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 Durkan — Whether the Minister for the Environment has issued any recent instructions to local authorities regarding the manner or method of dealing with arrears of local authority mortgages or rent, and whether the recent eviction of a family by Kildare County Council in a snow storm was in accordance with such instructions or the Housing Act, 1988; (2) Deputy Gilmore — The inadequate housing allocation for 1994 communicated to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; (3) Deputy Eoin Ryan — The need to extend the higher education grants scheme to approved courses in designated private colleges; (4) Deputy Creed — The failure to sanction a new water scheme for Macroom, County Cork, which is required to secure existing employment and to facilitate a major industrial expansion by the town's largest employer; (5) Deputy Flood — The need to clarify the position with regard to the future funding of the Tallaght hospital construction project so as to ensure the completion and opening of the hospital within the agreed timescale; (6) Deputy Finucane — The future role of the Salesian secondary school, Pallaskenry, County Limerick, in view of the widespread uncertainty in the matter which has been exacerbated by the delay in approving a grant for conversion of a dormitory into classrooms; (7) Deputy Quill — The failure to appoint a student representative to the governing body of University College, Cork, since June 1993; and the action it is proposed to take to remedy the situation; (8) Deputy Deenihan — The problems created for part-time farmers who have entered into contractual arrangements to plant trees due to the recent announcement by the European Commission that more than 25 per cent of such farmers' income will have to arise from farming; (9) Deputy O'Donnell — Public concern at the high number of fines and penalties being reduced by the Minister for Justice under section 23 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1951; (10) Deputy Rabbitte — The reported threat to £70 million in European funding which had been promised by the Government under the National Development Plan for the construction of Tallaght hospital and the need to ensure that the project will proceed and be completed on schedule.
The matters raised by Deputies Creed, Deenihan, Rabbitte and Eoin Ryan have been selected for discussion.