of herring quota in the fisheries sector in 2015.
I have also received notice from Senator Neale Richmond of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Health to update the House on the efforts being made to relocate the European Medicines Agency from London to Ireland following the decision of the British people to vote to leave the European Union.
I have also received notice from Senator Maura Hopkins of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Health to outline the measures the Government is implementing to improve ambulance response times in rural areas, particularly those that have been identified as black spots for ambulance response times as per the most recent National Ambulance Service of Ireland emergency service baseline and capacity review - 2015 - and the 2014 Health Information and Quality Authority review of pre-hospital emergency care services to ensure high quality in the assessment, diagnosis, clinical management and transport of acutely ill patients to appropriate health care facilities.
I have also received notice from Senator John O'Mahony of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Health to restore the motorised transport grant.
I have also received notice from Senator Paudie Coffey of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Health to reconsider the recent independent clinical review of the provision of a second catheterisation laboratory at University Hospital Waterford, with a specific focus on the base data used to compile the report, in the interests of providing equal access to quality cardiology care in the public health service for the citizens of the south east.
I have also received notice from Senator Kieran O'Donnell of the following matter:
The need for the Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works and flood relief to ensure flood relief measures are provided for at Castleconnell village and Montpelier, County Limerick, in the current catchment flood risk assessment and management study being prepared by the Office of Public Works.
I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion. I have selected the matters raised by Senators Michelle Mulherin, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Mark Daly and Kevin Humphreys and they will be taken now. Senators Brian Ó Domhnaill, Neale Richmond, Maura Hopkins, John O’Mahony, Paudie Coffey and Kieran O’Donnell may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.