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 Cowley — to ask the Minister if he is aware that staff recruited for the new orthopaedic unit at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar are now being asked to accept different and inferior positions from those originally offered to them; (2) Deputy Ring — to ask the Minister for Health and Children the outcome of a meeting that took place earlier between the Department of Health and Children and the Western Health Board regarding orthopaedic services in Mayo General Hospital; (3) Deputy Connolly — the necessity for temporary teacher cover in instances where brief drops in pupil enrolment adversely affect educational standards; (4) Deputy Sargent — that the Minister indicate how he expects schools to take seriously the promotion of 2004 as year of sport in education when a school (details supplied) is denied necessary grant aid; (5) Deputy Durkan — the practice of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs whereby lone parents in receipt of child dependant allowance in respect of a second or subsequent child have their rent allowances cut by a similar amount; and (6) Deputy Gogarty — the need for the Government to protect the Clondalkin round tower by purchasing the site.
The matters raised by Deputies Sargent, Ring, Cowley and Durkan have been selected for discussion.