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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 25 Feb 2014

Vol. 832 No. 1

Topical Issue Matters

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 27A and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Peadar Tóibín - the need to provide a housing solution for persons forced into homelessness: (2) Deputy Jim Daly - the need to allocate capital funding to upgrade the N71 access route to west Cork; (3) Deputy Pat Breen - the future of Eirí Corca Baiscinn, a community owned and run radio station in west Clare; (4) Deputy Derek Nolan - the urgent need to discuss the doubling of the carbon tax on solid fuel in the last year and the effect that this will have on prices; (5) Deputy Michael Creed - the lack of supports for children with special needs and-or disability to access preschool services; (6) Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy - to ask if the Government would consider a proposal of mine to make it easier for members of the public to engage in the public consultation process; I propose that a website, www.consultation.ie, be established which would be a one-stop shop for members of the public to navigate in order to find out about public consultations relevant to them. Government Departments, State agencies, local authorities and joint Oireachtas committees would provide details of their public consultations at that location. It could be operated along the lines of the e-tenders website and has the potential to be a piece of real reform in terms of improving the relationship between the public and our State bodies. Public consultation is potentially one of the most effective ways that we can give meaning to terms such as "engaging" or "listening" or "involving" the public. Public consultation is inherently fair and so protects the political system from accusations of serving interest groups more than citizens. For instance, if developed properly such a website could assist the Oireachtas committees achieve a much healthier level of participation in their public consultation exercises; (7) Deputy Denis Naughten - the need for the Minister for Health to explain to Dáil Éireann why the HSE failed over a two and a half year period to inquire into the basis for high death rates from stroke and heart attacks in a certain hospital which was exposed following the publication of the report, Health Care Quality Indicators in the Irish Health System: Examining the Potential of Hospital Discharge Data, published last week; (8) Deputy Brian Stanley - the need for a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed export of wind energy to Britain; (9) Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan - the need to discuss recent developments in relation to Moore Street; (10) Deputy Michael McCarthy - the position regarding the claw-back of single farm payments and the ongoing land parcel review. Approximately 25,000 farmers face penalties ranging from €50 to over €10,000 in the review of 900,000 land parcels by the Department. This amount does not take into account the possibility of the fines for some farmers being multiplied fivefold if the Department moves to impose the penalties retrospectively. More than 40,000 letters have been sent to farmers notifying them of irregularities. Many farmers will have penalties imposed on land that they were told was an excellent habitat when they were in REPS. This is a source of huge concern to farmers, particularly in west Cork, where farms comprise significant amounts of rock and furze, who are now expected to bear the brunt of the claw-back. These farmers are also coming under extreme pressure as the penalties are coming on top of mounting pressure to pay bills, which are higher than normal following the fodder crisis; (11) Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan - the issue of people being excluded from self-building, otherwise known as building by direct labour, under SI 9 of 2014, Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014; (12) Deputies Brendan Ryan and Kevin Humphreys - the need to address concerns regarding the Irish airlines superannuation scheme; (13) Deputy Jonathan O'Brien - the need for the Minister for Social Protection to discuss the increasing difficulty persons in receipt of rent allowance are having in locating accommodation; (14) Deputy Arthur Spring - the position regarding the claw-back of single farm payments and the ongoing land parcel review. Approximately 25,000 farmers face penalties ranging from €50 to over €10,000 in the review of 900,000 land parcels by the Department. This amount does not take into account the possibility of the fines for some farmers being multiplied fivefold if the Department moves to impose the penalties retrospectively. More than 40,000 letters have been sent to farmers notifying them of irregularities. Many farmers will have penalties imposed on land that they were told was an excellent habitat when they were in REPS. This is a source of huge concern to farmers, particularly in west Cork, where farms comprise significant amounts of rock and furze, who are now expected to bear the brunt of the claw-back. These farmers are also coming under extreme pressure as the penalties are coming on top of mounting pressure to pay bills, which are higher than normal following the fodder crisis; (15) Deputy Seán Crowe - the need to discuss the passing of the anti-gay bill into law in Uganda; (16) Deputy Michael Colreavy - the need to set back distances for planning regulations for wind turbine developments; (17) Deputy Michael P. Kitt - to ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government what plans are in place to deal with the need for additional social and voluntary housing, with specific reference to the Ballinasloe Society of St. Vincent de Paul building project for the elderly; (18) Deputy Robert Troy - the actions planned to tackle the increase in cyberbullying; (19) Deputy Terence Flanagan - the need for adequate funding to prevent the closure of Kilbarrack youth project; (20) Deputy Billy Kelleher - the need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on when progress will be made in providing access to the life-changing medication for severe asthma, Omalizumab or Xolair, to patients in Cork University Hospital; (21) Deputy Mick Wallace - the need to discuss the implementation of the free GP care scheme for aged children under six years; (22) Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl - the need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on his plans for universal health insurance; (23) Deputy Clare Daly - the need to discuss the implementation of free GP care for under sixes and concerns of the medical profession about the scheme as proposed; (24) Deputy Eamonn Maloney - the need to ensure that proposed changes-amalgamations of schools are carried out following consultation with all stakeholders in an open, transparent and timely manner; and (25) Deputy Joe Higgins - the proposal to close Scoil Mhuire Fatima, North Monastery, Cork and amalgamate with another school off site with no prior consultation with parents and teachers.

The matters raised by Deputies Michael Creed; Robert Troy; Michael Colreavy; and Brendan Ryan and Kevin Humphreys have been selected for discussion.

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