It is proposed to take No. 3, Criminal Justice Bill 2011 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. Private Members' business shall be No. 19, motion re Dublin and Monaghan bombings (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. I call Deputy Micheál Martin on the Order of Business.
Will the Taoiseach clarify when legislation relating to the pensions fund levy will be introduced and if work is progressing on it?
The Cabinet will clear the Bill in the next two to three weeks.
We continue to pay ground rent to absentee English landlords. This includes ground rent on the National Library and on Government Buildings, where the Taoiseach will meet the English Queen and the British Prime Minister. What plans does the Government have to introduce legislation to end this practice?
Is this promised legislation?
I hope the Taoiseach will promise legislation.
I do not think there is any promised legislation in this area.
I do not think any legislation has been promised here. I know that under existing legislation, it was possible to buy out ground rent a few years ago. My own constituency office in the west had to buy out the ground rent from the agent of Lord Lucan. There was a sizeable number of rents there over the years. I do not know if the legislation in this area has been changed, but there is no promise of legislation to deal with the specific issues raised by the Deputy. I will examine whether it is possible under the previous legislation.
The Deputy can also table a parliamentary question on the issue.
Does the Taoiseach think it is acceptable that we should be paying ground rent for Government Buildings?
That is not a matter for the Order of Business.
The payment of ground rent is not confined to the buildings mentioned by the Deputy.
I sought information from the Taoiseach yesterday on the construction contracts Bill. He was not in a position to give me a date, but one of his colleagues announced this morning that it will be before the House within two weeks. Can the Taoiseach confirm this?
In advance of the Taoiseach's meeting with President Obama next week, does he intend to raise the issue of the undocumented Irish and the reforms——
That is not a matter for the Order of Business. Is there promised legislation on the first issue?
That will be taken this session by the Minister with responsibility for public expenditure and reform. The Minister of State at the Office of Public Works is looking at adjustments to the current situation. It is a priority and will be taken this session as soon as possible. I am aware of the difficulties that some people are facing at the moment.
There is an enabling provision in the public health (tobacco) amendment Bill to combine text and photographic warnings on all tobacco products. When can we expect the legislation to be published?
The heads of that Bill were cleared last week and it will be finalised later in the year.
Can the Taoiseach confirm whether a supplementary budget will be brought forward for the health Estimates, in view of the fact that the nursing home support scheme has been suspended by the health Minister's organisation, the HSE?
The Deputy cannot do that on the Order of Business.
This is a key——
I appreciate that it is very important. The Deputy does not need to explain that to me.
It is important to find out whether a supplementary budget will be brought forward, due to the fact that the HSE has now suspended the nursing home support scheme.
There is no proposal for a supplementary budget. This is a budget capped scheme. The Fair Deal was introduced and €1 billion was made available for it. The Minister for Health and Children is examining where that money has gone. Applications will continue to be accepted and processed.
There is a motion on the Order Paper which, if accepted by the Taoiseach, will enable the Minister, Deputy Howlin, to be accountable to the Dáil. I noticed during Leaders' Questions today that he came forward with great vigour and verve. He is straining at the bit to be accountable to the House. I ask the Taoiseach to take him out of his misery and allow him to be accountable to the House, which he so eagerly wants to be, judging from his interventions with Deputy McGrath earlier.
Deputy Howlin is not a person of misery, but a man of continued optimism——
Set him free.
——as he faces the challenge of crossing the mire left by Deputy Martin and his cronies in the last Government.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
A Bill relating to the issue will be published on Friday and will be taken in the House the week after next.
There are two reports to be submitted to the Dáil under today's Order Paper. No. 7 on the Order Paper contains the 2009 financial statements for Tolco Limited and No. 9 contains the 2009 report and financial statements for Eastern Vocational Enterprises Limited. Those companies operate under the HSE and apparently they both have liquidated the pension scheme for their staff, senior carers who have done a very important job in our country. Would the Taoiseach refer those two documents back to the HSE for further clarification? The SIPTU trade union is attempting to secure pensions for long-serving carers who work for both of those organisations which are now being liquidated.
This is not for the Order of Business.
It is on today's Order Paper. Will the Taoiseach refer the issue back to the HSE, given that there is a major problem with pensions?
That is a matter for the House.
In answer to Deputy Higgins's question yesterday on the taxi industry, the Taoiseach indicated there would be a review of that industry. Does he envisage legislation flowing from this to improve regulation of the industry? Will he ask the Minister to consider checking the vehicles that were checked by the staff who have been suspended?
That is not for the Order of Business.
The Taoiseach made a pre-election promise on political reform to give voting rights to the diaspora for the presidential election. Will the Government consider fast tracking legislation to afford a right to Irish citizens living in Ireland, but outside the 26 Counties, to participate in the election of the first citizen?
There is no legislation promised in this area.
As part of the jobs initiative last week, the Minister for Finance announced that €136 million would be spent on capital expenditure, of which €106 million was the reallocation of moneys that had already been voted through this House. I asked him last week to clarify the projects that would not now be funded as a result of that.
Will the Deputy put down a parliamentary question on this?
I have already done that.
Then try it again.
The Taoiseach indicated that the Minister would come before the House and tell us clearly what projects would not now be funded.
That has nothing to do with the Order of Business.
It does. I am wondering if the Taoiseach will provide time under the Order of Business so that the Minister could come in here and clarify those projects that would not now go ahead.
The Finance (No. 2) Bill will be taken next week and all of these matters can be debated in considerable detail.
The Reuters news agency reported the Minister, Deputy Howlin, as saying that the Government wished to restructure the national debt, whereas earlier this week the Minister for Finance denied that at the European Council of Finance Ministers. Does the Government intend to bring forward proposals for restructuring the national debt? Perhaps the Taoiseach might clarify the communication issue between the Ministers.
The Reuters news agency took down the headline which misinterpreted the Minister's comments. If by "restructuring" the Deputy means either defaulting or extending the period of repayment, neither of these two options is being considered by the Government. We have entered into an agreement and a programme. We seek an interest rate reduction and we continue to seek improvements in the nature of the deal, but we have no intention to look for an extension of time or defaulting in any way on the payments that are due by this country, which is a legacy from the previous Government.