Heather Humphreys, TD

Tourism Ireland has lined up a fairytale ending for St Patrick’s Day this year, as Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland® Paris, the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra in Jordan will join its Global Greening 2014. And, in another major coup for Irish tourism, the Pyramids of Giza are set to go green once again this year around 17 March.

On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Minister regrets that he is unable to be present today due to other business.

Olympic silver medallist, Kenneth Egan, has today (Monday) been unveiled as Fine Gael’s latest candidate for the upcoming local elections in the Clondalkin Local Electoral Area.

I would like to begin by emphasising the important public role played by An Garda Síochána as the police force in this State and by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) as the independent body with the important remit of investigating allegations of police misconduct. Each is a crucial pillar in our constitutional democracy and each plays a vital role in the public interest.

Fine Gael Dublin Senator, Catherine Noone, has today (Tuesday) encouraged the Government to speed up legislation to ban smoking in cars carrying children, after the UK parliament voted in favour of the measure. The UK ban is due to be introduced before the next general election in 2015.

Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice Equality and Defence, today welcomes the official launch of, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

The Minister is in Sarajevo for meetings with key political leaders, to address students and NGOs at the University and to meet with the local Irish community in Sarajevo, including members of the Irish Defence Forces stationed there as part of the EU mission.

Committee Stage of the Legal Services Regulation Bill Resumes on 12 February The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, has confirmed that he has circulated today the Government’s amendments to Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Legal Services Regulation Bill which will be discussed when the Bill resumes Committee Stage on 12 February. These three Parts of the Bill deal with the:

Speaking today about the closure of Mount Carmel Hospital, Fine Gael TD for Dublin South, Minister Alan Shatter said:

Fine Gael TD for Roscommon/South Leitrim, Frank Feighan, has welcomed the news that the construction project to build the €4 million Endoscopy Unit at Roscommon County Hospital (RCH) is set to formally go out to tender.