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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 May 2004

Vol. 584 No. 6

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31.

Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31 and I will call on Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: the collapse of the proposed Neary inquiry and the need for revised terms of reference to ensure the co-operation of the women concerned and to avoid the unthinkable situation whereby the circumstances which allowed such atrocities in what should have been a caring and curing environment could go unexplained and unexplored.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: the urgent need for this State to cease its ongoing shameful collusion in the illegal occupation of Iraq following revelations that the US and British occupation troops have tortured and murdered Iraqi prisoners of war in their custody, and the need to afford the House an opportunity to vote for an immediate end to overflight and landing privileges for the US military.

I call Deputy Gogarty.

Tá sé as láthair.

I suggest that when Deputies will not be in the House they should not submit matters under Standing Order 31. It shows disrespect to the House. This is happening on a recurring basis and I appeal to Deputies and Whips to ensure that those who submit proposals under Standing Order 31 or on the Adjournment are in the House to take the matter when they are called.

What would happen if they were called? Is there any chance of that? If you called them, we would have a serious problem, would we not?

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: in light of the discovery of a 1,200 year old Viking fortress at Woodstown, near Waterford city, on the route of the Waterford by-pass, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should state what steps he intends to take to ensure the impact of the road on the site is minimised.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the deteriorating condition of Mr. Tom Sweeney, who has been on hunger strike outside the Dáil for more than three weeks because he is seeking a meeting with the Minister for Education and Science to discuss the deficiencies in the redress board, and the urgent need for the Minister to agree immediately to meeting Mr. Sweeney before his condition worsens and his health is permanently affected.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the decision of Patient Focus, which represents former patients of Dr. Neary, to withdraw from the Government inquiry into his actions, the failure to compel Dr. Neary to attend, and the urgent need now, in the interests of true transparency and justice, for the Minister for Health and Children to change the terms of reference of this inquiry so that witnesses will be compelled to attend.

Did the Minister for Education and Science hear the matter raised by Deputy Gormley? I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the national crisis of asthma in Ireland, which has the second highest prevalence of the condition in the EU with 274,000 sufferers in the country, and the need to implement a specific strategy to bring the illness under control, to research the causes and measures to prevent and treat the illness, and to implement the recommendations of the Green Party research on this crisis.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the feasibility study into an all-Ireland helicopter emergency medical service or HEMS, which has just been released, two years overdue, and which makes the case very strongly for a dedicated inter-hospital helicopter emergency medical service which could be up and running for all of Ireland, as well as three additional helicopters, for approximately half the price of the electronic voting fiasco. For a capital cost of €16 million for the HEMS service, which would include a helipad at Beaumont Hospital, and €4 million in annual running costs we would save many lives which are being lost and prevent disability.

The Ceann Comhairle could shock us all by accepting one of these some day. I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the disgraceful but not surprising racist and sectarian attacks in the Sandy Row area of east Belfast which are orchestrated by Unionist paramilitary gangs against residents of a block of apartments, the defence of these attacks by Unionist politicians in direct contravention of the Good Friday Agreement, which seeks to guarantee the right of all people in the six occupied counties to live free from intimidation, and the need for the Department of Foreign Affairs to be more active in highlighting these attacks and to raise the issue more forcefully with the British occupiers until action is taken to end all such attacks.

Having considered the matters carefully, I do not consider them to be in order under Standing Order 31.

There is a man on hunger strike outside the Dáil and the Chair says that is not an urgent issue.

That has been raised on the Adjournment and in other ways. It is not appropriate under Standing Order 31.

It has not been addressed. The Minister is over there.

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