I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 21 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Ring — the need for the Minister for Health to intervene to prevent the reduction in the hours worked by home help staff in County Mayo for budgetary reasons rather than medical ones as this service is vital to the elderly; (2) Deputy Seán Ryan — the future of the vegetable industry in view of the current levels of importation; (3) Deputy Lawlor — the urgent need to replace prefabricated classrooms in St. Declan's College, Navan Road, Dublin, the delay in approving the proposals and the health hazard posed by the present conditions; (4) Deputy Martin — the need to allocate funds to Ballintemple national school, Crab Lane, Cork, to ensure the commencement of an extension to the school, as public liability insurance will be withdrawn in January 1997 unless sanction is received; (5) Deputy Batt O'Keeffe — the action the Minister for Health proposes to take to alleviate the problems experienced in the accident and emergency unit of University College Hospital, Cork, in view of the fact that this unit had to close recently due to the lack of beds; (6) Deputy Michael Smith — the need to ensure that adequate financial support is given to genuine applicants under the nursing home subvention regulations; (7) Deputy O'Dea — the recent newspaper reports concerning an alleged break-in to Wheatfield Prison on 11 November 1996; (8) Deputy Kirk — the serious disruption to hospital services in Louth County Hospital, and the measures being taken to have the matter resolved; (9) Deputy Andrews — the recently published AFRI report which outlines Ireland's involvement in the arms trade and industry and the export by Ireland of military goods to countries with appalling human rights records.
The matters raised by Deputies Batt O'Keeffe, Michael Smith, Martin and Andrews have been selected for discussion.