I request that the Minister for Health or his replacement comes in here to debate the proposed St. James's children's hospital. I will refresh the memory of Senators. St. James's did not meet the criteria of six hectares set out in the Dolphin report because the site is only 2.4 hectares. I repeat that the children's hospital needed six hectares but the Coombe hospital has 14 acres and the Blanchardstown hospital has 16 acres available.

The next issue is car park facilities. I will outline statistics gathered from around the world that have been compiled for me and which let me know exactly how many car park spaces are needed per bed. Once we have the adult and children's hospital located at St. James's, we will need a total of 5,230 car park spaces. The maximum that Dublin City Council will allow is 2,000 but current planning and design allows for 1,500. The Jack and Jill Foundation wrote to all the Senators this morning to state that we have been deluged by letters and inquiries from parents asking why choose St. James's. I ask Members to imagine the following scenario. A sick child who is tube fed and needs a wheelchair to get about is having an epileptic fit but one's husband is in work so one puts the child in the back of the car. Is any Senator going to tell me they would get on the Luas in that situation?

If one goes to St. James's where there is a bottleneck of traffic anyway, how on earth is one going to park? We need 5,280 car park spaces, and in a perfect world there will never be more than 2,000, but currently it appears there will only be 1,500. I apologise for ranting. Some 92% of sick children arrive at hospital by car.

This is an issue that will eventually bring down the Government. Those who are sitting on the Government benches think I am mad but let us go back to the Mater. How much money was wasted on the Mater? We are at the design team stage in St. James's. If I had more time I could outline the issue step by step, and if any Members wish to speak to me individually I will be available. St. James's will not make it to the end of planning. It will not get planning permission. Do Members want to sit here and preside over the next expensive failure of the next children's hospital? We need to sit down and debate this issue. The servants at the back of the HSE have somehow blackguarded the Minister that this is the place, whether it was the adult hospitals and their associated powerful universities who have pushed this through. I assure the House that the parents of the sick children do not want the hospital in St. James's and I wonder if the paediatricians have had any say either.

I join colleagues in congratulating the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, on her elevation to the leadership of the Labour Party, and wish her well. She is a fine politician. We saw her operate in this House on many occasions.

I would advise Senator Darragh O'Brien not to be particularly concerned about the review of the travel pass scheme which is being undertaken. The scheme in place is not fit for purpose. There is massive abuse and misuse of the free travel pass. There is a need to put in place a scheme that is tamper proof. All the technology to do that is available. It is appropriate that the Minister would conduct a review of the free travel scheme.

While I will not support the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Denis O'Donovan, I call on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to restore funding to the advocacy service for the Irish Deaf Society. A number of constituents from east Galway have been in touch with me about this issue. I intend to lobby the Minister strongly as it is unfair to a vulnerable group who need professional and strong representation on occasions.

I was very pleased to hear the contribution from Senator Feargal Quinn earlier. I hope the positivity he was spreading around will rub off some of my colleagues. I ask the Leader for a debate as soon as possible on Ireland's investment performance in the first half of the year in conjunction with the Action Plan for Jobs. Ministers take a good deal of stick in this House when things go wrong. However, it is appropriate that we recognise the contribution made by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, in respect of the Action Plan for Jobs and the very significant new investments we have witnessed in the first half of the year. Some 100 investments have been secured in the first six months compared to 70 in previous years. Of those, 40% are new investments. Therefore, new companies are investing in Ireland because confidence has been restored since the improvement in our finances. Ireland is the place for job creation and new investment. Some 8,000 new jobs have been located here by IDA Ireland-backed companies in the first half of the year and some very significant operations are locating here. It would be appropriate early in the next term to review the Action Plan for Jobs with a view to accelerating the job creation process for the remainder of the year.

I found the arguments made by Senator Mary Ann O'Brien on the suitability of St. James's quite compelling and I am keen to support her call for the Minister to come in to examine the issue before it goes any further. Clearly, she knows what she is talking about through her involvement with the Jack & Jill Foundation. The issue should be looked at.

Senator Denis Landy mentioned the Bord na gCon report which I read with dismay. It is tremendously disappointing and parts of it are shocking. The dog racing industry is very important in the area from which I come, both for track and coursing dogs. While the industry is well run and regulated there, clearly that is not the position all over the country. I hope the incoming Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine will respond to the report in a proper manner. The finances are disaster, not to mention the regulatory aspects.

As others have done, I wish the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, well in her appointment as Tánaiste and leader of the Labour Party. She is a long-standing politician who has been around for some time and knows what it is about. In opposition, she was well able to tackle other leaders including my former leader, Brian Cowen, and indeed she made life uncomfortable for her own party leader. This is her chance to take a lead and to step forward.

I second Senator Averil Power's amendment to the Order of Business.

Part of the local government programme was to set up local community development companies, LCDCs. Currently these are being formed around the country. There will be a huge protest here tomorrow from the Leader groups who, to some extent, have been replaced by the LCDCs. In that debate we supported the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, because we felt it was sensible approach. However, there is much confusion and misinformation currently concerning the role of LCDCs, their funding level and budgetary powers. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, to make a statement clarifying how he sees the volunteer sector working with local government into the future.