asked the Minister for Health if he has considered making hepatitis B vaccination compulsory for all student nurses, in view of the risk of infection.

No vaccination is compulsory in this country. All vaccinations, including hepatitis B vaccination, are offered on a voluntary basis.

Hepatitis B vaccine is available in Ireland and has been offered to health services staff, including student nurses. I will be introducing shortly a national hepatitis B vaccination programme for certain categories of health care staff who have regular contact with blood and are at risk from personal occupational injury. This programme would include student nurses.

Will the Minister clarify what he means by having a national programme in the light of his previous statement that there would not be any compulsion on people in this regard? Does he envisage a PR campaign to alert people to the seriousness of the disease?

A letter was sent from my Department to the CEO of each health board and the programme manager in the general hospital care, directors of special hospital care and community care programmes in each health board area, medical officers of health, voluntary hospitals and the agencies that look after persons suffering from mental handicap. The letter was sent out in August and gave guidelines on the availability of hepatitis B vaccination. As a result of the replies received, it appears that 16,000 staff are considered at risk and the vaccination will be offered to them. However, vaccination will not be compulsory as no vaccination is compulsory at present.

That disposes of questions, priority and ordinary, for today.

This morning, in the course of some disorderly interruptions in which I was not involved, the Taoiseach indicated that the Minister for Agriculture proposed to make a statement during the course of the day. I put down a Private Notice Question inviting him to make the statement to this House where he might be questioned on it. I want to protest at the discourtesy of the Minister for Agriculture in choosing to make a statement elsewhere. I note that, although it was apparently urgent this morning, it ceased to be urgent this afternoon and your ruling that my Private Notice Question lacked urgency does not seem to prevent the Minister for Agriculture from making a statement elsewhere.

The Deputy knows full well that the rulings of the Chair in such matters may not be challenged. However, in respect of my reply to the Deputy, it is fair to say that the allegations to which he referred were made last Thursday and questions could have been tabled for answer this week.

We were not told.

Indeed Deputies tabled questions on the Order Paper to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Justice and they were replied to yesterday.

My point is that we were not told that the Minister for Agriculture proposed to make a statement—

I propose to deal with the Social Welfare Bill.

It was a grave discourtesy to the House.

I put down a Private Notice Question relating to the conditions at Cavan Garda Barracks as reported in the Garda Review this month. Conditions there are very bad, in fact the building is about to collapse——

I conveyed my decision to the Deputy and I have nothing to add to it.