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 Allen – the imminent closure of the community women's education initiative in Cork because of the termination of New Opportunities for Women programme funding; (2) Deputy Durkan – the serious housing crisis in County Kildare with particular reference to meeting the needs of first-time house buyers; (3) Deputy Lawlor – the urgent need for full Exchequer funding for the continuation of the education project in disadvantaged areas of Clondalkin; (4) Deputy Marian McGennis – the need to put a formal agreement in place for the administration of the free flu vaccine for medical card holders; (5) Deputy Donal Carey – the urgent problems in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, because of the inadequate water supply system and its weakness in fire fighting ability; (6) Deputy Farrelly – the provision of wheelchair access to St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy, Navan, having regard to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 96 of 14 October 1999; (7) Deputy Ring – the plans, if any, to overrule the decision by the Irish Medicines Board preventing St. John's wort from being sold without a prescription from 1 January next; (8) Deputy Creed – the failure of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to provide funding for Charleville community care and garden services; (9) Deputy Clune – the need for the Government to provide funding to ensure continuation of the NOW projects; (10) Deputy Neville – the report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals for year ending 31 December 1998; (11) Deputy Yates – the decisions by KPN and Telia to sell their shareholdings and withdraw from Eircom; (12) Deputy O'Shea – the decision by KPN to sell its shareholding in Eircom and its implications for the telecommunications sector; (13) Deputy Jim Higgins – the failure to determine whether two prison officers suspended from duty over three years ago are to be retained in the prison service; (14) Deputy Connaughton – the withdrawal of the Venes roll-on, roll-off ship which carried up to 3,000 weanlings to the Continent each week; (15) Deputy Coveney – the state of residential drug treatment facilities in the Cork area, with specific reference to funding requirements for Matt Talbot services.
The matters raised by Deputies Yates, O'Shea, Connaughton and Durkan have been selected for discussion.