It is proposed to take No. 21, Local Government Bill, 1998, Order for Report and Report and Final Stages, and No. 1, the Gas (Amendment) Bill, 1998 [Seanad], Second Stage. It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that Report and Final Stages of No. 21 shall be taken today and the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 6.45 p.m. tonight by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those put down or accepted by the Minster for the Environment and Local Government. Private Members' Business shall be No. 51, motion on health care and personal social services.
Order of Business.
Is the proposal for dealing with No. 21 agreed?
(Dublin West): The Dáil is three-quarters of an hour behind time. Since there is an enormous number of amendments on Report Stage of the Local Government Bill, it is totally unrealistic to expect the Bill to be adequately dealt with in less than an hour and three-quarters. I ask the Taoiseach to give extra time to Report Stage of this Bill, which includes very important items for discussion.
The timescale has been agreed.
Is the proposal for dealing with No. 21 agreed? Agreed.
I wish to inquire about a number of items of legislation in the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Bille na nGaeilge, the Broadcasting Bill, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Bill, the National Parks and Historic Properties Bill and the Television Coverage of Major Sporting Events Bill. Have any of those items of legislation been brought before Government since January when questions were answered by the Minister? Has progress been made by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands on its legislative programme?
Work is ongoing on all those Bills. The Broadcasting Bill will be ready in June and it will be brought forward in the autumn session. Bille na nGaeilge is not due until early next year. Preliminary work on the Bill is in progress in the Department and the heads of the Bill are expected to be submitted to the Government in the autumn. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Bill is proceeding well and it is hoped to have it circulated by next month. There will be matching legislation from the Minister for the Environment and Local Government on that issue. The National Parks and Historic Properties Bill is at an early stage of preparation and will not be published until next year. The Bill, which has 34 heads, relates to the protection of national parks and gardens. Observations have been received from Government Departments. The draft heads have been assessed and it is expected they will be put to Government at the end of this year. It is hoped the legislation on televising sports events will be brought forward after implementation of the Broadcasting Bill.
There is a commitment in the British-Irish Agreement to bring forward legislation, to be enacted by the end of June, on the handling of prisoners and their release under certain set conditions. When will that legislation be published and brought to the House?
A number of legislative measure will be brought forward as a result of the Agreement. An interdepartmental team, chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs, has been set up. I received a preliminary report yesterday on progress, but I do not have dates for any of the measures. As soon as I have that information I will give it to the Deputy.
Will the Taoiseach ensure and, if necessary, engage the support of Opposition parties, in drafting this legislation as the commitment is clearly in a document voted upon by way of referenda North and South? The normal process of drafting legislation in what is a very busy Department should not necessarily prevail. Will he consider availing of the resources of the rest of the House to ensure this legislation is drafted and enacted to build confidence measures into the existing fraught process?
I appreciate Deputy Quinn's remarks. As I stated after Easter in the parliamentary session report, legislation relating to Northern Ireland will get priority over other legislation even if that means pushing back other Bills.
When will the legislative proposals of the report of the Commission on the Family, launched recently by the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, be brought before the House? Does the Taoiseach propose to hold a debate on the report in the House?
This is probably one of the largest reports published in many years and it should be debated in the House. The family unit of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs has started to examine the report and it will consider the legislative measures in due course.
When will the industrial development Bill, which will set up enterprise Ireland, be brought before the House? In view of the significance of that legislation, will the Taoiseach assure us it will not be railroaded through the House and that we will have time to be briefed on it?
It is intended to publish the legislation in about two week's time, but it may be difficult to get it through this session.
Given that members of the Government stated in recent days that they wish to revisit the McKennna judgment, does the Taoiseach agree the only way the judgment can be overturned is by way of referendum? Does the Government propose to hold a referendum on Article 6 of the Constitution?
Is legislation promised in this area?
There is no legislation at this stage.
I am asking for clarification on statements that have been made on the McKenna judgment.
We have already devoted nearly 45 minutes to this matter.
I am asking a question.
The matter has already been dealt with today.
I have been told by my colleagues this question was not asked.
I have ruled on the matter.
I am asking about a referendum in relation to Article 6 of the Constitution.
Legislation in this regard has not been promised. I call Deputy Connaughton.
Will the Taoiseach allocate time in the House to discuss the findings of the south Galway flood study which cost £1 million but will not take one bucket of water out of south Galway.
The Deputy should table a parliamentary question on that matter; it is not appropriate to the Order of Business.
Will he ensure the consultants who wrote the report go to Gort because the Government gave a commitment several months ago that the matter would be debated in Gort.
The Deputy should table a parliamentary question on the matter.
I will convey the Taoiseach's interest to the people in the area.
The Deputy should read the report.
The Minister of State should visit the area.
(Dublin West): He cannot swim.
He would want to be able to swim before coming to the area.
Will the Taoiseach explain the Government's failure to enact the parental leave Bill that was promised in the House, is part of the Government's programme and is required under the EU directive on parental leave? Will he explain why the Government is failing to introduce a Bill that is central to Government policy and is necessary for us to comply with an EU directive? This is an extremely important matter.
The Deputy cannot make a statement on the matter.
We were promised on a number of occasions that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform would enact this Bill on time, but the Government is now in danger of being open to legal action because of a failure to act according to a commitment it gave in the House on numerous occasions.
The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, would be better off on this side of the House.
The legislation will be published in two or three weeks' time and I hope it will have passed through the House before the summer recess. It will be implemented as soon as it is passed. It would have been nice to have it passed before 2 June but, like in most countries, it will run a few weeks' late.
Is the Taoiseach aware of the agreement that the Opposition should have at least two weeks to consider Bills before being asked to deal with them in the House? Given the large number of Bills promised before the summer recess, that will not be possible.
The Deputy will have to roll up his sleeves and get down to work.
The Minister should look after his business and I will look after mine.
It will be a long hot summer.
The Bills are not being produced on time.
There is an understanding that the Opposition should have two weeks to consider a Bill before being asked to take it in the House.
Only where it is possible to do so.
Will it be necessary to pass the EMU Bill before the summer recess?
In so far as possible the Government should produce Bills two weeks before they are taken in the House. I argued for that principle when I was in Opposition and I will try to implement it. I will check the position in regard to the EMU Bill, but I understand it will be taken before the summer recess.
That is three Bills that have to be taken before the summer recess.
It may not be necessary to pass the Bill dealing with economic and monetary union before the summer.
Deputy Woods and his colleague should roll up their sleeves and start working.
I am sure the Taoiseach is aware that 120 people in Millstreet are about to lose their jobs at ALPS Electric. Will he ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Employment——
That matter is more appropriate to a parliamentary question; it does not arise on the order of Business.
On a point of order, there is ample precedent for raising the issue of job loses on the Order of Business. Job losses in Seagate, Asahi and Packard Electric, in the Tánaiste's constituency, were raised on the Order of Business. I am making a reasonable request.
It will be announced next Sunday on television.
Will the Taoiseach request the Tánaiste to meet the IDA locally with a view to establishing a task force to find replacement industries for the area. There is ample precedent for raising the issue of job loses of this magnitude on the floor of the House.
I call Deputy Gilmore.
Will the Taoiseach reply?
The matter does not come within the ambit of promised legislation.
There is one rule for Packard Electric in the Tánaiste's constituency and another for my constituency.
What is the Tánaiste's constituency?
On a point of order, there is ample precedent in the House for raising job loses of this magnitude on the Order of Business.
That is not a point of order.
The job losses in Asahi, Seagate and Packard Electric were raised on the Order of Business.
The matter does not come within the ambit of promised legislation. The Deputy is being disorderly.
There are precedents in this area.
Late last year the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources postponed elections to the regional fisheries boards until autumn 1998 to allow for legislation to reform inland fisheries management. When will that legislation be published?
The Minister will have to roll up his sleeves.
The Minister has informed me the matter does not necessarily require legislation, but it will be ready later in the year if it is necessary.
He postponed elections to introduce it.
(Mayo): When is it proposed to introduce the legislation flagged in banner headlines in the newspapers last week to introduce a new system for dealing with asylum seekers and a system of vigilantism whereby doctors, health services and schools will be expected to report the presence of suspected refugees or illegal refugees in their areas?
Do we have a Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform?
He has taken a vow of silence.
The Minister stated last week that he was considering the recommendations of an interdepartmental report.
(Mayo): He referred to legislation.
Will the Taoiseach clarify that point? He stated the Cabinet had approved all the recommendations of the interdepartmental committee and that legislation would, if necessary, be enacted. According to a reply to a parliamentary question I tabled, the Cabinet had approved all the recommendations, including ones that would require doctors, nurses and teachers to become spies for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The Deputy cannot make a long statement on the matter.
The Taoiseach needs to clarify that matter in the House.
I call Deputy Kenny.
In fairness, the Taoiseach should clarify that matter.
Mandatory reporting.
(Mayo): Was it passed by Cabinet?
When the Minister deals with all these issues he will bring forward legislation. His statement last week was on the findings of the interdepartmental report.
Has the Cabinet approved them?
The Deputy quoted a reply to a parliamentary question from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Whatever he stated in that reply is correct.
I understand there are more than 30 pilot radio stations in Dublin. Will current legislation or the new broadcasting Bill deal with this matter?
No legislation has been promised on that matter.
The Broadcasting Bill?
There is a Broadcasting Bill but I do not think that matter is in the Bill.