Vol. 410 No. 3
13 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the present position in relation to the achievement of the objective of the White Paper, Completing the Internal Market, in regard to the opening up of public contracts to EC wide competition in the areas of energy, transport, water supplies and telecommunications.
Significant progress has been made in this area. A new EC Directive has been agreed which will extend EC public procurement rules to the four major sectors of water, energy, transport and telecommunications, which were previously excluded from EC public procurement Directives. The Directive is aimed at ensuring competition across national frontiers within the Community when contracts for supplies or works are placed by bodies in these sectors covered by the Directive. It is expected to result in a very significant increase in the overall coverage of EC public procurement Directives. The new Directive will come into force in Ireland on 1 January 1993.
Parallel with this Directive, a second Directive has been proposed to establish a system of remedies for persons who consider one of the contracting authorities covered by the main Directive has not followed its provisions. A common position on this remedies or compliance Directive was reached by the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg last month. The aim is that the remedies Directive would also come into effect on 1 January 1993.
(Limerick East): Will domestic legislation be required to comply with these deadlines?
Other Departments will have to legislate to cover supplies and works for Government Departments and local authorities and special arrangements to cover the four sectors.
(Limerick East): I cannot hear the Minister; he is mumbling.
I resent that remark. It is personal, it is the lowest, it is despicable and I ask the Deputy in the interests of good parliamentary procedures to withdraw it.
(Limerick East): The Minister was mumbling.
It is a pity that Question Time has dropped to such low depths today.
(Limerick East): What is wrong with that? I could not hear the Minister, he was mumbling. That is a normal term.
Please.
(Limerick East): There is nothing offensive about that remark. I will certainly withdraw that remark.
Substitute it with "incoherent".
(Limerick East): The Minister is getting rattled.
Not in the least. It is typical of Fine Gael to personalise things instead of arguing the points that they are not able to argue.
(Limerick East): It is not my fault that the budget deficit is off the rails. The Minister should not lose his rag with me. The Minister should fight his battles in Cabinet.
Question No. 14, please. Let us not personalise matters in the House.
The Deputy should look at his record of current budget deficits in 1985 and 1986. Four out of five is not bad but four out of five the other way is very bad.
(Limerick East): I want to ask the Minister——
These constant interruptions and, to a certain extent, personal abuse are utterly disorderly.
(Limerick East): A Cheann Comhairle, I did not abuse anyone. I asked a question in regard to legislation and I did not hear the Minister's reply.
I called the next question and if this type of behaviour does not cease, Question Time will cease.
(Limerick East): That would be just as well from our point of view because we have not got any answers.
I am moving to the next question.
