I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 21 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Thomas McEllistrim — the need to introduce European studies, along with CSPE, as a subject at second level for the leaving certificate curriculum in Ireland; (2) Deputy Joan Burton — the substantial debt of up to €40 million owed by the Department of Education and Science to Fingal County Council in respect of school sites acquired on the Department's behalf; (3) Deputy Charles Flanagan — to raise with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the consequences for the criminal justice system of the complete failure of our laws in relation to bail, notwithstanding legislative change and a national referendum a decade ago, the fact that crimes being committed by persons on bail have risen by 60% in the past four years — from 15,500 in 2004, 18,500 in 2005, 22,750 in 2006 and 24,200 in 2007 — and having regard to the fact that specific sections of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 designed to address shortcomings clearly are not working resulting in many known criminals continuing to engage in serious criminal activity while on bail and thus undermining the criminal justice system in the State; (4) Deputy Ulick Burke — the need for the Minister for Education and Science to indicate his plans for the provision of a new school at Cahergal in view of the long history of delay in the provision of this much needed school where there is serious overcrowding and health and safety are serious issues following the announcement made early in 2007 on this matter; (5) Deputy Michael D. Higgins — the refusal to pay a higher education grant to an applicant in County Galway; (6) Deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen — the need to fast-track the provision of a new school for Ennis national school, Ennis, County Clare; (7) Deputy Deirdre Clune — the need to ensure the level of breast cancer services currently provided in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, is retained under the national cancer control programme; (8) Deputy James Bannon — the need for the Minister for Transport to provide an update on his plans regarding the reopening of Killucan railway station, County Westmeath, and the provision of Structural Funds financing for same in the light of the urgent need for easily accessible public transport due to the rapidly increasing population in the area; (9) Deputy Liz McManus — the serious concerns of local people about the hazards arising from a plan by Rentokil and South Dublin County Council to transport hydrogen cyanide from Ballymount for disposal at a Defence Forces facility at Manor Kilbride, County Wicklow; (10) Deputy Timmy Dooley — the need for the Minister of Finance to continue the interim arrangement at the Civil Service crèche at Ennis, County Clare, until a new contractor is ready to take over the running of the facility; (11) Deputy Ciarán Lynch — to ask the Minister for Health and Children if she believes that the best interests of the women of Cork are served by transferring the breast unit at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital to an already crowded campus at Cork University Hospital where the treatment experience of the disease is far less and whether she considers that the closure of this unit, which is internationally acclaimed, in favour of a service which is as yet ill-defined constitutes progress for patient care; (12) Deputy Martin Ferris — the need to renegotiate the Common Fisheries Policy; (13) Deputy Tom Hayes — the shortfalls in funding awarded to schools for capital projects; and (14) Deputy Seymour Crawford — to ask the Minister for Education and Science to consider the urgent need for a top-up grant towards the extension and alterations at Lisdoonan national school, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where serious unforeseen additional costs have occurred.
The matters raised by Deputies Thomas McEllistrim, Michael D. Higgins, Joe Carey and Pat Breen, and Tom Hayes have been selected for discussion.
