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 O. Mitchell – the urgent need for Government funding to construct the essential link from Dundrum to the Southern Cross motorway; (2) Deputy Kenny – the impact of proposals to extend the gas pipe line system without taking into consideration a significant gas find off Achill Head; (3) Deputy Shortall – the need to address the serious discrepancy in the new drugs refund scheme where full-time students between the ages of 23 and 25 are subject to the individual limit of £42 per month regardless of their income; (4) Deputy Shatter – the arrangements necessary to facilitate parents obtaining places for their children in the new Knocklyon post-primary school for the school year commencing September 2000; (5) Deputy G. Mitchell – the high fixed interest rates being charged by local authorities on long standing mortgages based on national legislation and rules; (6) Deputy Neville – the crisis in the Prison Service, particularly the conditions at Mountjoy Prison; (7) Deputy Naughten – the future of peat generated electricity in light of the 1999 International Energy Agency Report on Ireland; (8) Deputy Barrett – the subject matter of Parliamentary Question No. 36 of 16 November regarding local authority priority housing lettings; (9) Deputy Upton – the urgent need to increase financial aid and human resources to help the Turkish people following a series of earthquakes; (10) Deputy Flanagan – the failure to complete road works on the N80 between Carlow and Portlaoise; (11) Deputy Gormley – the application from St. Mary's national school, Belmont Avenue, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, for grant aid towards additional accommodation and (12) Deputy Coveney – the number of towns allocated under the town renewal scheme in Cork.
The matters raised by Deputies Upton, Kenny, Barrett and Gormley have been selected for discussion.