It is proposed to take No. 6, statements on the jobs initiative 2011 (resumed). Private Members' Business shall be No. 3, Electoral (Amendment) (Political Donations) Bill 2011 — Second Stage (resumed), to conclude at 8.30 p.m., if not previously concluded.
Order of Business
There are no proposals to be put to the House.
The business of the House is being arranged in a stop-gap way with a large amount of time given to statements but little to legislation. There will be statements all this week. We started on Monday with a rather damp squib of a debate on Europe. There are a mounting number of measures which the Government has indicated it will introduce and publish over the next two months. Members would appreciate if we could get a schedule from the Government on the likely business to be conducted by the House over the next three months. Will the Taoiseach agree to this reasonable request and publish a schedule of House business and legislation?
Requests made to the Government Chief Whip on House business so far have been for statements on a range of topics, including the Irish language, the European Union and so on. These requests have been granted by and large.
The legislative programme for this session has been published. I made it clear to Ministers that I only wanted Bills on the A list that they could be sure they could produce on time. The criminal justice Bill to deal with white collar crime has been cleared by the Cabinet, as has the patents Bill. I will ask the Chief Whip to update Deputy Martin as to what other Bills will be introduced during this session.
Deputy Martin will also be aware of the pressures on drafting legislation, a matter which I am examining too.
I appreciate the difficulties with drafting legislation but a schedule would be useful. There is a sense of filling space in the business of the House over the past several weeks with various statements.
I must add that Fianna Fáil has drafted a comprehensive and sound political donations Bill. If the Taoiseach accepted it, it could be moved to Committee Stage and by the summer recess corporate political donations would be ended. The Taoiseach could easily accept this Bill instead of playing politics as usual. He seems to be rejecting the Bill on the basis that it was introduced by Fianna Fáil and not the Government. It is substantial and comprehensive legislation that deals with the Moriarty tribunal recommendations. The Taoiseach should accept it, put it on Committee Stage and get on with it instead of filling up space with more statements.
This is not relevant to the Order of Business.
Deputy Martin is only playing to the gallery.
Deputy Martin admitted when he published his Private Members' Bill that it was inadequate legislation.
I did not, I said the opposite.
I have no intention of dealing with inadequate legislation. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, is actively pursuing the matter of legislating for political donations. We asked all Ministers whose Departments had to deal with recommendations from the Moriarty tribunal report to respond in Cabinet, which they have done. The Minister is proceeding as a matter of priority to introduce legislation arising from the report and in respect of corporate political donations.
The Government did not want to affect the Punchestown Festival with the legislation.
Also the summer golf classics.
Our Bill covers all the Moriarty tribunal report recommendations.
As I stated yesterday, I will not support Fianna Fáil's Private Members' Bill because of Deputy Martin's admission on its inadequacy.
Sorry, but there was no admission of any inadequacy. I do not know from where the Taoiseach is picking that up.
Deputy, this is the Order of Business. Other Members are waiting. I call on Deputy Gerry Adams.
Deputy Martin will never admit to anything.
Fianna Fáil had ten years to introduce such legislation and did nothing about it.
The Taoiseach is wrong. He should accept the legislation. Amendments can be made on Committee Stage. It is politics as usual.
Is the Government trying to make sure the summer golf classics do not get caught up in this legislation?
Good man, Deputy Dooley.
On the issue of Oireachtas committees, dúirt an Taoiseach an tseachtain seo caite go mbunófaí na coistí ach ní léir go fóill cén uair a dhéanfar sin. Will the Taoiseach clarify when the Oireachtas committees will be established?
I expect it will be next week. While two major State visits will start next week, I also expect the position regarding the committees will be dealt with then. The number of committees will also be reduced.
The Taoiseach said the same last week.
He will say it again next week too.
It is a different week.
It is the same question.
I understand that but on this occasion Deputy Adams can take it that it will happen.
Yesterday's jobs initiative announcement made much of the €136 million the Government intends to spend on capital projects.
It has been idenfified in the small print that €106 million of it has been reallocated.
Does the Deputy have a question on the Order of Business?
Yes. When does the Taoiseach intend to come before the House and identify the projects from which the money is being taken, which assisted the Government in making its announcement yesterday?
That is not in order on the Order of Business.
The adjustment of Votes within existing Departments has been identified, cleared by the Cabinet and announced in the jobs budget.
Will the Taoiseach publish the list of projects from which the money is being taken?
The Deputy will have his say when the short Finance Bill dealing with the matter is brought before the House in a couple of weeks time.
The Minister for Health and Children does not even trust the HSE to count trolleys or primary care units. When does the Taoiseach envisage legislation will be published to change the corporate governance of the HSE, given that the HSE will now effectively be reporting to itself, through the interim board, which undermines the corporate governance and independence of a board?
The Deputy will be aware that the Minister has made changes to the HSE in standing down the board. Later this year the Minister will bring forward legislation to abolish the HSE board and change the structure. Obviously, the entire health system and structure have massive implications for the economy, country and people. It is not a case of having a jolt reaction every second day. The Minister is changing the structure of the board. An interim board will be appointed until such time as he brings forward towards the end of the year legislation to put the new structure in place.
On the jobs initiative, has consideration been given to supporting the possible creation of 5,000 jobs in Tralee with a global pharmaceutical company?
That is not in order on the Order of Business. I call Deputy Michael McGrath.
Has consideration been given to that proposal?
Yes. I met them last year.
I am sorry, Taoiseach, but that matter is not relevant on the Order of Business. Members know the rules.
The Taoiseach will be aware that yesterday in the High Court Mr. Justice Peter Kelly refused to grant a six-month extension in the investigation of various issues at Anglo Irish Bank. He will also be aware from media reports last week that Mr. David Drumm, former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank, currently in the United States, is refusing to co-operate in the investigation.
That is not a matter for the Order of Business.
It is relevant. Has the Taoiseach received any update on the progress of the investigation? Does he intend to bring proposals to the House to speed it up——
That is a matter for a parliamentary question.
——or grant extra powers?
The Deputy knows that as well as I do.
Does the Taoiseach intend to raise with the US authorities the fact that Mr. Drumm has an E2 visa——
The Deputy is abusing the privilege I have given him.
——which can be revoked?
That is not a matter for the Order of Business. It is one for a parliamentary question.
Does the Taoiseach intend to raise it with the US authorities?
It is a matter for a parliamentary question.
How is the Taoiseach going to ensure Mr. Drumm is held accountable in this country for his stewardship of the bank?
The Deputy knows that is not a matter for the Order of Business.
I asked the Taoiseach——
The Deputy should table a Parliamentary Question to the Taoiseach.
On promised legislation, when will the national vetting bureau Bill on the vetting of applicants to work with children and vulnerable adults, a matter in which I know the Taoiseach has expressed an interest, be introduced? Everyone agrees that vetting is necessary, but the reality is that it is taking months to process applications. There is an urgent need to progress the issue. When will the legislation be brought before the House?
I cannot give the Deputy a date. The heads of the Bill are being worked on. I am aware of the difficulties being experienced by the vetting office in clearing the backlog. Also, I am aware of the excellent job done by that office in carrying out its work. We are examining a number of options that might be open to us in increasing the number of trained staff in the office to improve the efficiency with which applications for vetting can be dealt with.
The Taoiseach and other Government representatives have indicated that the independent review of the registered employment agreements and joint labour committees will be, once assessed by the Government, brought before the Dáil for discussion. Given that many low paid workers are concerned about the threat the review poses to their pay and conditions, perhaps the Taoiseach will say when we can expect the Government's response to it and when we will have an opportunity to discuss the matter in the Dáil.
The Duffy report will be published shortly, as stated yesterday by the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton. The report will be considered by the Government, following which it will make its views known of the recommendations contained therein and given the requirement to discuss it with the European Commission. I understand the Deputy's point on low paid workers. I am sure he will be glad to hear that the decision taken by the Government to reverse the cut in the minimum wage will take effect from 1 July.
That was a proper question.
The Taoiseach will no doubt be aware of the high cost of drugs and medicines to the health system. A commitment within the programme for Government is that these costs will be reduced. Perhaps the Taoiseach might give us an update on the progress of legislation in this regard, in particular the pricing and supply of medicines Bill.
I cannot give an exact date, but I will ask the Minister for Health and Children to report directly to the Deputy on the matter.
For clarification purposes——
There is no room for clarification on the Order of Business.
My question relates to legislation.
That is fine.
The Taoiseach told me yesterday that legislation to reform research institutions would be brought forward within the next few weeks. The legislative programme indicates this will not happen until later in the year. Will that legislation be fast-tracked?
I apologise, I did not hear the Deputy's question?
The Minister referred in the jobs initiative to various measures to be taken to reform research institutions. When I asked the Taoiseach yesterday when that legislation would be introduced, he told me it would be introduced in the next few weeks. However, the legislative programme indicates that it will not be introduced until later in the year. I am wondering if, in view of the announcements made in the jobs initiative, the Government has decided to fast-track that legislation.
Is the legislation being fast-tracked?
There appears to be some confusion. What I said was that the legislation to give effect to the jobs initiative would be brought forward in a couple of weeks time.
No, I asked specifically about the research aspect.
I will let the Deputy know later.
On promised legislation and to assist the leader of Fianna Fáil in his inquiries in regard to speedy——
No assistance is needed.
This is important in terms of the manner in which we do our business on the Order of Business. The Ceann Comhairle and I will agree on that point.
I knew it would not last. The Deputy misses the Order of Business too much.
The rest remains to be seen.
There are a couple of spare seats on this side, Deputy.
Given that the Government has inherited a raft of promised legislative measures, some dating back over a ten year period, the titles of which I do not intend to read——
Thank goodness.
The Ceann Comhairle should not be overly thankful or grateful at this stage, lest I might change my mind.
The Deputy will not be allowed to change his mind.
One can always change one's mind, as the Ceann Comhairle and I well know.
The Deputy will not change my mind.
Will the Taoiseach indicate how it can be ensured that we will not have a repetition of what has happened in the past ten years in allowing legislation to remain on the stocks for long periods? For example, one Bill has been promised——
Examples are not relevant. Does the Deputy have a question on the Order of Business?
This is the Order of Business.
Does the Deputy have a question for the Taoiseach?
I am asking a question on promised legislation.
Will the Deputy, please, ask his question?
We should not be arguing about this. The Ceann Comhairle knows well my question is on promised legislation.
Does the Taoiseach not hold parliamentary meetings anymore?
No. 38, the explosives Bill is to repeal the Explosives Act 1875.
Is the explosives Bill being brought before the House?
It has been blown up.
Much of the legislation on the B and C lists is indicative of what happened in past years. Legislation on the A list will be brought forward as a matter of priority. My understanding is that the explosives Bill will explode onto the scene some time later this year.
That is good news.
Excellent. I thank the Taoiseach.
The jobs initiative announced yesterday included a temporary partial credit guarantee scheme, which is welcome. However, the accompanying financial information includes no allocation for the scheme this year, although it is due to be introduced in the autumn. Will a new Estimate be brought forward? What is the current position of the Department of Finance on the scheme?
I expect the Minister will deal with that matter when the Finance Bill is brought forward. He will give details of what is involved and when it will take effect.
My question to the Taoiseach relates to the town of Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis.
That is a matter for Question Time.
It is one for the parliamentary party meeting.
They are very happy in Dingle this morning about the 9% rate of VAT. When does the Taoiseach expect legislation to be brought before the House to restore the bilingual name of Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis to the town?
Tá a fhios agam go raibh reifreann sa Daingean agus thug muintir an bhaile mhóir freagra ar an gceist. I understand from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government that the legislation could be ready by the end of June. I will ask him to give the Deputy an update on the matter.
My question relates to minor promised legislation. At the risk of sounding like Deputy Bernard Durkan and others, I will cite an example. Yesterday at the Cork Circuit Court the master of a vessel pleaded guilty to an offence that most of the community would deem to be a minor administrative transgression. The master suffered a criminal record and a punishment of up to €70,000 for what most would call a technical offence. I have raised this matter before. Legislation is promised on minor fisheries offences to be dealt with by way of administrative sanction. Can that legislation be brought forward as a matter of urgency? I know that no date has been promised. However, fishing and coastal communities are crying out for the introduction of this legislation.
The preliminary work on the Bill is under way. While it is a short Bill, it can be quite complex. It is part of the programme for Government. I cannot give the Deputy a date for the publication of the heads of the Bill, but I note his concern. He has raised this matter on a number of occasions.