Senator Maria Byrne

To ask the Minister for Health his policy regarding the addition of the meningitis vaccination to the national vaccination programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the Free Legal Advice Centre 2012 report Not Fair Enough with regard to the appeals process in her Department, as well as outlining in detail the reforms that have been reported to have taken place to reduce waiting time for appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the basis on which the National Standards Authority of Ireland have been asked to report to his Department on the subject of pyrite testing; when this will be published; the consensus amongst stakeholders regarding the funding for testing for pyrite in properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the budget for housing adaption grants have been approved for local authorities in 2013; and when this announcement is due to be made..

I am delighted to be here with you on this important occasion. You should rightly feel very proud to have successfully completed what I have no doubt has been a testing period of training

The Government is working hard to create the right environment for job creation across the country. Last week's progress report on the Action Plan on Jobs shows that this is bringing about solid results, and I am confident that this Programme will continue to contribute to this success."

Fine Gael TD for Dublin South and Chair of the Dáíl All-Party Interest Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Development, Olivia Mitchell, has today (Tuesday) said that achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals depends on access to reproductive health and rights by the world's poorest women who are the family providers.

I support the objective in principle of raising capital sums from State assets. If ever we needed to sweat our assets it is now in Ireland's hour of greatest need, or what we hope is our greatest need.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for providing me with a timely opportunity to raise this issue. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, for attending in the Dáil. I appreciate the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has much on his hands at present.

Fine Gael Longford/Westmeath TD, Nicky McFadden, has hailed the official launch of the International Athletics Arena at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) as a significant day for Irish athletics in the Midlands.