I ask the Leader for a debate on job creation. This morning it was announced that 100 jobs will be created in Waterford, which are in addition to the 1,600 jobs in the south east announced earlier this week. Yesterday it was also announced that 100 jobs will be created in the ICT sector in Dublin, which I welcomed on the floor of the House. In a week when other political issues have been in focus, perhaps we lost the focus on job creation. We had a number of debates on job creation in the House. The Government has stated an intention to make the ICT sector a key sector for targeted growth in job creation over the coming years. As I said yesterday, we have seen a large number of jobs created in the sector in recent years. It would be worth inviting the Minister responsible for jobs or the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Sean Sherlock, to speak to us specifically about the ICT sector and its potential for job creation. ICT is a hugely important area for growth in Ireland. The Government also plans to create 2,000 extra places in ICT training at third level and it would be good hear about it in a debate.

There was broad welcome for the publication of the heads of the protection of life during pregnancy Bill 2013. We are all aware that Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children will conduct a full debate on those heads. It will be worth seeing whether the Fianna Fáil Party will adopt a responsible legislative approach to the heads of the Bill and recognise that the Bill has been conservatively drafted in line with our obligations under the X case and the European Convention on Human Rights. I hope the party will see its way to supporting the Bill.

I take the opportunity to congratulate two of our leading artists in different disciplines who have been nominated for prestigious Tony awards for best new play and best musical score. I refer to the writer Mr. Colm Tóibín and the musician and head of music at UCC Dr. Mel Mercier. It is a huge achievement, and my fellow Senators will join me in applauding their nominations in New York.

I have two questions for the Leader. On Sunday I was proud to be one of the sponsors of Walk in the Woodlands at Avondale House, the former home of Charles Stewart Parnell. The event was organised to draw attention and opposition to the sale of the harvesting rights of Coillte. I had to leave a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to debate the matter, which coincided with business in the Seanad this morning. I note that the Ministers for Public Expenditure and Reform and Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputies Howlin and Rabbitte, have stated that the sale might not go ahead. I would like to hear the official view of the Government on this disgraceful proposal as agreed with the troika. I raised the matter here on 13 March. I understand the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, will attend next Thursday. He is a busy man and I know this is another extraordinary issue for him. We need to keep the forests and our right to access our national heritage in public ownership.

My second question relates to an Adjournment matter that I raised with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, on 17 April. I ask the Leader to comment on the Government's response to the development of an extensive nuclear power facility at Hinkley Point, Somerset, in the UK. I congratulate An Taisce on its legal challenge in the UK courts. I seek a debate and clarification of whether Ireland was consulted about the issue. Whatever any of us might think about nuclear power, I question the legality of the consultation process and the UK Government's lack of formal consultation with the Irish Government. I have written to the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht about the matter. I call on the Government to publish the terms of reference and scope of the assessment of Hinkley Point by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. The power plant would be around 150 miles from Ireland and our most densely populated east coast. The facility will be as close to many Irish people as it will be to UK residents. For many Irish citizens, nuclear power facilities cause serious concern regarding risks to their health, the environment and the economy, particularly the fishing, agriculture and tourism industries and essential indigenous industries upon which Ireland relies. The House need not be reminded of the long-standing concerns, issues and documented records of accidents and discharges into the Irish Sea from the UK's nuclear facility at Windscale, which was rebranded as Sellafield. It is worrying that even though Dublin and Wexford are closer to Hinkley Point than London or Glasgow, the Irish public were informed about the matter only after An Taisce took its action. Therefore, I call on the Government to publish the RPII's assessment of Hinkley Point as soon as possible and ask that the Irish Government be formally consulted about the development of the 3,260 MW nuclear power plant.

I welcome the statement by President Higgins in the Financial Times today that there should be a rethink of the way European Union leaders are handling the economic crisis. He says there is a need for pluralism of approaches and, in particular, a separation of banking and sovereign debt. That is the purpose of our Bill, No. 34 on the Order Paper. I met the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, at the unveiling of the sculpture to mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of DNA by Professor James Watson who, incidentally, had Tipperary connections. It is a beautiful sculpture in the Botanic Gardens. The Minister of State is keen to make progress and said he had the support of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. We will meet the officials in about three weeks time, but we are getting as much of the material as possible from the United Kingdom and the United States. The need to get a Bill on banking onto the A, B or C list is urgent because the officials are far too slow in that regard. They have to bear responsibility because, substantially, they gave the guarantee in 2008.

I welcome the research on cycle ways by Mr. Frank McDonald in The Irish Times and the huge success of the cycle way between Westport and Achill Sound, of which the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, is a noted advocate. It is built along old railway lines. Unfortunately, as Mr. McDonald notes, similar proposals for a cycle way between west Limerick and County Kerry are being frustrated because CIE did not maintain the route. Some farmers have taken over land properly belonging to CIE which the Minister of State wants to convert into a cycle way to be as successful as the one in County Mayo. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister of State to come into the House to debate the use of disused railway lines as cycle ways, given the success of the experiment in his constituency.

I support Senator Ivana Bacik's call for a debate on the ICT sector. When Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is in the House next week, it will be an ideal opportunity to raise the issue with her because, as the Commissioner responsible for innovation and research, she has a large budget from which Ireland could benefit if we were to take the right approach and have the right processes with which to leverage funding to assist the development and creation of jobs here.

May is European Month of the Brain, an initiative which aims to promote understanding of the human brain and the challenges in dealing with a complex disease such as Alzheimer's disease. There is a need for a dementia strategy. I ask the Leader to raise the issue with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Government to ascertain when we will see this strategy because approximately 42,000 people in Ireland are living with dementia. This has implications for their carers and the health system responsible for their care and support. The Central Statistics Office figures for the projected population of the country were published this week. The number of people over the age of 65 years is due to rise greatly. By 2026 there will be 850,000 people over that age. I am not saying they will all need such care, but it is projected that there will be a large increase in the number of people with dementia which is expected to reach about 140,000 by 2040, a significant increase. This day next week will be Alzheimer's Tea Day which I ask that we acknowledge. We also need to communicate with the Minister of State on when the dementia strategy will be brought forward because there is a need for certainty and a clear plan for individuals and their families facing that situation.