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 Brendan Smith – the need to ensure the continuation of the maximum level of services at the department of surgery at Cavan General Hospital; (2) Deputy Cowley – to ask the Minister if he is aware and does he think it acceptable that Kincon post office, Kilfian, County Mayo, which has been in existence for generations has been closed by stealth by An Post without any alternative service being offered, causing extreme hardship to the people of the area, and whether he will agree that the service should be reinstated immediately; (3) Deputy Gay Mitchell – to raise on the Adjournment the reply to Question No. 171 of 22 May 2003 in relation to a 16 year old who is seeking a visa to join her parents and their other two children in Ireland, especially given the unacceptable tone and nature of the reply received; (4) Deputy Michael Higgins – the imposition from 1 July 2003 of a passenger levy on passengers travelling to islands off the coast, including the Aran Islands, the manner in which the levy is being introduced without consideration as to the type of passenger and its impact on those providing a service; (5) Deputy Breeda Moynihan-Cronin – the need to retain a fourth teacher at Scoil Cheann Trá, Ventry, County Kerry; (6) Deputy Gormley – the continuing burning of plastic from wire in the Ringsend/Hanover Quay area causing unacceptable levels of pollution for local residents; (7) Deputy Connaughton – the matter of the ten week old strike at the Department of Agriculture and Food offices in Counties Galway, Mayo, Kerry, Limerick and Cork in order to highlight the enormous hardship being encountered by farmers as a result of the strike and to seek reasons this dispute has been allowed to go on for so long; (8) Deputy Allen – the ever increasing incidence of violence in urban areas, with particular reference to a serious fatal incident involving the death of a person (details supplied); (9) Deputy Timmins – to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food to outline his position on the Fischler proposals; (10) Deputy Crowe – the effect of continuing community employment cutbacks on disadvantaged areas and groups.
The matters raised by Deputies Breeda Moynihan-Cronin, Brendan Smith, Gormley and Allen have been selected for discussion.