I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given to me under Standing Order 20 (3) (a) and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Dick Spring, the steps the Minister for Justice intends to take to provide custodial facilities for juvenile offenders in view of the continuing grave shortfall of such places; (2) Deputy Jim Higgins, the need for the Minister for Agriculture and Food to instruct ERAD to instigate an immediate inquiry into the use of the drug cortisone for the supression of the visible signs of TB in animals, while failing to combat the disease, and the obvious danger to public health as a result of same; (3) Deputy Richard Bruton, the crisis which has re-emerged at the accident and emergency departments of a number of Dublin hospitals; (4) Deputy Charles Flanagan, the matter of a proposal for the designation of the Slieve Bloom mountain area as an environmentally sensitive area under EEC Regulation 797/85; (5) Deputy Mary Flaherty, if the Minister for Energy proposes to absorb the costs of increased ESB charges; (6) Deputy Patrick J. Sheehan, the serious concern expressed by constituents in south west Cork at the lack of interest by the Minister for Energy in formulating any definite plans for the future development of Whiddy Island terminal in conjunction with the proposed upgrading of the Whitegate Oil Refinery; (7) Deputy John V. Farrelly, the matter of a number of vans and cars which were stolen in Navan, County Meath, last weekend, 15 and 16 February; and the action the Minister for Justice intends to take to prevent the recurrence of this and to protect the livelihood of those concerned; (8) Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, the damage being caused by the bank vole to many of our public and private forests in the west Limerick, north Kerry area and the urgent need to curb the menace; (9) Deputy Nuala Fennell, if the Minister for Health will intervene in the case of a 10 year old girl, a confirmed victim of sex abuse, who is on a six month waiting list for counselling and therapy; (10) Deputy Therese Ahearn, the delay in the establishment of the sanctioned resource centre in Cashel; (11) Deputy Bernard Allen, the use of debt collectors by health boards, more specifically the Southern Health Board, to collect hospital charges from medical card holders; (12) Deputy Pat McCartan, the unsatisfactory record of prosecutions of drink driving cases which cause deaths; and the need for the Minister for Justice to implement the demands of the Mothers Against Drink Driving; (13) Deputy Tomás Mac Giolla, the price rise announced by ESB of 2.5 per cent in electricity bills from April 1991; (14) Deputy Proinsias De Rossa, the current peace initiatives in the Gulf War and the Government response to these moves; the possible imminence of a massive ground war which would cause appalling casualties; the need for the Government to publicly support the initiative, to encourage those involved to continue the search for peace, and to urge that all further military action be deferred pending the outcome of the talks and (15) Deputy Eamon Gilmore, the closure of Emerald City Productions Ltd. in Dún Laoghaire with the loss of 60 jobs.
I have selected for discussion the matters raised by the following Deputies: (1) Deputy Mary Flaherty, (2) Deputy Eamon Gilmore and (3) Deputy Dick Spring.
We will now proceed to our debate——
