It is proposed to take items Nos. 2 and 6.
Order of Business.
When is it intended to publish the White Paper on Civil Service Reform which was recently announced by the Minister?
I cannot give the Deputy the date but I will endeavour to get an approximate date for him. It will not be in the immediate future.
I understood from a recent public announcement made by the Minister that the White Paper was far advanced and would be published shortly. Was I not correct in that interpretation?
There is a lot of work to be done. It will not be published in the immediate future but I will endeavour to get an approximate date for the Deputy.
Where is the Minister for the Public Service?
He is not available. He is in Australia.
I should like to raise for the third occasion the closure of Youghal Carpets. This was the last remaining industry in Youghal——
I will communicate with the Deputy.
It is essential that the Government do something.
Will the Minister for Health make a statement——
That is not in order.
——on the proposed cuts by the Southern Health Board which would result in the closure of wards, reduction of services and job losses in the Southern Health Board area? The Minister met the chief consultant yesterday. This is a very serious matter.
This is not in order. The Estimate for the Department of Health will be before the House and such a contribution would be relevant on that.
The Minister met the consultant yesterday and the House is entitled to know what action he intends to take to alleviate——
The Deputy is not entitled to intervene in this way and he knows that.
I raised this matter yesterday. I asked that it be raised on the Adjournment but it was ruled out of order.
There were 12 other items to be considered for the Adjournment. If I had allowed all of them we would have been here until morning.
Surely I am entitled to an explanation from the Minister for Health about this serious matter?
It is not in order now. It was ruled out of order yesterday because it was anticipating an Estimate before the House.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the imminent collapse of the fishing industry.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
What is the present position of the Cork-Swansea car ferry link? The Minister for Communications made an announcement recently and can he give us the up-to-date position?
That is stretching it a little. It does not arise on the Order of Business.
The Minister made an announcement concerning it in public. Is it not correct to ask the Minister——
I refer the Deputy to a memo I read out to the House this week.
I remember the Ceann Comhairle pursuing the same course when he was a Member on this side of the House.
I did not establish precedents, good or bad, when I was on that side of the House.