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 McDaid—the problems relating to the installation of a CAT scanner at Letterkenny General Hospital, County Donegal; (2) Deputies Michael Smith and Noel Treacy—the serious consequences for marine life in the River Shannon and the need to take action in relation to the death of fish, seagulls and other wildlife in recent weeks; (3) Deputy Shortall—the need to tackle illegal drug dealers by establishing a special unit involving the Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Welfare; (4) Deputy Eric Byrne—the urgent need to establish a special Garda task force to co-ordinate the investigations into the recent gangland killings in Dublin; (5) Deputy Lynch—the need to ensure that history remains compulsory for junior certificate students; (6) Deputy Brendan Smith—the need to approve the proposal by Cavan County Council to provide a new branch library at Cootehill; (7) Deputy Kirk—the need to ensure that the six counties south of the Border are considered for the proposed special tax status for American companies investing in Northern Ireland; (8) Deputy Hughes—the question of ongoing funding for the Mayo Rape Crisis Centre in view of the threat to the level of service provided due to current inadequate funding; (9) Deputy Hugh Byrne—the policy implications for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry arising from the cessation of research specifically dedicated to organic farming at the State's only research facility for organic farming; (10) Deputy Cullen—public concern regarding the proposed location of the new sewage treatment plant at Tramore, County Waterford, and the insistence of the Department of the Environment on the location despite concern expressed by the Department of the Marine; (11) Deputy Dan Wallace—the recently revealed situation in the Southern Health Board area regarding the placing of elderly people in need of suitable nursing home care; (12) Deputies Cowen and Joe Walsh—the administrative disarray in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry which is causing hardship to farmers who cannot obtain movement permits thereby impeding the sale of cattle; (13) Deputy Martin—the need to provide additional funding to the Southern Health Board to ensure that all new applications for subvention for nursing home places are processed and that adequate resources will be in place until the end of the year so that eligible applicants can receive their entitlements; (14) Deputy Tom Kitt—the action which has been taken by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment in relation to the industrial dispute at An Post; (15) Deputy Ferris—the need to include the condition known as post polio syndrome or late effects of polio in the long-term illness scheme administered by the Department of Health and the health boards; (16) Deputy Deasy—the need to progress the permanent extension which has been approved for St. Declan's Community College, Kilmacthomas, County Waterford in view of the anticipated major additional intake of students in September 1996; (17) Deputy Theresa Ahearn—the difficulties facing beef farmers as a result of the "go slow" by staff in district veterinary offices who are members of the Civil and Public Services Union, and the need to resolve this problem so that farmers can obtain permits to sell their animals.
The matters raised by Deputies Hughes, Michael Smith and Noel Treacy, Kirk, Cowen and Joe Walsh have been selected for discussion.