John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

On the last point, it is appropriate for the Minister to attend the House. It certainly was not spelt out at the start, when the SSIAs were launched, that interest on those accounts would be taken into account when people were applying for third level grants. It is my understanding that in other areas people are losing social welfare entitlements because of interest earned on SSIAs, which is unacceptable. Clarification of that matter is required.

Senator Mansergh raised the issue of the ESRI report on the horseracing industry and I concur with most of what he said. I fully support the equine sector which is a major employer. It is also a major recreational product and I concur with the Senator's sentiments in that regard.

Will the Leader contact the Department of Education and Science or the Department of Transport with a view to obtaining clarification on the school bus transport system? In my area, a number of people in Kilkenny applied for a school bus ticket but a catchment boundary issue arose. They applied in June and the final verdict was given last week. They were told that they were within the catchment boundary but their application was now being treated as a late application. The buses are full so they will not get tickets for their children to travel to school by bus. We are talking about long distances so the situation is unacceptable. The Leader should obtain clarification on that issue. We should ensure that if pupils are eligible for a school bus ticket and are living within a catchment area, they should be accommodated on school buses. In many parts of the country, however, they are not being so accommodated.

I compliment the Garda Commissioner on his decision to launch an investigation into the siege in Gort. I also compliment members of the Garda Síochána who performed very well, as far as I can ascertain from my vantage point, in what was a terrible situation. I am confident that such an investigation will see that their actions were in order.

I wish to raise the issue of Garda numbers with the Leader. On 27 March, I wrote to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, about Garda numbers in the Garda districts and divisions in Carlow and Kilkenny. He was not the Tánaiste then, although he has had a great deal of activity in the meantime. I received a reply on 5 October, seven months later, having requested the information on 27 March. That delay is unacceptable. When Members of the House or a member of the public writes to a Minister seeking to ascertain basic Garda figures throughout the country they should get a more prompt response rather than having to wait seven months for a reply.