It is proposed to take No. 10. It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that Private Members' Business shall be No. 15 and the proceedings thereon shall be brought to a conclusion at 8.30 p.m.
Order of Business.
Is the proposal that Private Members' Business shall be brought to a conclusion at 8.30 p.m. agreed? Agreed.
When is it proposed to circulate the freedom of information Bill?
That Bill is currently in the course of preparation and it is one to which the Government is committed. I do not expect it to be available for some months yet.
When will the amendments to existing legislation to implement the changes announced yesterday by the Minister for the Environment be introduced and when will the new regulations be put in place?
When the Minister comes back from Australia.
The legislation to amend existing legislation will be available for discussion in the House within a few weeks.
With regard to the second part of my question——
This is not Question Time.
——when will the new regulations be put in place?
After they have been passed.
Subsequent to the passage of the legislation.
On the freedom of information legislation which the Government proposes to circulate later this year, I understand that a Minister went to the other side of the world to get some information about this legislation.
Let us hear your question, Deputy.
We tried to get Pete St. John——
The Deputy was there himself recently.
The Deputy should sing it.
The Bill will allow for better public access to information in the hands of a Department.
The Deputy is embarking on a statement. Let us hear the question appertaining to legislation promised in the House.
Will the Taoiseach place before the House a report on the Minister's visit and the information which was gleaned?
They are singing off the same sheet.
On promised legislation to implement the key recommendations of the report of the Kilkenny incest case, it is three years since the report was published. The key recommendation of the report would allow for the mandatory reporting of child abuse allegations.
Is this related to legislation?
The legislation was promised by the former Minister for Health.
Legislation on that matter has not been promised in accordance with the procedures for raising matters in the House. If the Deputy wishes to table a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health in regard to the issues arising from the Kilkenny report, he will no doubt provide the Deputy with very full answers to all her questions.
In the context of the impending Finance Bill will the Government consider the possibility of zero rating, or exempting from VAT, legal services in the area of family law?
The Deputy should deal with that matter in another way.
If I dealt with it in another way the Chair would rule it out of order in anticipation of the Finance Bill.
I do not rule hypothetically.
I would like guidance on the matter. In the context of promised legislation, perhaps the Taoiseach would consider examining the possibility of zero rating or exempting from VAT——
We would want to hold seminars on how to raise matters on the Order of Business.
——legal services to assist areas of family law.
The matter can be raised on the budget debate.
In regard to other Bills on the Order Paper, when does the Taoiseach propose to appoint the chairpersons of the new committees? Is it true that he has promised one of those positions to all his backbenchers?
After the vote at 10 p.m. tonight.
Will the Minister for Enterprise and Employment update the House on his talks during the past 15 hours regarding the serious position in Sunbeam in Cork which is threatened with closure on Friday?
The Chair facilitated the Deputy and his colleagues in regard to that matter. It was raised on the Adjournment last evening. I call Deputy Molloy.
The Minister said he would come back to the House with information.
There are ways and means open to the Deputy to meet the Minister in respect of this matter.
This is a very serious matter——
Not now, Deputy Wallace.
——as many jobs will be lost. Can we have a statement from the Minister in the House this morning?
I facilitated the Deputy in every way and he may not abuse me now on the matter.
Will the Taoiseach say when the proposed legislation amending the Arterial Drainage Act will be introduced? Is there any significance in the fact that he refused to take a question from me asking him to declare south Galway a disaster area and to allocate State resources to help those who are suffering?
The House has deliberated on that matter to a great extent in recent times.
It is disgraceful that this House has ignored the problem despite the fact that several Ministers visited the area.
The heads of that Bill were approved in Cabinet this week and the legislation has been sent to the draftsman's office as a matter of high priority.
Will the Taoiseach reconsider the Government's decision not to make the TEAM Aer Lingus report available to the workers?
Not now, Deputy.
The workers are not being told the facts.
I want to make a reasonable request to the Taoiseach in the context of promised legislation on education. Will he indicate when the White Paper on Education will be published?
That is not appropriate to the Order of Business.
It is promised legislation.
I said it is not appropriate to the Order of Business. There are many ways open to the Deputy to raise the matter. I call Deputy Quill.
On a point of order, my question relates to promised legislation.
The Deputy may not raise a point of order with me when I am dealing with disorder in respect of him. The Deputy should resume his seat.
On a point of order, the legislation is promised.
I will again ask the Deputy to resume his seat. I will not tolerate that type of treatment from the Deputy in future. I am giving him fair warning.
A Deputy
The music has gone to their heads.
Members of the Government are not all singing from the same sheet.
(Interruptions.)
Let us have Deputy Quill.
Under promised legislation and arising from the horrific details about the bullying of a young child in Waterford——
Sorry, Deputy.
(Interruptions.)
I call on Deputy Lynch to resume the debate on the Regulation of Information (Services outside State for Termination of Pregnancies) Bill, 1995.
May I be heard above the bullying and ask the Taoiseach when he will bring forward the juvenile justice Bill to protect our children? I will not be bullied on this issue.
This is International Women's Day.
My question is in order under Standing Orders.
The Deputy is entitled to raise a matter appertaining to promised legislation, but she is not entitled to raise a matter surrounding that issue.
The juvenile justice Bill was promised by a Government of which the Deputy's party formed part. On coming into office I was surprised to discover that very little progress had been made by our predecessors in Government on this matter during the last number of years.
I published a report.
I was surprised to discover that the juvenile justice Bill — about which questions have been asked here for many years — was at a very early stage of preparation under the previous Minister for Justice, but the present Minister has identified it as one of her priorities and will deal with it as soon as possible.
Good.
Any person who has seen or read the reports of the bullying of a child on his way to school in Waterford would have to be concerned. This is a serious matter and must be dealt with reasonably and speedily.
It will be like the floods in Galway.
As the Taoiseach is doing very little else, will he go to Waterford to examine the matter?
When is it proposed to introduce amending legislation to increase the membership of the VHI board? Will that legislation provide for the more radical restructuring of the board?
I am calling item No. 10.
That is promised legislation.
The Deputy can raise the matter in another way.