I have received notice from the following Senators that they propose to raise the following matters:
Senator John Cummins - The need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on the annual savings made from periodic reviews of medical cards for over-70s versus the cost of carrying out such reviews.
Senator Victor Boyhan - The need for the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make a statement on the decision by St. John of God Community Services to transfer its service responsibilities for the care, training, employment, social and residential programmes to adults and children with intellectual disabilities to the HSE.
Senator Niall Blaney - The need for the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on the status of Irish Government funding for the N2 and A5 Dublin to Derry route.
Senator Fintan Warfield - The need for the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to outline the actions being taken to address the acute and urgent need for artist workspaces across the State.
Senator Malcolm Byrne - The need for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to make a statement on the use of schools as the primary venue for polling centres in elections and referendums and if alternatives could be considered.
Senator Emer Currie - The need for the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion to make a statement on improving the process by which autistic early intervention preschools are funded under the home tuition grant scheme.
Senator Lynn Boylan - The need for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to update building regulations to increase the share of timber-framed buildings and new building technologies to reduce emissions.
The matters raised by the Senators are suitable for discussion and I have selected Senators Cummins, Boyhan, Blaney and Warfield and they will be taken now. All other Senators may give notice on another day of the matters that they wish to raise.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, to the House. I call Senator Cummins.