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 Deenihan, the financial burden facing Kerry County Council following the recent oil spillage off the Kerry coast and whether the Minister for the Marine will reimburse Kerry County Council for their outlay on the clean-up operation; (2) Deputy G. Mitchell, the reason no house purchase scheme has been introduced since the Millennium year and if the Minister for the Environment will now take steps to introduce such a scheme; (3) Deputy Connaughton, the suspension by the Department of Agriculture and Food of the control of pollution grants (western package), without warning and if the Minister will outline the future operation of this vitally important scheme for farmers as far as slatted houses and silage bases are concerned; (4) Deputy Flanagan, the need for the Minister for Education to approve the placing of tenders for the commencement of structural work at Mountmellick community school, County Laois; (5) Deputy Gilmore, the case of a woman (details supplied), whose unemployment assistance has been reduced because of her common law husband's income, even though he cannot claim income tax relief; (6) Deputy Durkan, the failure of the Minister for Education to respond to the needs of Confey college, Leixlip, County Kildare, by way of provision of permanent buildings to replace temporary school buildings currently in use; (7) Deputy Fennell, whether the Minister for Education will issue guidelines to State supported schools forbidding the use of school buildings and grounds for organising, promoting or postering functions, meetings or marches about abortion; (8) Deputy McCormack, the urgent matter of Gael Scoil Dara, Renmore, Galway, and whether the Minister for Education will provide a premises for this school for the coming year; (9) Deputy Noonan (Limerick East), the reason the Department of Health have not sanctioned a programme put forward by the Mid-Western Health Board to accommodate young adults who are being discharged from Lotta special school in Cork, and who, in the absence of Mid-Western Health Board accommodation, will have to be cared for by their parents from June 1992; (10) Deputy J. Higgins, the failure of the Companies Act, 1990, to ensure payment on foot of cheques issued to UMP creditors and stamped “under the protection of the court” and the further dishonoured liabilities owing to hauliers and farmers; and (11) Deputy G. O'Sullivan, the plight of a County Cork widow whose husband was killed on peace-keeping duties in the Lebanon and who has been left with an enormous debt because of the failure of Cork County Council to give mortgage protection.
I have selected for discussion the matters raised by Deputies Mitchell, Connaughton and Gilmore.