I would like the Tánaiste to answer at least one question today. I have questions on the health information and patient safety Bill, the replacement for the mobility allowance scheme and the motorised transport grants and the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill. The health information and patient safety Bill was part of what the previous Government claimed to be the cornerstone of a new health system. The delayed HSE report for February revealed that 2,700 patients aged over 75 years had spent longer than 24 hours on trolleys. Yesterday there were 321 patients on trolleys, with the number in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in my constituency among the highest. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, reported that in March 9,381 patients were on trolleys, an increase on the figure for last year and double the figure for March 2008. The health information and patient safety Bill has faced significant delays.

When will it be published?

On the issue of the mobility allowance scheme and the motorised transport grants, in February 2013, the Government scrapped them and since then I have been on my feet constantly asking when the alternative will be put forward. We must remember these were scrapped on the back of a recommendation from the Ombudsman for the scope of these schemes to be widened but rather than widen them, the Government got rid of them. The Minister of State at the Department of Health at the time, Kathleen Lynch, acknowledged it was because it would cost too much. Almost four years later, the new programme for Government is again promising new legislation for a new mobility scheme to assist those with a disability to meet their mobility costs. It failed to do it during the previous term, so when will this legislation be published?

The immigration and residency reform Bill is also promised in the programme for Government. It commits to implementing the recommendations of the McMahon report on direct provision. That was in the draft programme but it was removed from the actual programme. That is a very serious decision. The McMahon report made 173 recommendations. Mr. Justice McMahon described the refusal to allow asylum seekers the right to access the labour market as absolutely heartbreaking and immoral. He also urged an amnesty for those who have been in this country for more than five years. I visited the direct provision centre in Mosney several times. Some children have spent their entire lives in what is a slightly tarted up version of Long Kesh, and whatever about the benevolent attitude of the management and so on, it is not right or fair that families should be detained there for so long. Will the Tánaiste consider a once-off amnesty? Will she reinstate the commitment to the McMahon report in the programme for Government, and when will she publish the immigration and residency reform Bill?

I call the Tánaiste. She might clarify the Leas-Cheann Comhairle issue.

I understand it was not discussed at the Whips meeting. It was never on the Order Paper and the Chief Whip asked for an extension.

Why?

She asked for an extension. It was not on the Order Paper and it was not discussed at the Whips meeting.

Could more people be nominated now?

Deputy, please desist.

The Minister has to answer that.

It was never on the Order Paper, so the Chief Whip has asked for an extension and she will discuss it.

What part of a deadline does the Government not understand?

Does the Deputy want to put forward his name?

It was never on the Order Paper, so it is entirely appropriate for her to ask for an extension if she so sought it.

Everybody was told the nominations had to be in by 5 p.m. last Friday.

The health information and safety legislation is being drafted. I made the point yesterday that given that the Government is only in place for a short period, there will be discussions between each Department and each Minister with the Taoiseach in the coming week to discuss the priority legislation and that will then be shared and discussed in the House. The priorities from each of the Departments and the legislation we hope to get through in this Dáil term will be published. I am informed the legislation raised by the Deputy is being drafted at present.

On the mobility scheme, work is being done in the Department of Health on a new scheme and that will also require legislation. I can confirm there is no change in the Government policy in implementing the recommendations of the McMahon report. Many of the recommendations have already been implemented. There has been an acceleration in the pace of decision-making with respect to those who have been in direct provision for more than five years. The numbers have gone down substantially. A decision was taken by the previous Government to increase the money made available for children and for access to third level education. Those were some of the serious recommendations in the report. Work is ongoing on implementing the recommendations and I intend to soon again meet members of the working party to review progress. I held a number of meetings with them during the course of last year to discuss the implementation of the recommendations. The change the Deputy described between the draft programme and the programme is not significant. We remain committed to what we said at the time regarding the implementation of those recommendations.

On the residency Bill, the Deputy will recall that the protection legislation was passed by this House last year. It was decided to separate it from the larger immigration and residency Bill. Given of the scale of that Bill, it had not been implemented by successive Ministers down the years and we decided it was important to bring forward the protection legislation. That was brought separately to this House and passed but work is ongoing on the broader Bill.