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Oireachtas agenda

What are the main issues surrounding fertility in Ireland?

The Health Committee will meet with representatives from the National Infertility Support and Information Group, but what else is happening in Leinster House today?

WHAT’S GOING ON in Leinster House?

Every day the Dáil and Seanad are sitting, TheJournal.ie brings you the most comprehensive guide to what our lawmakers are getting up to in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

So, here is what we can expect to be happening in the Dáil, Seanad and Committee rooms today…

3 things we’ll be keeping an eye on

  •  10am, Committee Room 1: Representatives from the HSE and the Central Remedial Clinic will face another grilling from the Public Accounts Committee.
  • 11.30am: The National Infertility Support and Information Group will meet with the Health Committee to discuss fertility issues in Ireland, before the National Vision Coalition makes a submission on the cost of blindness in Ireland.
  • 12 pm, Dáil: Leaders’ Questions is always one to watch. Eamon Gilmore will be answering the Opposition’s questions one last time before a new Labour leader and Tánaiste is elected tomorrow.

Everything else happening in the Dáil

  • 9.30am, Dáil: Finance Minister Michael Noonan is the first up for questioning this morning.
  • 10.45am: The lower house will debate Ireland’s fiscal approach to oil and gas exploration and how the country can fully benefit from it.
  • Bill that seeks to clarify the law around employment permits for migrants will be discussed.
  • The second stage of debate on the introduction of plain packaging on cigarettes is up next.
  • Focus will then turn to the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Bill 2013.
  • 12.21pm: The Order of Business will be read.
  • 12.41pm: Morning Business will be concluded. 
  • 4.42pm: A number of Topical Issues, brought up by TDs, will be discussed with a Government minister. 
  • 5.30pm: The Dáil will adjourn. 

Everything happening in the Seanad

  • 10.30 am: The Order of Business will be read.
  • 11.45 am: A Bill that seeks to dissolve the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority and transfer their functions to a new body, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, will be debated.
  • 1.30 pm: The second Bill to be discussed by senators today is a technical piece of legislation that will see the HSE funded through the Office of the Minister for Health, as opposed to separately, which is currently the case.
  • Matters on the Adjournment will then conclude the day in the upper house.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

Health Committee

  • 9.30am, Room 2: The Committee will discuss EU directives on food and ‘mobile health’: medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices such as apps that measure vital signs including heart rate, brain activities and blood pressure.

Jobs Committee

  • 10am, Room 3: Junior Minister Seán Sherlock will attend to discuss a Bill that seeks to extend examinership to co-operative societies. It is currently only an option for companies.

Good Friday Committee

  • 10.15am, Room 4: The Committee will discuss how technology can be used to support cross-border economic co-operation, before its focus turns to support for family carers across the 32 counties.

EU Affairs Committee

  • 2pm, Room 3: Emmanuel Crabit of the European Commission and officials from the Department of Justice and Equality will discuss strengthening the Rule of Law in Europe.

Transport Committee

  • 2pm, Room 4: Transport Minister Leo Varadkar and the committee will examine the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014, which looks at transferring the ownership of the airport from the Department of Public Expenditure to a new commercial State company, Shannon Group Plc.

Here’s how to watch what’s going on in Leinster House today:

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