It is proposed to take No. 9.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, I would ask the Taoiseach if we are to take it that the first fruit of the £500,000 being spent on shaping up the image of his Presidency is to be found on page 10 of the Irish Independent today which talks of an article which appeared in Le Monde about our Taoiseach and speaks about the passions of his life, the scandals he had endured——
That is hardly in order now, Deputy Dukes.
——his emotions and the fact that he is not to be taken as a provincial politician. Is this what we are spending £500,000 of public money on?
That is not appropriate on the Order of Business.
(Interruptions.)
I wish to raise on the Order of Business the question of the disallowance of questions by me and other Deputies in The Workers' Party to the Minister for Finance on a range of issues, on monetary and economic union, on harmonisation of tax proposals in the EC, on the proposed national debt office, on the policy of the public service and the job creation proposals in the Programme for Government, all of which have been ruled out of order on the grounds that they anticipate the debate on the budget. The decision to rule them out of order is an extremely restrictive interpretation of the rules.
Please, Deputy De Rossa, it is not in order to challenge my ruling in this fashion.
I am not questioning your ruling.
Deputy De Rossa will desist. I will try to assist the Deputy and the House in the matter.
I would ask the Chair to reconsider the decision on those questions.
Please, Deputy De Rossa.
(Interruptions.)
Parliamentary questions should not be disallowed on the grounds that they are anticipatory of debate on the budget except during the three week period following the commencement of the debate. That was a ruling in May 1988 by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. The rule still applies but it will cease to apply on 21 February when questions of the type referred to by the Deputy will then be in order.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Let us have no discussion on the matter now.
I am not discussing it. I am making the point that I know quite well the ruling the Chair has read out. I am disputing the interpretation of that ruling. To rule out, for instance, a question on monetary and economic union, which is not strictly speaking, to do with the budget debate——
Deputy De Rossa, if your questions are ruled out of order, they were ruled out for very cogent and obvious reasons.
(Limerick-East): Before Christmas the Taoiseach announced the setting up of a debt management office and promised legislation at the time. Does the Taoiseach intend his Minister for Finance to bring in a separate Bill or will this legislation be incorporated in the Finance Bill?
There will be separate legislation this session.
(Limerick-East): Before Easter?
That is what is hoped, yes.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the continuing attacks on tourists visiting this country, and the need to update legislation to ensure that specific penalties are provided for those who take advantage of tourists.
I will be in touch with the Deputy concerning the matter.
Will the Taoiseach or the Minister for the Environment avail of the opportunity today to make a statement to reassure the nation about the quality of drinking water having regard to——
That is not in order now, Deputy Quinn. Deputy Connaughton is being called.
Surely it is in order——
I am on my feet, Deputy Quinn; you will resume your seat. The matter must be raised in another fashion. It is clearly not a question for the Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, will the Taoiseach say if he is aware of the anxiety in the food processing industry about the allegation concerning poor quality Hungarian meat being packaged in boxes——
That is not in order.
——believed to belong to the Ballybay Meat Exports company?
I am calling Deputy Eamon Gilmore.
I want to find out from the Taoiseach how this product got into this country and if he is aware——
Deputy Connaughton will resume his seat.
(Interruptions.)
It is a very serious matter.
I seek permission to raise on the Adjournment the report in today's Consumer Choice magazine concerning the contamination of drinking water, and to ask the Taoiseach or the Minister for the Environment when it is intended to bring the Water Pollution Bill back before the House, and if the opportunity will be used to bring forward an amendment which would require local authorities to make public the results of monitoring of drinking water.
It is hoped to bring the legislation before the Dáil this session.