Enda Kenny
Question:5 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11476/03]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - An Agreed Programme for Government.
Enda Kenny
Question:6 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of those aspects of An Agreed Programme for Government for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11477/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:7 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government and particularly those aspects for which his Department has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12784/03]
Joe Higgins
Question:8 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation to date of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13028/03]
Trevor Sargent
Question:9 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation to date of An Agreed Programme for Government; if there are plans to revise this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13613/03]
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:10 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach the progress regarding the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15278/03]
Enda Kenny
Question:11 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the Government's progress report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government published on 3 June 2003. [15625/03]
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:12 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach the role played by his Department in the production of the Government Progress Report published on 3 June 2003. [15755/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:13 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach the total cost of the preparation, production, printing and distribution of the document, Government Progress Report, launched on 3 June 2003; the total number of copies printed; the persons to whom they will be distributed; the manner of distribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15779/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:14 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach the total cost accruing to his Department, in terms of staff costs or other matters, of the preparation and launching of the document, Government Progress Report, published on 3 June 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15780/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:15 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach the role of the Government press office and the Government information service in the preparation, production, printing and distribution of the document; Government Progress Report, launched on 3 June 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15781/03]
Denis Naughten
Question:16 Mr. Naughten asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15987/03]
Olivia Mitchell
Question:17 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15988/03]
Gay Mitchell
Question:18 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15989/03]
Dinny McGinley
Question:19 Mr. McGinley asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15990/03]
Phil Hogan
Question:20 Mr. Hogan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15991/03]
Olwyn Enright
Question:21 Ms Enright asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15992/03]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:22 Mr. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15993/03]
Jimmy Deenihan
Question:23 Mr. Deenihan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15994/03]
John Deasy
Question:24 Mr. Deasy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15995/03]
Simon Coveney
Question:25 Mr. Coveney asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Pro gramme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15996/03]
Paul Connaughton
Question:26 Mr. Connaughton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15997/03]
Bernard Allen
Question:27 Mr. Allen asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15998/03]
Richard Bruton
Question:28 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15999/03]
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:29 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16000/03]
Michael Ring
Question:30 Mr. Ring asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16001/03]
Billy Timmins
Question:31 Mr. Timmins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16002/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 31, inclusive, together.
Progress on An Agreed Programme for Government is kept constantly under review. Deputies will be aware that for every full year of the last Government's term of office we published an annual progress report. They will also be aware that last week we published the first annual progress report of the current Administration. I am therefore pleased to have this opportunity to make a statement to the House on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats.
Our programme for Government is both clear in intent and specific in detail. It is the agreed agenda for this partnership Government over five full years. The starting point for the current programme for Government was rooted in a recognition that, in an ever-changing world, the reform process is never over. As a Government, we are determined to keep driving forward. In implementing this programme for Government, we will not rest on past successes. Instead, we will build on the solid foundations we have put in place since 1997.
In setting out to implement our commitments, we will bring forward and make progress on the most ambitious legislative programme in the history of this State. Since the present Government took office on 6 June, 33 Bills have been published, 25 Bills have been already enacted into law and, in addition, there are currently 36 Bills before the Oireachtas. Given the scale of the Government's legislative programme and the large number of specific commitments set out in An Agreed Programme for Government, it would be impossible in the time allotted to detail fully the progress already delivered; the details are, in any event, more appropriate to address to individual Ministers.
The cornerstones of An Agreed Programme for Government are based on our desire to build a better Ireland for everyone and our promises to protect and expand prosperity for all, to strengthen peace and reconciliation, to guarantee improved pensions, to reform and develop our health services and to invest in better public services. Without economic strength, there will never be an Ireland where everyone can prosper and fulfil his or her potential. A key objective of our programme for Government is to sustain a strong economy and to keep the finances of general Government close to balance or in surplus. In that regard, I congratulate the Minister for Finance on his achievement of an end-of-year Exchequer surplus of €95 million. By continuing to provide strong leadership and manage our way through the current period of uncertainty, the Government will ensure that Ireland will be well poised to take best advantage of the inevitable upturn when it comes.
Our over-riding priority as set out in the programme for Government is to secure lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and we have worked intensively towards that objective. Other key commitments which have been delivered or where major progress has been made include: our commitment to submit the Nice treaty on enlargement to the people in a referendum in a way which addressed their concerns as expressed during previous referendums and in the National Forum on Europe was delivered on last year; our commitment to play a full part in the European Convention, and the Europe-wide debate on the future shape of the European Union is being spearheaded in part by the work of Minister of State, Deputy Roche; our promise to establish a National Development Finance Agency to finance major public projects is being worked on, with the necessary legislation steered through the Oireachtas; our commitment to address Ireland's infrastructural deficit in a coherent and determined way, and I draw Deputies' attention to the total investment in the national roads programme in 2003 of over €1.26 billion, the highest provision for national roads in the history of the State; our commitment to implement a multistranded approach to addressing housing needs across the spectrum has resulted in 2002 in another record year for new housing output, surpassing the previous year's record of almost 53,000 houses; our commitment to encourage a better spread of jobs throughout the country, and people should not forget that our rate of unemployment is amongst the lowest in the EU; our commitment to bring forward a programme of fundamental reform of the insurance industry, and I remind Deputies of the comprehensive set of interrelated measures designed to improve the functioning of the Irish insurance market published by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment last October; our commitment to rural development and, in particular, the delivery on our pledge to widen the CLÁR boundaries as a result of the relevant data from the census; our commitment to ensure the implementation of the penalty points system at an early date, something that has made an impact on road safety in the country; our commitment to ensure the putting in place of open-access broadband nationally, and I draw Deputies' attention to Deputy Dermot Ahern's launch earlier this year of the roll-out of a new €65 million national broadband scheme which will deliver high-speed Internet access to 19 key towns around the country; our commitment to complete the national spatial strategy – which we have now published – will help ensure that all regions develop to their potential; our commitment to introduce a Proceeds of Corruption Bill modelled on the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996, to target white-collar crime and corruption further and establish a corruption assets bureau, on which work is advancing; our commitment to gain the maximum benefit for public patients from private hospital capacity through initiatives such as the treatment purchase fund, which has treated over 2,000 patients from its inception in July 2002; our commitment to implement the national health strategy, which has already seen progress on 70% of its targets; our commitment to ensure that every school building attains modern standards is underlined by the €343 million school building programme for 2003; and our commitment to protect the fundamental principles of CAP has been underlined by the strong stance that we have adopted in defending the benefits achieved under the Agenda 2000 agreement in the current CAP reform and WTO negotiations.
On social partnership, the negotiations on the successor agreement to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF) concluded in February, and each of the four social partner pillars has now formally ratified the new agreement Sustaining Progress. The new agreement covers the period 2003 to 2005 in respect of the wider policy framework and provides for an interim pay agreement of 18 months' duration. I am pleased with the recent announcement that the farming organisations decided to pursue their goals within the framework for social partnership.
This is somewhere between a fairy story and a horror movie where one cannot turn off the radio.
A question please, Deputy.
The Taoiseach referred to the ever-changing world and said the Government was going to keep driving forward. How much did the document of self-defence which was produced last year cost? Is it not true that this glossy document was no more than an expensive work of fiction which did not outline the broken promises and commitments which were not adhered to? It was a tissue of aspirations which the Taoiseach and his colleagues knew could not be implemented even as they were drafting it.
Last night 700 farmers met in Loughrea to discuss the CPSU strike and there are now 300 people on the streets protesting about the disability sector. Thousands of taxi drivers are about to descend on Merrion Square. There is an unprecedented level of anger among people all over the country as a result of what the Taoiseach has done.
A question please, Deputy.
The Taoiseach just rhymed off another list of figures. Will he admit for once that he set out to buy his way back to power and to do whatever he had to do to get back? He has achieved that and he should now tell the truth. What about the 200,000 medical cards, the 2,000 gardaí and the 400 schools which cannot be built? The litany is endless. What the Taoiseach read out comes from the communications department and is nothing more than spin. Will he tell us for once that he is in a hole and that he has stopped digging? Then we might come to his rescue.
I have given a brief outline of some of the major achievements of the last 12 months. The Opposition is always saying we should give the full facts and be transparent and urging us to extend the freedom of information provisions and other issues.
Those are not being extended.
I hope Opposition parties are not saying it is wrong to give a report on what has been done for the previous 12 months under all headings. It is sad. I understand Deputy Kenny being upset when he read this and realised the nonsense he has been talking all year is untrue. It cost less than €5,000 to give this factual information and I am sorry if that upsets Deputy Kenny.
I have outlined some of the issues. I could go on—
I plead with the Taoiseach not to do so.
—to say that we have continued, in more difficult times, to maintain employment, to continue the country's strong financial position, to continue to attract inward investment, even into Deputy Kenny's constituency, to open up fine motorways like the new Drogheda bypass yesterday and to continue with the biggest infrastructural project, namely, the Dublin Port tunnel.
I am worn out.
I could go on and talk about those matters but I do not want to ruin the Deputy's week.
The Taoiseach made last week for us.
What about the N2?
The Taoiseach without interruption.
The only thing we did wrong all year was we did not build a tunnel so we would have tall, environmentally unfriendly trucks going through it.
They will have to go through the city centre instead.
They should not be allowed in. I am glad the Opposition is not attacking me on our record on unemployment, on keeping €5 billion for the national development plan or putting €1.3 billion into infrastructure—
The Taoiseach is spun out.
What about RAPID and other programmes?
—or on our successful negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy.
(Interruptions).
When I saw so many Fine Gael members I was sure they were coming in to congratulate me. I am absolutely devastated to see that is not the case.
Someone has hypnotised the Taoiseach.
I find it difficult to put a nasty question to a man with a sense of humour. The Taoiseach certainly has a sense of humour if he thinks he has depicted the Ireland of today. One could raise many issues but the clock does not permit that.
I was at a meeting last night in Lucan, the fastest growing area in the country according to the CSO. Does the Taoiseach know, for example, that only 60% of children of school-going age have found primary school places for the coming academic year?
The Taoiseach said last week's exercise was about the full facts and transparency, if I noted his comments correctly. What does the Taoiseach think is the purpose of an exercise of producing a report, advising the press it would be presented as a photo opportunity, communicating to the journalists who cover the Oireachtas at 9.15 a.m. the following morning that there would be a press conference at 11 a.m., giving them this 80 page work of fiction at 10.55 a.m., and of having the handlers, whom the Taoiseach says he does not have, tell them that they may not ask any questions but permitting them to ask four questions when a row ensues? It would not happen in Baghdad.
A question please.
What does the Taoiseach propose as the purpose of such an exercise? How can he say it is about transparency and full facts when journalists were not even permitted sight of this 80 page document in order to read it and ask questions of himself and the Tánaiste? It was an exercise in duping the people into believing that even some of the promises which the Taoiseach made before the election were implemented. The Taoiseach knows they were not, as do the people.
The Minister for Education and Science has informed me that he will answer a question on the Griffeen Valley Educate Together national school and the Lucan project, so there is no point in me answering those questions.
I am glad somebody is answering a question.
In regard to Deputy Rabbitte's question, I participate in press conferences, in one form or another, most days of the week. The practice we had adopted—
No, the Taoiseach does soundbites.
I do not do sound bites. I am glad the Deputy has given me the opportunity to answer that allegation because he has made it on a number of occasions recently. When I am out—
On the beat canvassing for the next election.
—on the beat or at whatever conference or seminar, I do not follow the practice followed when the Deputy's party was in Government whereby the then leader of the Government rarely spoke. I do not follow that practice, nor have I for the past six years. I talk to members of the media and I answer their questions, sometimes for 15 or 20 minutes. Unfortunately, with modern communications—
They only show 15 seconds.
That is how it is. I answer the questions. The journalists who travel to the venue may only get 25 seconds too and I am sure they would like more. That is how the system works.
Obviously, one cannot hand an 80 page document to a journalist, tell him or her to take it all in and ask questions, so we just did a photo call and gave out the document.
(Interruptions).
Allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.
This year the journalists said—
Where is comical Ali when we need him?
This year the journalists said they wanted to ask questions. I was asked if I would answer questions and I did. There was no great mystery about it. If people have nothing else to write about for the weekend and decide to make a story out of that, that is okay with me. That was handy enough for me. If what I do at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday morning keeps them busy for the week and fills the newspapers, that is all right with me. I continued with my work for the week.
That concludes Taoiseach's Question Time. We move on to Priority Question No. 89 in the name of Deputy Enright.
(Interruptions).
A Cheann Comhairle, other Deputies have questions on this important issue.
Yes, Deputy, you are absolutely right. Some 21 Deputies submitted questions but the Standing Order states that Taoiseach's Question Time concludes at 3.15 p.m.
The Ceann Comhairle is disqualifying political parties in toto here.
I would ask the Deputy not to cast a reflection on the Chair. Deputies control the number of questions taken in the three quarters of an hour allocated to the Taoiseach. I call Priority Question No. 89 in the name of Deputy Enright.
On a point of order—
I will hear Deputy Sargent on a point of order.
It has been the practice for the Ceann Comhairle to take a number of questions when time has been short and to get a common reply from the Taoiseach.
Time did not permit that today.
The Ceann Comhairle gave other Deputies individual time.
Some 21 Deputies submitted questions. I could not take 21 questions. There were about 11 Deputies in the Chamber.
I ask the Ceann Comhairle to follow precedent.
That is not a point of order. The Chair has ruled in accordance with the Standing Order and precedent.
Precedent was not followed.