I have received notice from Senator Jim Walsh that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline if the Government is refusing to support growing international calls which describe the systematic murder, rape, slavery and persecution of Christians in the Middle East as “genocide”.
I have also received notice from Senator Pat O'Neill of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to state whether he believes the proposed takeover of Slaney Meats by ABP Group will have a positive or negative effect on the future of agriculture in Ireland and, if the takeover goes ahead, whether he will be making a submission to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
I have also received notice from Senator Colm Burke of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to allocate funds to local authorities for house adaptation works and to ensure that, when the funds are allocated, local authorities will have absolute discretion over the amounts to be allocated for local authority and private housing.
I have also received notice from Senator Paul Bradford of the following matter:
The need for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the current position on the promised review of the 2014 local government arrangements.
I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion and they will be taken now.