: It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 1 and 6 (resumed); Nos. 7 and 8. It is proposed to interrupt business at 3.30 p.m. to take Nos. 7 and 8.
Order of Business .
: On the Order of Business, may I ask the Taoiseach if it is true, as reported, that the Green Paper has gone to the printers? If so, will he tell the House when it will be distributed so that we may have a look at it before the Adjournment Debate begins three weeks from now?
: I am not going into the logistics of the printing and publishing of the Green Paper. I have said already that the Green Paper will be available next week in good time for the Adjournment Debate.
: On the Order of Business, may I ask the Taoiseach if the Government are in possession of a report by Amnesty alleging ill-treatment in Castlereagh Barracks?
: No.
: I wish to give notice of my intention to raise on the Adjournment the question of bringing Ireland before the European Court on the question of access to free civil legal aid.
: I will communicate with the Deputy during the day.
: I wish to raise the question of the decision by the Chair to disallow my question to the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy regarding the dumping of industrial waste from the Raybestos Manhattan factory at Ovens, County Cork, on the grounds that it was a repeat of my question last week to the Minister for Defence. I submit this is not so and I would ask the Chair to review the decision.
: I will have another look at the matter. Other than that I cannot give the Deputy any assurance.
: Will the Taoiseach clarify the status of the statement issued yesterday from the Departments of Health and Social Welfare that no cuts will take place in expenditure in that area? Is that an official statement from those Departments and does it reflect Government thinking on the matter?
: I cannot comment on newspaper reports about statements made on behalf of Departments.
: The statement was made by the Departments.
: The Deputy will see the Green Paper next week.
: This is a departure from what I understand to be collective Cabinet responsibility——
: The Deputy cannot raise on the Order of Business——
: It was not a statement by the Departments. As I understand it it was a statement by the Minister for Health and Social Welfare.
: It is not in order to discuss it now.
: The Taoiseach must have some responsibility.
: I have no objection to the statement. I wish merely to clarify its status.
: The Deputy will have plenty of time to discuss the contents of the Green Paper.
: There was no statement from the Department of the Environment or the Department of Education——
: Order. I am calling Item No. 1.