I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given to me under Standing Order 20 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Dukes — the need for an environmental impact assessment in relation to the construction of a mast for the Loran Cnavigation system at Loop Head, County Clare; Deputy Tom Foxe — the fact that staff from the farm development service are being sent to livestock offices throughout the country to expedite the payment of headage grants, thus leaving the applications for farm development grants unprocessed; Deputy Michael Kitt — the question of allowing medical cards as of right to the handicapped; Deputy de Valera — the proposed establishment and operation of a civil Loran C navigation system in Kilbaha, County Clare which is causing much anxiety and concern among the local residents; Deputy Dermot Ahern — last weeks reported radioactive leak from Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria; Deputy Haughey — the need for the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications to report on the operation of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant following another leak at the plant on 11 February 1993; Deputy Richard Bruton — the codes of practice, if any, which are in place to avoid interference with essential services as a consequence of industrial disputies; and the contingency plans, if any, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment has to prevent any hardship should public services be threatened by impending disputes; Deputy Harte — the intention of the entire staff of Milford national school, County Donegal to withdraw their services on Friday 19 February 1993 in protest against the appalling conditions in which pupils and teachers are forced to work; and the action, if any, the Minister for Education proposes to take in the matter; Deputy Quill — the predicament of hundreds of women who are due backpayment arising from the 1986 EC Directive on Equality and to whom payment remains outstanding; Deputy Sheehan — when recipients of joint British and Irish old age pensions will receive an increase in their present rate of Irish old age pension to compensate them for the variation in the pound sterling against the punt over the past six months; Deputy Jim Higgins — the failure of the Minister for Education to make available to the House the number of qualified teachers of art, music and physical education in certain categories of post-primary schools in reply to a parliamentary question; Deputy Owen — the case of a student (details supplied) in a regional technical college who has been told that he cannot continue his course lectures because he failed the Christmas examination; Deputy Allen — the chaos in the district courts system in Cork where defendants have to shout their defence from outside the doors of the courtroom and where the district Judge is forced to work under impossible conditions and the resultant risk to the administration of justice; Deputy McManus — the decision of the Eastern Health Board not to provide emergency accommodation for homeless young people over 16, the implications of this decision for the young homeless; and the need for the provision of funds and resources to allow all health boards to meet their obligations to young homeless people; Deputy Gilmore — the case for a new car ferry terminal for Dún Laoghaire port.
I have selected for discussion the matters raised by Deputies Dukes, Tom Foxe and Harte.