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 Gay Mitchell – the delays of up to three years in having the occupational therapy unit of the Eastern Regional Health Authority assess the needs of disabled and elderly people; (2) Deputy Connaughton – the problems concerning the back to education allowance scheme for mature students; (3) Deputy Stanton – the imminent sale of the State oil refinery at Whitegate and other assets of the INPC; (4) Deputy McGennis – the problems caused for school crossing attendants who are being denied unemployment benefit during the summer period; (5) Deputy Gilmore – the implications of the High Court decision regarding taxi licences and the measures the Government intends to take to ensure a sufficient supply of taxis, especially in the Dublin area; (6) Deputy Kirk – the present position regarding the Irish operations of the Xerox Corporation, particularly the Dundalk plant in view of the financial position of the corporation; (7) Deputy Flanagan – the serious jobs threat at Boora plant of Bord na Móna following a major decline in demand for peat after the closure of a 40 megawatt electricity generating unit at Shannonbridge power station, County Offaly; (8) Deputy Seán Ryan – the urgent need for additional gardaí and resources for Swords, Balbriggan and Malahide Garda stations; (9) Deputy Finucane – the need for a speech and language therapist for a school (details supplied) in County Limerick which has 30 children with a wide range of disabilities; (10) Deputy Gregory – the sale by public auction of 29 houses in St. Patrick's Avenue and Enaville Avenue, Ballybough, Dublin 3, on Wednesday 25 October 2000 – all the houses have families living in them who are on the local authority's waiting list and face eviction if the sale goes through; (11) Deputy Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) – the unsatisfactory replies to parliamentary Questions Nos. 116, 137 and 155 on the treatment of adults who suffer from attention deficit disorder and ADHD; (12) Deputy McGuinness – the need for the Minister to prevent the proposed reduction of gynaecological beds in St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, to commence on 1 November 2000; (13) Deputy O'Sullivan – the need for the implementation of the recommendation of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry regarding the appointment of an ombudsman; (14) Deputy Breeda Moynihan-Cronin – the need for the Minister for Public Enterprise to ensure that the national carrier, Aer Lingus, continues its services to Kerry Airport; (15) Deputy McGrath – the water supply difficulties at Moate, County Westmeath, and the need for grant aid to improve this water supply and (16) Deputy Gerard Reynolds – the fact that counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal are the only areas of the country that will not be serviced by a natural gas pipeline.
The matters raised by Deputies Kirk, Stanton, Gerard Reynolds and Gilmore have been selected for discussion.