Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of notices of motion under Standing Order 31.
Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate a matter of national importance, namely, the decision by the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta to ignore the recommendations of its own management to accept the highest of three tenders for the sale of a holiday complex in Connemara, with the board accepting instead the lowest of the three tenders at a loss of €500,000 to the State, and choosing to disregard the proposals forwarded by Gael Linn to develop the complex for Irish language educational purposes, which are more in keeping with the objective of Údarás na Gaeltachta of preserving the Irish language in the community.
I seek the adjournment of the House under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following issue of local and national importance, namely, the proposal by the Eastern Regional Health Authority to close down its tuberculosis and respiratory facilities at Peamount Hospital, Newcastle, County Dublin, which will have serious health implications for current patients and those in the catchment area, as established over the years, and the disruption of staff and procedures, which have heretofore served the community well.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following matter of urgent national importance, namely, the proposal to close down the national specialist referral centre for tuberculosis at Peamount Hospital in view of the relatively high levels of tuberculosis in the State and the danger from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, which is present in eastern European and Asian countries, and the occurrence of such multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in some states of the European Union.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following matter of national importance, namely, the confirmation by the board of Peamount Hospital in Dublin that it intends to close the specialist respiratory and tuberculosis unit at the hospital, which is the national referral centre for tuberculosis; the implications for staff and patients of the closure of the unit which has been a centre of excellence for decades and provides an essential service, especially for more vulnerable tuberculosis patients; the failure to put in place any alternative service; the consequences for public health in Ireland given the worldwide increase in the incidence of multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis; and the need for the Minister for Health and Children to intervene immediately to halt the closure.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the intended visit of the President of the United States to Ireland, in view of the fact that he grossly misled the Irish people in falsely claiming the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was criminal and unjustified; and to discuss the statement by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that US secret service agents accompanying the President of the United States will be allowed to use lethal force in this jurisdiction.
I seek leave to move the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 on the following specific and urgent matter of public interest, namely, the propagation by the Minister, Deputy Brennan, and the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, of aggressively anti-union attitudes from which the management of An Post and other employers are now taking their lead when dealing with industrial disputes; the fact that the handling of such disputes by employers and, in particular, An Post has shown up the fact that the partnership process is not about real partnership but merely represents an attempt by the Government and employers to co-opt union leaderships for their own anti-worker agenda; the necessity to remove the shadow of William Martin Murphy from the industrial relations process in this State by introducing legislation for mandatory trade union recognition and by Ministers abandoning their smug and arrogant attitudes and working constructively for the resolution of industrial disputes.
I request the Adjournment of the Dáil to debate an issue of national importance raised by a number of my colleagues but I raise it from a slightly different angle, namely, the need for the Minister for Health and Children to intervene immediately to halt the current plans to close TB and other services at Peamount Hospital from the point of view of public health, to investigate the issues of serious staff unrest at Peamount spanning a spectrum of employees, including nurses, consultants etc., who are extremely dissatisfied with the skulduggery of the chairman and chief executive from the point of view of patient care. I would like the Minister, if necessary, to call an emergency meeting of the board of the management, the Eastern Regional Health Authority, Comhairle na nOspidéal and other relevant bodies to discuss the implications of the current Peamount plans on patient care at the hospital and in the treatment of TB patients nationally. It is a disgrace the Minister for Health and Children has not done anything about it.
I seek the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the scrapping of the 2002 to 2006 Arts Plan, which was included in the Progressive Democrats-Fianna Fáil programme for Government 2002 to 2007 and the subsequent resignation of the director of the Arts Council, Mrs. Patricia Quinn.
Having considered the matters raised, they are not in order under Standing Order 31.