I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 20 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Cox — the current status of the proposal in the Finance Act, 1993, to bring forward VAT payments of approximately £145 million to December 1993; the changes made to the liability threshold for this tax levy since the Act was passed, and the implications of the recent judgment of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg in relation to VAT payments; (2) Deputy Allen — the need for escorts on buses carrying mentally handicapped children to and from special schools in view of the potential risks to these children; (3) Deputy Kenneally — the difficulties experienced by handicapped pupils at St. Joseph's special school in Waterford in moving between floors and the need for urgent action in the matter; (4) Deputy Brendan Smith — the need to make provision for a renal dialysis unit at Cavan General Hospital in the 1944 allocation to the North-Eastern Health Board; (5) Deputy Deenihan — the need to provide finance to enable essential renovation work to be carried out on Listowel Garda Station, County Kerry; (6) Deputy Crawford — the form, cost and number of maps to be supplied for area aid purposes, in view of the widespread confusion in the matter; (7) Deputy Hogan — the need to review the decision to terminate various social welfare benefits upon taking up a position on the FÁS scheme, particularly in relation to the payment of the Christmas bonus; (8) Deputy Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny)— the financial hardship caused to parents and friends of people with mental handicap; (9) Deputy Theresa Ahearn — the delay in the provision of an extension at Scoil Ruáin, Killenaule, County Tipperary; (10) Deputy Yates — the 263 job losses proposed at Irish Life; staff concerns in relation to revised pay and conditions of employment; and the need for the Government, as shareholder in the company, to ensure that employees interests are adequately safeguarded; (11) Deputy Broughan — the need for funding to refurbish Kilbarrack DART Station; (12) Deputy Durkan — the subject matter of Parliamentary Question No. 56 of 4 November 1993, in relation to the importation of a motor vehicle and subsequent imposition of duty; (13) Deputy Creed — the failure to proceed with the construction of a 50 metre swimming pool; (14) Deputy Connaughton — the situation whereby landowners adjoining Coillte Teoranta forests have to bear the financial burden of deer trespass to their property, in view of the destruction of 14 acres of private afforestation in County Galway; (15) Deputy G. Mitchell — the need for two additional all-Irish secondary schools in Dublin, one on the north side and one on the south side, to meet the huge demand for such schools as evidenced by the 18 all-Irish primary schools in the city and (16) Deputy M. McDowell — the implications for Government efforts in the peace process of the recent disclosures of ongoing contacts bwetween the British Government and the IRA, and the statements made on the BBC programme “Panorama” to the effect that the Irish Government had contact with terrorist organisations.
The matters raised by Deputies Cox, Deenihan, Brendan Smith and John Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) have been selected for discussion.