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 Owen – the provision of a new school building for Malahide community school as pupils will have to be refused entry next year; (2) Deputy Power – the announcement by Peerless Rugs Limited to close its Athy plant, resulting in the loss of 65 jobs; (3) Deputy Crawford – the need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to immediately take steps to increase the numbers of cattle over 30 months which can be slaughtered at export meat factories as the present numbers allowed are causing serious crisis for many beef farmers; (4) Deputy Creed – the need for additional funding for roads for Cork County Council; (5) Deputy Wall – the need to find alternative employment for the 60 workers who are to lose their jobs as a result of the closure of Peerless Rugs, Athy, County Kildare; (6) Deputy Jim Higgins – the decision by the Government to sell the Irish National Petroleum Company; (7) Deputy Farrelly – the provision of additional classrooms and office accommodation at Lismullen primary school, Navan, County Meath; and (8) Deputy Upton – the urgent need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to provide alternative sources of beef to charitable organisations who were dependent on intervention beef to provide for meals-on-wheels for the elderly and at day-care centres.
The matters raised by Deputies Wall, Farrelly, Jim Higgins and Creed have been selected for discussion.