It is proposed to take No. 6, on a Supplementary Order Paper, Motion re. Tribunal of Inquiry into HIV and Hepatitis C Infection of Haemophiliacs; No. 2, Major Events Television Coverage Bill, 1999 – Second Stage (Resumed); and No. 3, Protection of Children (Hague Convention) Bill, 1998 – Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: (1) the proceedings on No. 6, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion within two hours and the following arrangements shall apply: (i) the speech of a Minister or Minister of State and the main spokespersons for the Fine Gael Party and the Labour Party shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case; (ii) the speech of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; (iii) Members may share time; and (iv) a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes; and (2) the Dáil, on its rising on Thursday, 3 June 1999, shall adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 June 1999. Private Members' Business shall be No. 71 – Motion re. Waste Management (Resumed), to conclude at 8.30 p.m..
Order of Business.
There are two proposals to put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 6 agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with the Adjournment of the House on Thursday agreed?
We cannot understand why the Government feels it necessary to adjourn the Dáil for all of next week. There is so much legislation waiting and we are approaching the recess.
Where is the Deputy's leader?
Keep a straight face.
It appears to us that the only reason the Government wants the recess is to allow Ministers to go around the country with all their goody bags giving out taxpayers' money and, therefore, we do not agree with the Adjournment of the Dáil next week. There are enough people to keep the Dáil working next week who are not involved in the European or local elections and, therefore, we oppose the Adjournment of the Dáil.
The Deputy should not be hypocritical.
Next Monday is a bank holiday and it is normal practice that the Dáil does not meet on the Tuesday anyway. Our Whip has discussed this matter with the Government Whip and we are not opposing it. However, let us be practical and realistic about this and stop playing games. Given that the House will not sit next week, and because of the increased agony of the relatives of the disappeared, will the Taoiseach make arrangements for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come into the House today and make a definitive statement on the matter? It is a tragedy that reaches out to everybody's heart. The IRA and Sinn Féin must be held to account. I ask that the Order of the House make provision for a short statement by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform at some stage today so that this House which enacted, at very short notice and with total co-operation, legislation to provide immunity for the crimes that were committed states clearly that there is at least the decency of pinpointing these bodies and returning them to their loved ones before it adjourns next week. There is no disagreement on this.
The behaviour of the provisional republican movement over recent days and, indeed, the past 25 years, on this subject deserves to be entered in the annals of infamy. I notice its representative in this House, as usual, is not here when this subject and others similar to it are raised. Will the Taoiseach give an assurance that while any lingering hope remains the Garda will continue to carry out this search and the necessary resources will be made available? We owe that to the relatives whose trauma is indescribable – I have spoken to some of them. Injury is added to insult. It really is intolerable and we in this House and in this country have a right to be utterly angry at what these people are doing.
Regarding the matter raised by Deputies Quinn and Currie, this House has passed emergency legislation to facilitate the effective cancellation of any charges on these matters, and I thank the House for doing so. We have also set up a commission and honourable people have taken up the positions of commissioners to try to assist in finding these bodies. Honest intermediaries have worked very hard and diligently in trying to pinpoint the locations and all have acted in good faith. Regrettably, the information does not seem to be satisfactory. We will continue to ensure that the Garda follow up this matter as long as there is evidence. I give that commitment to the House. We are keeping in touch with the families in as far as that is in our domain. I think the Minister will make a statement to the House today in so far as he has any information. If we receive further information while the House is in recess we will pass it on to party leaders or spokespersons.
Regarding the matter raised by Deputy Owen, she should know that in the normal course of events over a bank holiday weekend the House would not meet until Wednesday afternoon. We sat on Holy Week, but we already have a Whips' agreement that we would not meet next week. I find her attitude very surprising given that last week members of her party could not attend a very important committee meeting because they were all out canvassing.
You are the Government.
That is hard neck.
I have a question for the Taoiseach in his well known role of football fan. When will the Government give direction to UEFA on Saturday's football game? We heard this morning that nothing has been said to UEFA about whether the Government supports the playing of the game on Saturday. The Irish players are working on the basis that the game is on and are feeling the tension that comes before a match. Yet UEFA says that the Government does not know whether it is coming or going and has not given it either a direct or indirect instruction. When will the Taoiseach do something about this?
Deputy Owen is well up on football.
Like the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, I have a job to do.
I spoke to the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation late last night. He will meet UEFA at approximately midday Irish time and he will also talk to FIFA. The Sports Ministers will also meet UEFA and FIFA. The Government awaits their decision, as we have done for some time, and the European Foreign Ministers also await that decision. I think it is unlikely that the match will be played, but there is also an important match next week and the team should keep training for that.
The Taoiseach has an important match next week.
What is the deadline by which the Government must make a decision about the visas? Has the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform already made that decision? Have the visas been issued?
I detect no support in the House for this match going ahead, nor is there support for Ireland to be hit unilaterally while other EU states look on. However, there is the matter of the issuing of visas. Ireland is in effect representing the rest of Europe in this moral conflict and we should get support from the other European nations in a form and manner that has the effect we want. I urge the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to ensure in negotiations that this match does not take place.
It would be improper for us to predetermine what UEFA or FIFA may do. I have requested the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to ask those bodies what the decision would be if this match was against England, France or Germany. I have also requested the Minister to ask those bodies to state their position, as they have said that nobody has contacted them, though that is not so as of early yesterday. I have requested that they state their position in saying that Ireland could be thrown out of the competition, that Ireland could concede the points or that a neutral venue in the sun could be picked. That would not suit our players and it is an entirely unrealistic position for that body to take.
UEFA is a respected body. I attended its European council dinner last year and spoke at it. However, it is not being fair in this instance and should declare its position. It knows what the players, management and the FAI want. It also knows what the Government and the Irish people want. UEFA has responsibilities and should make a decision. If it will not make that decision, we will do so.
We must move on to a new item.
Have the visas been issued? Obviously, the visas have not been issued, we have clarified that. The media has said that the visas are being issued, but that is not true. It appears that the Taoiseach is saying that he is waiting for other people to make a decision. Will the Government, through the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, make its position absolutely clear at today's meetings? There seems to be confusion.
This is a repeat of yesterday's debate.
The Taoiseach properly referred to other countries. If this game was scheduled against Germany, France or Britain there would be quite a different response. Fortunately, the Taoiseach will be at a meeting tonight and tomorrow in Cologne with other Heads of Government. I urge him to seek unanimity among them in calling on UEFA officials and others to ensure this game does not go ahead. The same will happen tonight at the meeting of socialist leaders.
On a point of order, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform stated yesterday that there had been contact with UEFA on Monday. It is now quite clear that that was not the case.
That is not a point of order. The Deputy must resume his seat.
The Minister should correct the record.
The visas have not been issued. Deputy Owen was wrong in saying there was no contact with UEFA.
I am going on what the Taoiseach said.
UEFA was formally contacted yesterday morning. It had been previously contacted but it was formally contacted yesterday morning.
The spokesman said differently.
The spokesman was not being very realistic last night. It is not for the Government to force a sporting decision on a body. The body should make the decision and if it refuses, then we have a decision to make. I assure the House that we are not in the business of making an easy decision for anyone to throw Ireland out of a tournament. That would be entirely unreasonable.
The firemen's strike will have commenced before we meet tomorrow morning if nothing happens today. Will the Taoiseach inform the House of the arrangements that are in place to provide cover in the event of that strike going ahead?
This matter was fully debated last week.
The talks broke down at 3 a.m. this morning. Deputy Dukes has put down a Private Notice Question on this matter and I hope it is allowed.
That matter will be considered.
(Dublin West): This is a new situation. Deputies Quinn and Owen have been dribbling all over the field on matters that are not appropriate to the Order of Business.
Put it in the back of the net.
(Dublin West): In view of Dublin Corporation's plans to axe 64 jobs and cut down on fire crew numbers, firemen are being backed into a corner. We should have a special debate on this matter. A strike is being forced on the firemen because Dublin Corporation—
A debate is a matter for the Whips.
The talks on productivity measures broke down at 3 a.m. but Dublin Corporation will meet representatives of SIPTU this morning to discuss arrangements for emergency cover. In addition, army cover has been arranged. City and county managers in the other areas affected will also arrange emergency cover with SIPTU and other firefighters. In addition to army cover which will be provided initially in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Dublin other areas, including Sligo, Kilkenny, Dundalk and Drogheda, will depend on retained or part-time firemen who are not involved in the dispute. A public safety notice will be published in tomorrow morning's newspapers.
The issues in dispute are not far apart. Pay relativity between firefighters and gardaí is not an issue and the sides are close to agreement on the productivity issues. During the night the sides argued about redundancies and deployment of firefighters and this is an area which could be clarified. The parties should continue to talk today and should not assume the matter is over. I hope they do so.
Will new legislation be necessary to give effect to the public private partnership financial initiatives which have been announced by the Minister for Finance and if so, when will it be introduced?
I will check if those initiatives require legislation. I do not think they do but I will find out. Discussions on the initiatives have been taking place for some time and arrangements for them are in place. IBEC has been particularly helpful and approximately 60 people from the financial, banking and other areas have been formulating the initiatives and putting their structure together. These arrangements are ready to be put in place.
For two years I have patiently raised the question of the protection of UN personnel and related persons. Those who attacked Irish troops in the Lebanon early this week can be prosecuted in 23 countries but not in Ireland. Will the Taoiseach give an assurance to the House that, as a mark of respect to the soldier who died this week, the necessary legislation will pass in the next session? Alternatively, will the Taoiseach accept the Private Members' Bill in my name.
I replied to a question on this matter yesterday. The legislation was to have been ready in the autumn. We are trying to make sure that it is ready then or, if possible, sooner.
The Taoiseach was hesitant when he said he would investigate the need for legislation regarding public private partnerships. In 1977, the Minister for Local Government, Sylvester Barrett, announced a scheme for a public private initiative to build toll roads. The first toll road was to have been the Naas bypass but the Fianna Fáil majority on Kildare County Council voted against the measure. Will the same thing happen next July?
We will see Deputy Carey at the Lee tunnel on Sunday next.
Not even Deputy McCreevy, for all his work and pomp, could push the measure through.
Last week, when I asked the Taoiseach about the standards in public office Bill, he said that no one in his party had any difficulty providing tax clearance certificates. Is that still the case? Now that the committee has given its preliminary report, when can we expect to see this legislation, or is all the Taoiseach's talk about cleaning up politics simply a sham?
The proposals have been cleared by two committees of the House and the legislation is being drafted. I hope it will be published in the autumn.
When will the promised legislation to extend public house licensing hours be introduced or can this be done by ministerial order? The Minister has been promising this legislation for quite some time.
The legislation will be introduced in the autumn.
As the House will not sit next week, will the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform or the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs make a statement tomorrow that we will accept additional refugees from Kosovo? There is some confusion about this matter.
Deputy Shatter is the only person who is confused.
There has been a further influx of refugees from Kosovo to neighbouring countries and Ireland should now indicate a willingness to accept additional refugees. This issue is somewhat more important than the football match on which we spent so much time yesterday.
The Government is plagued with indecision.
The Taoiseach has said the legislation to reform the licensing laws will be introduced in the autumn. Is it possible that the provision requiring public houses to close on Sunday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. could be changed? This matter is not contentious and has been brought to my attention by many publicans, particularly in the tourist business. Could that matter be brought forward and dealt with before the summer recess?
Will the Taoiseach address our concern about refugees?
Given that the Education (Welfare) Bill has been published, is the Taoiseach aware that the infant reception classes in disadvantaged areas – some in his own constituency – are being discontinued? This is being done while we are introducing legislation to try to improve school attendance in disadvantaged communities. Will the Taoiseach see that this issue is raised in the context of the debate on the Bill, rather than undermining the services which are currently provided.
This legislation is promised and is on Committee Stage in the Seanad.