Vol. 431 No. 7
It is proposed to take Nos. 7 and 8.
It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the proceedings on the Report and Final Stages of No. 7 if not previously concluded shall be brought to a conclusion at 6.45 p.m. by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall in relation to amendments include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Finance.
Private Members' Business shall be No. 12.
Are the proposals for dealing with No. 7 satisfactory and agreed?
On a point of order——
On item No. 7, I would ask the Taoiseach if there is any point in resuming the debate on item No. 7, the Finance Bill, unless the Government can tell us the outcome of this morning's Cabinet meeting with regard to the legislation for the ill-fated tax amnesty? Has the Government decided, and will it tell us what goodies are being given to the tax cheats from this country? Is there any point in continuing the debate on the Finance Bill without knowing the terms of the legislation?
On a point of order——
The Deputy should await debate on the Bill.
I have submitted——
Order. Deputy De Rossa without interruption.
I submitted a motion on the Order of Business this morning. I understand it is being taken as an amendment to item No. 7. Under Standing Order 102 I am seeking to have the Finance Bill recommitted. The proposal is based on the fact that the announcement of the amnesty will have fairly serious implications for sections of the Bill which have already been dealt with on Second Stage and on Committee Stage. Virtually all the sections dealing with PAYE tax relief, personal reliefs, the 1 per cent levy and a range of other matters were dealt with prior to the announcement.
Can I clear up a matter? The Deputy referred to a motion. May I take it that the Deputy has an amendment in mind?
I do not mind how you deal with it. There are ways of dealing with this matter within the order of the House.
I have not seen that motion or amendment, Deputy.
I will read the text of the motion to you. It is as follows:
That, in view of the announcement by the Government of an amnesty for tax cheats subsequent to the completion of the Second Stage debate and a significant portion of the Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, 1993, and in the light of the implications of the amnesty for those sections of the Bill dealing with general tax policy approved prior to its announcement, and the principle that all taxpayers should receive equitable treatment, the Bill be recommitted to the commencement of Committee Stage.
I wish to move a motion under Standing Order 102 which provides for the recommital of a Bill once that Bill has not reached Report Stage. The order this morning is that this Bill be taken on Report Stage.
I want to assist the Deputy——
I am trying to assist you.
——but putting a motion of this kind is not in order at this stage. The Deputy cannot move a motion at this time to recommit a Bill. Under the order of the House today the Report and Final Stage of the Bill are to be completed at 6.45 p.m. I would point out to the Deputy that, under Standing Order 102 to which he referred, a motion to recommit may be moved only before the order for Fifth Stage has been made and this has been done. I can entertain an amendment but not a motion of the kind the Deputy has indicated.
I will not get into a dispute with the Chair about whether it is a motion or an amendment. My reading of the Standing Order, however, is that the order has been proposed but has not yet been made. If the Chair wants to take it as an amendment to No. 7——
I will take it as an amendment to the Order of Business: "to delete the provision that the Bill be concluded at 6.45 p.m. and to substitute that it be recommitted".
Is the Taoiseach going to answer my question about the promised legislation?
That can be done in the course of the debate here today.
There is no point in proceeding with the Finance Bill unless we know the terms of the legislation.
The question before the House is that the proposals for dealing with No. 7 be agreed, to which an amendment has been proposed by Deputy Proinsias De Rossa. I am putting the amendment in this form: "That the words proposed to be deleted stand".
On the Order of Business, may I ask the Taoiseach, in respect of the Cabinet meeting which was held this morning before this House met, if the Government has made a decision on the legislation dealing with this ill-fated tax amnesty? When will the public know about it?
The Deputy is anticipating the debate on the Bill which is about to commence.
We have no idea whether it is going to be announced during the course of the debate on the Finance Bill.
Earlier, I ruled the Deputy out of order on the matter.
We have no idea——
The debate on this Bill is about to commence and all these matters can be adverted to in that regard.
We have no idea and the Minister for Finance is not even here to tell us.
I call Deputy De Rossa.
On a point of order——
I will not hear a point of order now. Deputy.
May I raise a point or order? I understand that on the Order of Business one is entitled to raise questions about promised legislation. The Bill we are about to debate is the Finance Bill while the legislation which has been promised——
That is not a point of order. The Bill to which the Deputy refers is the next item of business in this House.
No, Sir; a Bill has been promised. May I complete my point of order?
What Bill?
We are talking about the Bill which has been promised, or should I say threatened, dealing with the tax amnesty.
What is the legislation to which the Deputy refers?
It deals with the tax amnesty.
It is a separate Bill.
The Deputy should resume his seat. Deputy De Rossa.
May I have an answer to my point of order?
No, it is not a point or order; the debate on the amnesty is ongoing.
A Bill has been threatened or promised. Do you accept that?
Do you understand the Finance Bill? A Bill has been threatened. Will you listen to your advisers?
It is separate legislation.
The Deputy will have ample time to raise that matter during the debate.
On the Order of Business we are entitled to raise questions about legislation which has been promised or threatened. That is my point of order. If you listen to your advisers you will know that the point I am making is correct.
The debate is ongoing. Does the Taoiseach wish to indicate whether a further measure has been promised?
To highlight the hypocrisy of the Fine Gael Front Bench, I repeat the exact words I used yesterday in this House when Deputy O'Keeffe and Deputy Owen were present: the Bill is being prepared at the moment and will be brought before the House at the earliest possible opportunity. It is intended to have it enacted this session.
When?
The Deputies should stop wasting the time of the House, stop playing politics and get on with the debate on the Finance Bill.
Deputy De Rossa.
Will we have the legislation this week during the debate on the Finance Bill?
If the Deputy had listened she would know the answer.
Deputy De Rossa has been called.
The fact is that the Government's position on the amnesty Bill appears to be changing virtually every day.
Not at all.
The question, therefore, is what precisely are we going to get when we finally, if ever, see the amnesty Bill? We are legitimately entitled to ask that question on the Order of Business. However, my question relates to a different matter.
Good.
Will the Taoiseach indicate when we can expect to see the proposed amendments to the Defence Act to provide for the involvement of Irish Defence Forces in peace-enforcement operations?
Is the Deputy referring to particular legislation?
Yes. If you would let me finish you would know precisely what I am asking. Hear me out.
The Deputy may not embark upon a speech.
I am not. I am asking a question.
We wait with bated breath.
I am asking a specific question——
Let us have the question.
I did ask the question. When will this House see the proposed amendments to the Defence Act which the Government has promised in the House?
Amendments to an Act?
Yes.
That is not in order now, Deputy.
That is legislation.
It is an amendment to an Act.
That is legislation.
I answer every question that is in order but I will not be disorderly like the Deputies on the opposite side of the House.
When they ask a question they will not listen to the answer. They do not want the answers.
Tell us about Malaysia.
The Bill is being completed and we hope to publish it by the end of next week.
Deputy Owen rose.
I want to get on to the Order of Business, for obvious reasons, quite quickly; there is a time limit.
I realise that, but I wonder if the Taoiseach is aware that recently one of his Ministers launched an album of songs entitled "Step by Step"?
This is quite uncalled for on the Order of Business.
"One day at a time."
Are the Government parties in step or out of step with each other in regard to the legislative programme? I have in front of me the published programme of promised legislation for this session. When will item 18 of this programme, the Ethics in Government Bill, be published? Is it proposed to delay its publication until after the tax amnesty legislation?
It is important to point out that for the third week in a row I have responded to questions on the Ethics in Government Bill. It is being prepared and we hope to publish it this session.
There are only four weeks left in the session.
It is ridiculous that the question is being repeated week after week, it is only a charade.
Is the Taoiseach changing his mind every day?
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Fitzgerald, promised on television that this Bill would be introduced. Who is holding up the Ethics in Government Bill?
Order.
There is a resolution before the Dáil to implement the EC Directive on access to information on the environment. I have tabled a motion to have it annulled. As legislation will effectively be enacted after 21 days of this is not annulled, I request the Taoiseach to ensure that Government time is given to debating this most important matter.
Strictly speaking, this is not in order.
In view of the recent announcement by the Tánaiste that Shannon Development will be taking over the airport——
This is out of order.
——will it require legislation to extend its jurisdiction to Farranfore airport?
Members are seeking to circumvent the rulings of the Chair by making a speech and then adverting to some legislation.
Will it be necessary to bring forward legislation to extend the jurisdiction of Shannon Development to Farranfore airport?
The Deputy should put down a question.
Which of the following two Bills will be enacted before the other: the promised Ethics in Government Bill or the Bill to give effect to the tax amnesty? Which will be put in place first?
It is most likely that the legislation to give statutory effect to the tax amnesty will be ready in advance of the other Bill.
Naturally.
Like St. Francis of Assisi, let us be saved.
St. Augustine.
After Malaysia there is a malaise in the Cabinet.
