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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 18 Oct 2011

Vol. 744 No. 1

Order of Business

It is proposed to take No. 11, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) (Amendment) Order 2011; and No. 15, statements on the report by the interdepartmental working group on mortgage arrears.

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. and adjourn not later than 10 p.m.; No. 11 shall be decided without debate; No. 15 shall be taken today and the following arrangements shall apply: the statement of a Minister or a Minister of State and the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group who shall be called upon in that order shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case, the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, Members may share time, the statements of other Members shall be interrupted at 2.57 p.m. on Thursday, 20 October and a Minister or a Minister of State shall take questions for a period not exceeding 45 minutes, and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; and Private Members' business shall be No. 21, Debt Settlement and Mortgage Resolution Office Bill 2011 — Second Stage, the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, 19 October.

There are four proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 11 without debate agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 15 agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with Private Members' business agreed to? Agreed.

The Order Paper notes the latest report from the National Treatment Purchase Fund. As the report was brought to the Government last week, the Taoiseach will be aware that it records the treatment of almost 34,000 people and a 99% satisfaction rate among patients and those treated under the fund. Will the Government make time available to debate the report and seek clarity regarding the confusion that has followed the abolition of the fund by the Minister for Health? While he may, in reality, have only changed the title of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, I would like to tease out the matter a little more in the House.

Yes, I am agreeable to making time available whenever we can find a convenient time for a debate. Perhaps the Deputy will have his Whip raise the matter at the Whips' meeting tomorrow.

As I am sure the Taoiseach is aware, almost 300 people, including families with children and young babies, have been moved out of their homes in Priory Hall in north Dublin and into the Regency Hotel. I understand neither the Taoiseach nor the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, nor his Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, have had any contact with the residents.

A private notice question on this issue will be taken later.

Yes. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of tougher and clearer rules on fire safety in apartment buildings and a new fire safety inspection and certification regime. When will the relevant legislation come before the House?

When is the Bill due?

This issue would not have arisen in the first place if Mr. McFeely had done his job properly.

I am sure the Deputy is aware of Mr. McFeely's chequered history.

There are many builders like him.

I would have thought that, tragically and to the cost of the nation, we had learned much about the issue of fire certificates when the Stardust tragedy occurred. The matter the Deputy raises will come before the courts again this weekend. I know the people who are in the Regency Hotel are greatly discommoded and have been greatly upset by the finding that fire walls were not built between the apartments they had bought in good faith as homes in which to raise their families and do their business. We feel for the families in question. While I cannot give the Deputy a timeline, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government will contact Deputies about the matter. At many locations around the country things have come to light which have shown that self-regulation has left much to be desired in cases where planning permissions were being issued.

Thanks be to God, a fire has not erupted in Priory Hall and lives have not been lost in a fire tragedy. I hope the decisions handed down by Mr. Justice Kearns will be acted on swiftly and effectively to allow the families in question to return to their apartments in good time for Christmas. They are obviously upset and discommoded in their current surroundings which are located some distance from their homes. On the other hand, it is better to deal with the problem now in order that they have a guarantee that they will be able to live without fear and anxiety.

We have strayed from the issue. On the Order of Business, has legislation been promised in this regard?

It has not been promised for this session, but the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is examining the issue of fire certificates and the system of self-regulation that has applied to date.

On the same issue——

The Deputy has tabled a private notice question on the issue.

Yes, but the House is discussing it.

I did not realise we were straying onto this matter and I will not allow it to be discussed.

On the legislation promised on the issue of building controls and fire safety, it is my understanding the previous Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Gormley, implemented a new regime of building control which commenced in the middle of 2007. Will the Taoiseach confirm that is the case? As the leader of the country, will he undertake to ensure the 65 families in the Regency Hotel will be rehoused in appropriate accommodation?

The Deputy may raise this issue when his private notice question is taken. There is no point in granting——

I want to ask the Taoiseach in person whether he will give an undertaking to rehouse families——

I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.

——which last night and tonight have been living like refugees in their own country owing to the gross incompetence of the supervisory authorities and the despicable builder in question.

I ask the Deputy to please resume his seat. I granted a private notice question to allow all Deputies who so wished to raise this matter. I ask the Taoiseach not to reply, as the issue will be dealt with by way of a private notice question.

I appreciate that. Will the Taoiseach reply to my question?

No, he will not reply, as the matter will be dealt with by way of a private notice question.

He wants to reply.

There is no point in jumping the gun. Let us be fair to all the other Deputies who raised this matter. Are there any other matters arising in respect of promised legislation?

An occasion such as this should never be allowed to pass. Legislation has been promised to provide for the amendment of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

According to an Order Paper of last week it is not possible to indicate the date of publication at this stage. Given recent publicity in such matters, is it possible to focus on that legislation to ensure it is attended to with some expedition? A second question concerns the proceeds of crime (amendment) Bill which relates to the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau and is similarly vague. A third relates to legislation we all know and love, namely, the forthcoming budget and the preparation of Estimates, Revised or otherwise, for the various Departments. What time is scheduled for the preparation and completion of these and when will they be approved?

Deputy Durkan always asks pertinent questions in the Chamber. There is no date for the Bill on money laundering. Approval was given for the development of its heads last June but at this stage I cannot give the Deputy a date.

On the proceeds of crime (amendment) Bill, consultations with CAB are ongoing and therefore I am not in a position to give an accurate timeline.

What about the budgetary matters and the Estimates?

I was asked about the budgetary process last week and will respond to Deputy Durkan's question for the information of the Dáil. What I intend to do this year is very different from what has applied to any other budget to date. It will give all Deputies the opportunity to assess the process leading to the budget so that they will be able to comment and provide views about alternatives.

We propose that before the Minister for Finance eventually reads out his budget a medium-term fiscal statement will be published — by the end of October — which will set out the Government's planned fiscal adjustment path, including tax spends split in the current capital split for the period 2012-2015, in line with the agreed commitments entered into under the EU-IMF programme. Given the presidential election the publication may well be delayed until the first few days in November.

Second, a medium-term capital investment programme will be published on Thursday, 10 November which will set out the capital envelopes for each Department for 2012 — 2016, in the light of the outcomes of the capital review.

Third, an expenditure reform programme on Thursday, 17 November will announce reform measures in the context of the comprehensive review of expenditure, including the medium-term expenditure framework and the new value for money arrangements agreed by the Government on 11 October. Other initiatives will be announced that will have been dealt with by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Fourth, a comprehensive expenditure report on Thursday, 1 December will set out the high-level outcomes of the comprehensive review of expenditure along with the multiannual expenditure ceilings for each Department for 2012 — 2015, and the budget Estimates for 2012. All the background comprehensive review of expenditure documents will be made available on-line for the information of the people and everybody else.

Fifth, the White Paper on receipts and expenditure for 2012 will be published on Friday, 2 December and will set out the technical opening position for the Exchequer in advance of the budget day announcements. The 2012 budget, on Tuesday, 6 December, will set out the tax decisions and overall Exchequer position.

That has never been done in this House since the foundation of the State. It will apply now and every Deputy will have the opportunity to have thorough and comprehensive analysis of the scale of the challenge our country faces.

On proposed legislation, given the expression of interest by Etihad airlines in acquiring the remaining shareholding in Aer Lingus, can the House have time to discuss the importance of ring-fencing the landing slots in Heathrow for flights from Cork, Shannon and Dublin Airports?

That is a matter for the Whips

I raised this matter before but the Taoiseach will agree it is a very important geographical and regional issue.

It is a matter for the Whips.

I would appreciate the Taoiseach's consideration of that.

The Deputy should talk to his Whip about that.

The Financial Regulator, Mr. Matthew Elderfield, gave a warning to the banks that they should stop raising variable interest rates. Today, the head of the Banking Federation rejected his orders. Given it is Government policy that banks should absorb the interest increases that have happened——

Where are we going with this?

This relates to proposed legislation.

Please get to it, thank you.

Given that it is promised Government policy that banks should absorb the rate increases that have applied — twice since the Taoiseach took office — is it the intention of the Government to introduce legislation to give Mr. Elderfield legal powers to cap the variable interest rates as they now stand because the banks are clearly in defiance of the orders he gave last week?

Is this promised legislation?

No, it is not because the regulator is independent and we cannot legislate for him. I would expect——

Give him the powers.

The regulator is right to tell the banks he wants the variable mortgage interest rates not to be increased, and we support him in that. I hope the banks will take a responsible view of what the regulator announced. Clearly, this is a response from banks that lose money on tracker mortgages and expect a rate increase in the variable rates. I hope the banks will listen carefully and act accordingly on the regulator's decision in this regard.

In the context of the debates on the public expenditure review, just outlined to the House by the Taoiseach, and in regard to health, will there be a full debate regarding every Department and every head, or will there be merely a broad-ranging debate on the actual review? Health is in serious crisis and there are cutbacks throughout the country——

We cannot have a separate debate on this.

In the context of health——

We are not getting into it.

The Deputy will drown in debates and information about this budget.

I do not think so, Taoiseach.

The Deputy and all his individual spokespeople will have more than enough opportunity——

Will we have enough time?

——to give the Government the best view they have of what the alternatives might be.

We will give the Taoiseach and the House a reasoned——

I have one or two views on Roscommon hospital.

That completes the Order of Business.

(Interruptions).

It will not be as easy for Deputy Stagg to go out there come December.

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