It is proposed to take No. 4, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of financial messaging data from the European Union to the United States for the purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme; No. 5, motion re Value-Added Tax Consolidation Bill 2010; No. a13 on a supplementary Order Paper, statements on the financial stability development in Ireland and elsewhere; No. 13, Value-Added Tax Consolidation Bill 2010 — Order for Report and Report and Final Stages; and No. 14, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008 — Order for Report and Report and Final Stages. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that Nos. 4 and 5 shall be decided without debate and the proceedings on No. a13 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 40 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements shall be confined to the Taoiseach and to the main spokespersons for Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Sinn Féin, who shall be called upon in that order and who may share time, which shall not exceed ten minutes in each case. Private Members' business shall be No. 77, motion re nursing home care. Are the proposals for dealing with Nos. 4 and 5 agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a13 agreed to? Agreed.
Order of Business
Will the Taoiseach confirm the date the four year fiscal plan will be presented? Is it next Tuesday, as has been reported?
I am sure the Taoiseach is as interested as I am that the law of the land should apply. Last week, I raised the matter of encrypted files held by Anglo Irish Bank which are not accessible to the investigating authorities and which may contain information they may be seeking. I understand it is entirely within the competence of the bank's IT section, which the Taoiseach owns, to have these files opened. As the owner of the bank, I request the Taoiseach would follow this up so the authorities can pursue their responsibilities and, if necessary, that the law be brought to bear on those responsible for what might be criminal activities.
As soon as the fiscal policy plan is approved by the Government, it will be published. It is at an advanced stage of preparation and the Government has still to discuss, finalise and approve it. We will do that as soon as it is possible.
I said here before that I was hoping it might be available for publication, assuming approval will be given, at the beginning of next week. However, I cannot anticipate the outcome of discussions at Cabinet that must take place. We are working to an indicative schedule and we are doing the best we can. Obviously, the plans have to be finalised. There has been much budgetary debate, which I facilitated, to get to a position where we can discuss the four-year plan in detail. That has taken somewhat more time than expected but much progress has been made.
The authorities will obviously use all the powers available to them to obtain lawfully any information they regard as germane or helpful to the investigation in question.
What is the date for the publication of the four year plan? I understood from previous replies given by the Taoiseach that it was intended to publish it some time next week. Reports this morning suggested the Government would bring forward its publication date to earlier than recently stated. Does the Taoiseach's reply to Deputy Kenny mean it will be published earlier than next week?
What I am trying to outline to the House in a straightforward and honest fashion is that the plan is being prepared and finalised. It has to be discussed and approved by the Government. I facilitated much discussion about budgetary issues already and much progress has been made in this area. However, the four-year plan has further issues and policies that need to be addressed. I hope this will begin soon and be concluded as soon as possible thereafter. The plan will be published when it is finalised and approved by the Government. We indicated an indicative timetable of around mid-November. We are at that point but we are not ready to publish it because we have not yet finalised, discussed and approved it. We are working on it as a matter of priority.
It had been announced the publication of the fiscal plan was to be brought forward for Monday next week. It is disappointing to hear this will not now be the case. Will the Taoiseach clarify the Dáil is sitting for all its scheduled working days in the coming week?
I regret the Government has attempted to dismiss and rubbish the Ombudsman's report on nursing homes, Who Cares? The Ombudsman is clear that in 2001 when her predecessor published a report on related matters, legislation was promised in the area.
We are straying into an area other than promised business. This does not relate to promised business.
This is about promised legislation. I do not understand how the Ceann Comhairle cannot understand what I have just said.
The Ombudsman's report is not promised legislation.
In response to the 2001 report, the then Government promised to introduce legislation for the eligibility for nursing home care. Almost a decade later, no such legislation has been introduced. We have a further report from the current Ombudsman highlighting the——
Deputy, we will have to move on as this does not fall under the category of promised business.
I would ask all the members of the Government to move on. I am trying to highlight promised legislation that has not progressed in ten years. Will the Taoiseach indicate when this legislation will be published? Will the Government honour commitments made in 2001? How and when will the Taoiseach respond to the current Ombudsman's highlighting of this issue in her report, Who Cares?
There will be a full Dáil sitting week next week.
The Who Cares? report will be debated on Private Members' business this week. It is not true to say no legal certainty was brought to the situation. The nursing home support scheme had been enacted before the inquiry began. The Deputy referred to the eligibly for services legislation which must still come to the House. It is more likely next year than this because there are many issues which have arisen during the course of the year.
Will the Taoiseach share with us the important message all the Ministers are absorbing so intently on their mobile telephones? I hope it is good news but it looks very bad judging from their colour.
It is telling them Deputy Burton has stood up in the House.
It is telling us that the lecture in economics 101 is about to begin.
Some of the Ministers have not even looked up from their telephones yet.
Will the Deputies refrain from engaging across the floor?
Somebody send her a message.
Will Deputy Burton address her remarks through the Chair?
We have more important things to do than listen to the Deputy.
The motion on the Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) (Amendment) (Number 2) Scheme 2010, a continuation of the bank guarantee, is to conclude before 5 p.m. tomorrow. Will the Taoiseach give an undertaking to the House that the Minister for Finance will take this debate, given that——
That is impossible as he will be at the ECOFIN meeting.
——the stabilisation and further bailout of the banks being negotiated by the Government is a matter of national importance that the Minister himself should address, not a Government representative or a Minister of State? I suggest the concluding time for this debate might be deferred to provide for the Minister's return from Brussels to facilitate a proper discussion in the Dáil.
These matters can be discussed by the Whips.
Will the Taoiseach agree to this?
That matter will have to be taken up with the Whips. It is a question of the Dáil taking on board the scheme, approved by the European Union, to extend the eligible liabilities guarantee scheme for a further period.
The Taoiseach then has no objection to Deputy Burton's request.
I am trying to be helpful. It is a matter for Deputy Stagg to use any powers he still retains to see if he can make any changes in this area that would accommodate his spokesperson.
Every Deputy now believes there is a real danger that the banks will cannibalise the State. When will Ireland have a bank resolution Act?
I am not aware that such legislation is envisaged on this matter.
The Minister for Finance says it is.
I am sorry. There is a proposal about which the Minister has been speaking, but I cannot give the time or date for it. As regards the issues that have arisen, every effort is being made by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to ensure that the Irish case is understood and to ensure that there is a lot of support for Ireland in respect of everything it has done to date. It is in our interests that market conditions normalise regarding this situation. Anything we can do therefore to facilitate a stabilisation of that situation within the euro area is something to which we are all attuned at the moment.