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 current status of Shranamoragh national school, County Mayo, the number of teachers to which the school is entitled and the plans of the Minister for Education and Science to replace a teacher; (2) Deputy Stanton —the need to provide funding to build a new school in Cobh, County Cork, to accommodate Gaelscoil Sheain Ní Eigeartaigh in light of the condition of the present school; (3) Deputy Hayes —the need for an annual subvention to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in light of its present financial crisis; (4) Deputy Brendan Smith — the subject matter of Parliamentary Question No. 91 of Thursday 20 November 1997; (5) Deputy Neville — the need for a plan of action for homeless children in the Eastern Health Board area; (6) Deputy Gormley — the need to introduce legislation to regulate the opening hours of large retail outlets in the light of the decision of a major stores chain to introduce 24 hour shopping in the Christmas shopping period; (7) Deputy Deasy — the necessity to protect wildlife habitats in accordance with European Union directives; (8) Deputy Browne (Wexford) — the ongoing problems for meat exporters and the effect on Irish farmers of the blockades at Welsh ports by Welsh farmers; (9) Deputy Durkan — the reasons for the difference in support between applicants for mortgages and rent supplements whereby the former are given little support while the latter receives up to 80 per cent support; (10) Deputy Gerard Reynolds — the proposals, if any, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government has to reduce the acreage of land for which planning permission is required when planting trees; (11) Deputy Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) — the reply of the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government to Parliamentary Question No. 262 of 9 December 1997; (12) Deputy Deenihan — the necessity to review the level of higher education maintenance grants in view of increasing costs and the resulting hardship for students from lower income families; (13) Deputy Fitzgerald — the need for the Minister for Defence to report on the explosion at Kilworth Camp in County Cork last night; (14) Deputy Allen — the need to appoint an independent legal ombudsman in place of the part-time adjudicator appointed and funded by the Law Society to investigate complaints from the public against members of the Incorporated Law Society itself.
The matters raised by Deputies Brendan Smith, Fitzgerald, Hayes and Ring have been selected for discussion.