It is proposed to take No. 12 — Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 1996 — Second Stage (resumed) and Remaining Stages; No. 13 — Competition (Amendment) Bill 1994 — Report and Final Stages; No. 2 — Control of Horses Bill, 1996 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage and No. 14 — Statements on "Social Housing — The Way Ahead" (resumed). It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: (1) the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. tonight and business shall not be interrupted until the conclusion of the proceedings on Private Members' Business which shall be No. 26 — Motion re subjects on Junior Certificate Curriculum, and the proceedings thereon shall be brought to a conclusion at 8.41 p.m. tonight; (2) the proceedings on the resumed Second Stage and Remaining Stages of No. 12, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 12 noon today 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; (3) the proceedings on the Report and Final Stages of No. 13, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 5 p.m. today 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 Enterprise and Employment; and (4) the Dáil, on its rising on Thursday, 30 May 1996, shall adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 June 1996.
Order of Business.
There are four matters to put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with Private Members' Business and the late sitting tonight satisfactory and agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 12 satisfactory and agreed? Is the proposal for dealing with No. 13 satisfactory and agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for the adjournment of the House until Wednesday next at 2.30 p.m. satisfactory and agreed? Agreed.
Will the Taoiseach indicate if the Government proposes to introduce legislative changes or other procedures in this session or the later session to deal with the drugs problem? Every Member of the House is aware from the large number of meetings organised by concerned citizens around the country that the drugs problem is at an epidemic level. There is no disagreement on that. The Taoiseach will also be aware of recent reports that double the number of addicts are now prepared to voluntarily seek treatment.
I must dissuade the Deputy from making a statement or speech. I gather the Deputy is seeking information from the Taoiseach appertaining to proposed legislation in the area of drugs.
There was another murder this week. There have been more murders, particularly of women, in the first five months of this year than in the whole of last year.
I must dissuade the Deputy from making a speech.
Will the Taoiseach indicate if it is proposed to introduce legislative measures to address this problem?
I appreciate the concern in the House about the number of murders that have occurred, and also the concern felt about the level of substance abuse. They are matters of grave concern. On both issues the requirement is for the most effective possible respect for and enforcement of existing legislation. That is the priority as far as the Garda Síochána and other authorities are concerned.
It has to be stated in regard to drugs that there is a particular problem with international trafficking in drugs which generates what is, in effect, on-the-street marketing of drugs to increase demand for drugs in order to satisfy the financial demands of the drugs barons internationally. One of the areas I am most anxious the European Union should make progress on is the supply of drugs into Europe as a whole, and into Ireland in particular, across our international frontiers.
I also believe there should be greater uniformity of penalties for drug-related offences throughout the European Union so that no one country, because of having lesser penalties, can become an attractive location for the international management of drug trafficking. One the other hand, there is the question of personal responsibility on the part of individuals who choose to use drugs. It is very important that people should exercise their personal responsibility and not start using these substances which destroy not only their own lives but frequently also the lives of those who love them.
Has the Taoiseach received the final report from the constitutional review group; when does he propose to establish the all-party committee, and will he publish the report?
The report will be published promptly on receipt. I have not yet received it. I will be proposing that the all-party committee upon which work is well advanced would be established immediately on publication of the report.
Will the Taoiseach consider having the matter of drugs debated urgently, in conjunction with the Select Committee on Legislation and Security, because of the situation within the prisons, which I readily admit did not start yesterday, and the number of drug pushers? The Taoiseach said we should enforce existing legislation. The reality is that in this and other cities, in urban and rural Ireland, people are breaking the laws by selling drugs openly. It is a joke to talk about enforcing existing measures when we are not doing so. We need to start taking the issue seriously before it gets totally out of control.
A special sub-committee of the Committee on Legislation and Security is already considering this matter and it would be the wish of the House as a whole that they would intensify their work. It is important to make the point that there are two dimensions to this problem — supply and demand. As far as supply is concerned, it is very important that we take action to deal with the international activities that are promoting the use of drugs and deal with organised crime generally, and that the European Union equip itself with the legal means of dealing with that problem. As far as demand is concerned, emphasis must be placed on education of people so that they realise the appalling choice they are making from their point of view if they use drugs for the first time. At the same time there is a measure of personal responsibility that needs to be acknowledged. Individuals have a responsibility to themselves to ensure they do not use addictive substances.
It is not easy to convince 12 and 13 year olds of their responsibility when they are subject to peer pressure. We have to realise that we are not talking about 20 year olds. I welcome the Taoiseach's comment regarding stepping up activity in this area. As to the existing legislation, I wonder about it listening to gardaí at meetings night after night. If it does exist we need to take it seriously and try to enforce it, and that is a matter for the Department of Justice and the Garda Síochána.
I understand it is a member of the Deputy's party who chairs the sub-committee on drugs. I will convey to him the House's wish that this committee should intensify its work. I have no doubt the Deputy will do so.
Government action is needed.
Given existing European legislation, is it the Government's intention prior to our Presidency of the European Union to publish the freedom of information legislation? How speedily does the Taoiseach expect that to be done?
I expect that legislation will be published during the Irish Presidency but, obviously, Irish citizens are entitled, in regard to EU documents and the EU Commission, to avail of the existing freedom of information obligations that the Commission has placed on itself.
I thank the Taoiseach for the second report of the review group on the Attorney General's office which I received this morning. I am sure it is only a coincidence that we have a number of parliamentary questions on that matter tabled for this afternoon. The Taoiseach is shaking his head. I take it, therefore, that it is not a coincidence.
The Deputy has placed a construction on something. I would like to clarify it so that he will not proceed under a misapprehension. The position is that the six-monthly report was approved for publication in the normal way by the Cabinet yesterday. It has no connection with any other concerns that may be expressed.
Is there a possibility that if we table enough parliamentary questions we will stir the Government into action on the question of bail?
The matter is at an advanced stage of consideration. I expect we will be taking and announcing decisions on it shortly.
Regarding the remarks of the Minister of State responsible for technology and science yesterday on Irish Shell, will the Taoiseach agreed that Japan is in breach of many things, including the destruction of whales, and call for the banning of Nissan cars which have a factory in his constituency?
The Deputy is a beached whale.
In the light of the Taoiseach's comments this morning about educating young people away from drugs, will he consider bringing forward the Juvenile Justice Bill? The problem of drugs is a problem of young people. The victims of drugs are young people. We have the most out-of-date juvenile justice legislation of any member state of the EU. The Government cannot be concerned about young people and drugs if it continues to drug its feet in bringing forward that legislation.
The Juvenile Justice Bill will be produced later this year. This legislation consists of 227 sections. It is a very large Bill to which much careful consideration needs to be given in view of the rights of the people involved, the children and others concerned with their welfare. Obviously that legislation is being carefully drafted.
How much damage will be done in the meantime?
I am seeking clarity on the status of a White Paper. Is a White Paper a document which contains Government decisions? We heard an extraordinary contribution last evening by the Minister for Education which seems to indicate that it is merely a discussion document. It is important to clarify the status of the document prior to the debate.
The Deputy has chosen the wrong time to seek clarification on this. He should raise it some other time.
It is important to have clarity on the status of the document. Last evening in a most extraordinary contribution, the Minister seemed to indicate that we could interpret the document in various imaginative ways.
The issue is before the House.
The White Paper is meant to encompass decisions taken by the Government.
Will the Taoiseach indicate when the House or relevant committee will deal with the 1994 Electrol Bill? It was sidelined some months ago until a legal opinion from an arm of the Taoiseach's Department had been considered.
I understand that the legal opinion on that matter is being considered. When it has been considered in the light of various judgments that have given rise to the concern I will be in a position to give an indication to the Deputy as to the timetable and the amendments that may be required to the Bill.
On promised legislation, is the Taoiseach aware that there are as many as 800 applications for fish farming licences on the back burner in the Department of the Marine? Will the long promised legislation come to the House before the summer recess to enable conflicts on the designation of areas to be resolved?
This is complex legislation involving property rights in the marine environment. It is currently being drafted and the present count is 71 sections. I expect it will be available at the end of the year. I will ask the Minister for Defence and the Marine to do everything he can to expedite it.
There will be a great many Bills ready at the end of the year.
The Deputy did not do too much about it when he was in power.
Let us come to finality on the Order of Business.
Tomorrow, the party Whips will have their final meeting on Dáil reform issues for the life of this Dáil. Two important issues have been continually raised with the Taoiseach. Will the Taoiseach allow the Chief Whip to be more forthcoming on the handling of the Order of Business? Will we be able to table questions during July and September or at least have written questions on one day a week during July and September?
I recollect this matter has been raised rather often of late.
I understand the matter is being considered by the Whips today and I think that is the appropriate forum for discussion.
It may be the appropriate forum but the Government Whip has been unable to make any concessions because the Taoiseach has not allowed him to do so. I am asking the Taoiseach to allow the Chief Whip to be more forthcoming on two important issues, otherwise it will be very hard to continue to do business in an orderly way. I have asked the Taoiseach a number of times to be helpful on those two issues.
The Deputy should not be military in a matter of this nature.
What?
Military, threatening.
I call Deputy Callely.
Will the Taoiseach outline the promised legislation on drugs to deal with the realistic issues of abuse, counselling and detoxification?
The matter was raised just a few minutes ago. The Deputy is indulging in repetition.
Let me suggest that Deputy Callely takes a break in his home in west Cork.
Arising from the question put by Deputy Ahern, will the Taoiseach agree it is fundamentally unreasonable to ask Members of this House to participate in committee proceedings at a time when they cannot table parliamentary questions to elicit information?
There has been a concern that the House should have committee sessions during the recess. It has long been the tradition that business other than committee business is not done during the recess.
That is not true.
It was the case previously that no business was done during the recess. Committee business is now being done in the recess and I believe if Deputies wish to obtain information that can be obtained, obviously the telephone and the research services of the House are available to them.
To have parliamentary questions tabled during the recess is a concept I find surprising in the context of Deputies who profess to be well informed on so many matters.
We have been on the Order of Business for more than half an hour.
Arising from the Taoiseach's very helpful response on the efficiency of the telephone system, will he assure me that if I ring the Attorney General he will give me the dates and times of his conversations with the Taoiseach?
I would say the Attorney General would be delighted to hear from Deputy Ray Burke and would enjoy conversing with him. I suggest that Deputy Burke use the telephone.
And it will not be taped.
And call back in six months.
Is it not the case that when in Opposition, the Taoiseach's proposals on Dáil reform suggested having written questions during the recess?
And the Deputy who was the then Government Whip refused it.
Will the Taoiseach introduce it now?
I am glad the Deputy is getting used to Opposition because he will be a long time there.
The glass is frosted, Taoiseach.