Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of related notices under Standing Order 30 from Deputies Harney and John Bruton. I propose to call on the Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office. I call Deputy Harney to state the matter of which she has given notice to me.
Request to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 30.
I give notice that I seek the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 on a specific and important matter of public interest requiring urgent consideration, namely, the agreement yesterday by the European Commission on the amount of Structural Funding for Ireland in the years 1994 to 1999 and the implications this will have for our National Development Plan.
I request a debate under Standing Order 30 on a motion seeking a comprehensive statement for the Government explaining its decision to pre-empt £1 billion in resources for income tax reductions or for basic non-EU aided Government services by going ahead with all the projects in the National Development Plan even though the EU funding for these is £1 billion short of budget and explaining why it has done this without publishing a comparative analysis of the cost benefits and rate of economic return of this use of £1 billion of Irish taxpayers' money as against other options for its use.
Having considered the matters fully I do not consider them to be ones contemplated by the Standing Order. Accordingly I cannot grant leave to move the motion.
May I ask you, Sir, or through you the Government, when the Government will provide time for a debate on this matter? The Government has taken serious decisions without the approval of, or consultation with, the House.
I advised the House only yesterday morning how to proceed on this matter. I also remind the House that the matter was the subject of an Adjournment debate last evening by Deputy Yates and I understand arrangements for the House to consider the matter will be discussed by the Whips this morning.
I respect your decision, Sir, but my party asked yesterday for this matter to be discussed today and that was the general view held by Opposition parties. The Taoiseach indicated yesterday that as soon as the Commission confirmed its decision he would be willing to have a debate. Today is the day to have that debate. The Regional Affairs Commissioner, Bruce Millan, stated on television last night that the Government submitted the final figures to the Commission only on Tuesday of this week, even though the Taoiseach told this House the Commission had all the information and that he was awaiting its decision.
I do not mind the Deputy making a comment but she cannot make a speech at this stage.
The Government has seriously misled the Dáil and the public on this matter.
With your permission, Sir, it is important to put the record straight. I hate this innuendo and twisting of statements made in this House. I said the Government has no problem whatsoever with a debate on the National Development Plan. If there had been a Whips meeting last night, which we expected would take place, perhaps the matter could have been discussed. There will be a Whips meeting at 11 o'clock this morning and the matter can be discussed then. If it is arranged to have a debate today the Government will have no problem with that, but I totally and absolutely reject the insinuations by Deputy Harney in relation to this matter. The Commission and the Department of Finance have been exchanging information over the last number of weeks and as late as early this week drafts were being sent back and forth from the Commission for approval and tables had to be finalised. Any insinuation that we made incorrect statements in this House is without foundation and I want to put that on the record.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
So as far as we are concerned the House can have a debate any time.
Is the Taoiseach denying the statement by Bruce Millan? He withheld information from the public until after the election.
No information was withheld. Information was exchanged.
He abused the interest of the people.
(Interruptions.)
I want to correct the position in respect of insinuations made in this House that any information whatsoever was withheld from Brussels in relation to this. Insinuations without foundation are being tossed across the House. I have put on the record the Government's position and it should be accepted by the House.
Do we accept the statement of Commissioner Bruce Millan? Is the Taoiseach saying that Bruce Millan is telling lies in the same way as he claimed Jacques Delors told lies?
Order. Deputy De Rossa, I am on my feet, as you can observe. I respectfully submit to the House that we should await the outcome of the Whips' meeting this morning at which this matter will be discussed. Hopefully, satisfactory arrangements can be made for a debate.
I do not think we should pass over this matter. If there is a direct conflict between what the Taoiseach is saying and what Commissioner Millan is saying, it is a very serious matter. We cannot just sweep this aside.
It cannot be the subject of debate now.
The Government has done enough damage to relations between the Irish people and the Commission. This conflict, if there is one, should be resolved today——
If there is a conflict.
——and the debate should take place.
If a meeting had taken place last night we might have been able to arrange it with the Whips.
I again submit we should await the outcome of the meeting of the Whips on the matter.
It was nobody's fault that the meeting did not take place last night. Is the Taoiseach saying that if it is agreed at the meeting at 11 o'clock that there ought to be a debate today the Government will facilitate it?
That is what I said.