It is proposed to take No. 13, Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2012 - Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; and No. 1, Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad] -Second Stage (resumed). Private Members’ business shall be No. 42 – motion re European Stability Mechanism, resumed, and shall be taken immediately after the Order of Business and to conclude after 90 minutes, if not previously concluded. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that for the purposes of Standing Order 117A, the first Friday of the month for April shall be Friday, 20 April; the time and date by which notice of a Bill in connection with that sitting shall be received by the Clerk shall be 11 a.m. on Friday, 30 March 2012; and related Standing Orders shall apply accordingly.
Order of Business
There is one proposal to be put to the House today. Is the proposal for the sitting and business of the Dáil on Friday, 20 April, agreed to? Agreed.
As an observation on the business of the House, we come here day after day and the Tánaiste fails to answer any of the questions put to him. That is a bit of the Tánaiste's own abracadabra action, as he hears what he wants. It is very unsatisfactory that he has failed to give an answer to reasonable questions on a deal to be done-----
Is this promised legislation?
-----that has been much trumpeted by the Government parties. In doing so he could give some reassurance to the public. The Tánaiste may think that is clever but I do not.
The Deputy can raise that matter on Leaders' Questions, which is over for today.
I wish to raise the issue of the Mahon report, and the Tánaiste has indicated time will be made available to discuss it. Will he give some specifics on that, although I appreciate that people will have to study the report and absorb its contents. It will be a matter of great importance to the House and public.
I also raise the issue of the statutory trust fund legislation and when it might be published. This legislation is of significant concern to victims, even before we mention the Magdalene laundries or the victims from Bethany Home. They are excluded from redress by this Government, which is appalling. The Minister for Justice and Equality has said he is now considering issues relating to Bethany Home, which is not good enough. I remind those in Fine Gael and Labour that when the parties were in opposition, they were quite correctly very vocal on the issue. I ask them to keep good their sentiments and words from that time.
We are still vocal on the issue.
We should have the debate on the Mahon tribunal report next week and time should be cleared for it. There should be a discussion among the Whips to this effect. Some legislation is scheduled for next week but we should ensure most of next week's business would be devoted to the discussion of the Mahon tribunal report. This is a very significant report as the tribunal has gone on for 15 years. It was established by the House and so the report goes not to the Government but to the Dáil, so the Dáil should have full consideration of it. Arrangements should be made to clear most of the business next week, although I do not mean we should clear questions to Ministers, Leaders' Questions and the normal Order of Business. We may have to see if urgent legislation is required but the bulk of next week's business should be devoted to a comprehensive debate on the Mahon tribunal report. The Whips might discuss the format of that debate, including speaking time.
The heads of the residential institutions statutory fund Bill have been approved by the Government and it is expected to be published this session.
I am sure the Tánaiste agrees with the importance of securing the viability of the credit union sector and the network of credit unions throughout the country. The Commission on Credit Unions was set up last year by the Government and issued its interim report late last year. The final report is due by the end of this month so will the Tánaiste advise the House if this deadline will be kept and if legislation will be introduced shortly on the regulation of the sector to underpin its future viability?
I expect the deadline to be kept. The legislation is expected by the end of June.
With regard to the foreshore and marine area development Bill, the Tánaiste will remember the recent issue in his own constituency where it turned out we were dealing with legislation from 1933. The Tánaiste mentioned the final report from the Mahon tribunal but will it be up to this House to send the report, if necessary, to the Director of Public Prosecutions or the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners? Will that be a function of the House or will the Government take a role in it? Will the Tánaiste, as leader of the Labour Party, take a particular role in the decision of what is to be done with the findings from the Mahon tribunal? I know we have a few fragments of findings so far.
The foreshore and marine area development Bill has 74 heads and consultation is ongoing with various Departments about the Bill's content. It is expected to be published in 2012.
As I stated earlier, I have not yet had the opportunity to read the Mahon report and I have just received a disk with the report before coming to the House. Previous reports from this tribunal made findings of corruption against individuals. If there are similar findings in this report - I have yet to study it - they will be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions and as appropriate to the Revenue Commissioners and the Standards in Public Office Commission. They should be pursued vigorously by those authorities.
Given that hundreds of thousands of people will not pay the unjust tax imposed on them through a household charge, what legislation will be brought forward to attempt to criminalise honest, decent people who have never done anything wrong in their life, to make them comply with this unjust and unfair tax?
Is legislation promised?
This Government is bringing forward no legislation to criminalise decent, honest people who have never done anything wrong in their lives.
Hear, hear.
It is doing it now.
As it is a number of weeks since the Taoiseach handed out scorecards to the various Ministers, is it appropriate to have a debate a year on from the implementation of the programme for Government in order that we can give scores to the various members of the Government in view of the many broken promises?
The Deputy should be careful what he wishes for.
The Deputy's party got its report card last year.
We could have a broader and more incisive debate on the programme for Government a year on.
That is a matter for the Whips.
It is a matter for the House.
The Deputy should take up the matter with his Whip.
What about the Mahon report?
The Labour Party destroyed the star parade of Fine Gael Ministers. Could we have a debate a year on to examine the performance, or lack thereof, in the Government?
Have we had a period of penitent silence?
Fianna Fáil got its report.
We have a debate here every day-----
The Government was not scored at all.
The Deputy is not deputy leader yet.
-----on the performance of the Government. Deputies have an opportunity to discuss the issue during Leaders' Questions and Oral Questions to Ministers and through Oireachtas committees. This is the most accountable Government in the history of the State.
On promised legislation, a Bill to provide for the introduction of a permanent risk equalisation scheme which will provide support for the higher cost of health insurance claims by older people, is to be implemented by January 2013. Have the heads of the Bill been discussed in Cabinet? To what extent has the legislation been progressed and to what extent, if any, have the insurance providers in the health insurance sector been involved in discussions to date?
Work on the heads of the health insurance (risk equalisation) Bill is continuing and it is hoped to have the legislation published before the end of the year.
The Tánaiste suggested the Government has secured a deal on the promissory note that will give some relief to people. Some of us believe this is a trick of the eye to ram through the fiscal treaty and that the Government is again conspiring with European Union leaders to deceive people and have the treaty passed. Will the Tánaiste disprove this theory by showing some urgency on the concrete matters that affect people and specifically one of the worst austerity measures that has been pushed through by stealth, namely, the ending of the construction of social housing by a Labour Party Government? In that regard, when will the housing Bill come before the House to give Deputies an opportunity to debate the decision of a Labour Party Government to effectively abolish council housing when 96,000 people are on housing waiting lists desperately waiting for homes?
We get the Deputy's point.
When will the legislation be introduced? Will the Government reverse this austerity measure which means people do not even have a roof over their heads?
The housing Bill is due to be published before the end of the year.
That shows the Government's urgency in the matter.
Deputy Boyd Barrett should stop playing to the gallery.
I understand the customs Bill, which is on the B list, is to be introduced before the end of the year. Will it deal with advanced legislation on fuel laundering? Millions of euro are being lost to the State as a result of motorists innocently using illegal fuel in their cars. This illegal activity is threatening jobs in legitimate traders.
The Bill is expected late this year.
Is amending legislation proposed in respect of the household charge to address the following anomaly, namely-----
The Deputy may not engage in detailed debate on the Order of Business.
I will go into only a little detail. People with a second property who have paid the €200 registration charge for second homes were informed the charge would be allocated to local authorities to provide essential services. They are now being told the €100 household charge is for the provision of the same services.
It is for roundabouts.
Surely this is wrong and this anomaly should be addressed?
That is a matter for a parliamentary question. Does the Deputy have another question?
The Deputy is running out of road.
Deputy Healy-Rae has the floor.
Recently, the Government shot down legislation introduced by Deputy Mattie McGrath to deal with the theft of scrap and precious metals. In recent days, the roof was stolen from the bandstand in the Botanic Gardens and a break-in occurred at a Minister's house. Must we wait until the roof has been stolen from this building and Government Buildings before the Government introduces legislation to deal with people who are stealing scrap and precious metals?
The Deputy must raise the matter by some other means.
What is required to deal with people who are committing crimes, whether the theft of lead or a similar crime, is enforcement of the legislation on the Statute Books. These are crimes and do not need to be made crimes again. The Minister for Justice and Equality is focused on ensuring legislation is enforced and those who commit crimes of this nature are brought to justice.
I call Deputy Dessie Ellis.
I had intended to raise the same issue as Deputy Healy-Rae.
Crime.
On the poor rate of payment of the household charge and the impact this could have on the budgets of local authorities, I note Donegal County Council yesterday issued a statement indicating its local government fund could face a shortfall of millions of euro as a result. Does the Government intend introducing a Revised Estimate to ensure local authorities will be able to continue to provide essential services in counties and corporations as a result of what is likely to be a severe shortfall arising from the Government's mishandling of the household charge?
There are no plans to introduce a Revised Estimate.
I reject the Tánaiste's crude slur on the working class people of Liverpool and their councils for their heroic fight against the evils of Thatcherism-----
It was the Trotskyists who let down the working class people of Liverpool.
The matter does not arise on the Order of Business.
-----which were destroying everything social and socialist in that city. I invite the Tánaiste to read history to learn the truth.
Take out the ice pick.
We have returned to Leaders' Questions. I ask the Deputy to put a question on promised legislation.
With regard to the ordering of time, next week is the final sitting week before the Easter period. The issues of the promissory note and potential changes thereto and the Mahon tribunal report are urgently beckoning. How will the Government provide for a proper and timely debate on both issues? With regard to the latter, is it the intention of the Government to introduce resolutions next week in regard to planning or related matters arising from the Mahon tribunal report?
As I stated, the Government is open to discussing the arrangements for next week through the Whips. It is important that we have a full debate on the Mahon tribunal report. When previous reports from various tribunals were presented there were sometimes long delays before the House debated them, which is undesirable. This report should be debated by the Dáil at the first opportunity, which I believe should be next week. The Whips should meet to discuss the arrangements. We need to see what is in the report before we can decide whether resolutions will be tabled next week. I would like to have an opportunity to read the report and consider its contents before making any commitment on resolutions.
Is legislation proposed on internal loans in banks? It has come to my attention that internal loans of €3 billion are outstanding in one of the banks. People are being crucified by the banks and face charges for their services if they do not have €2,500 in their account. Legislation is required on internal loans in banks.
Is legislation promised?
A number of banking Bills are promised. Work is proceeding on the Central Bank (consolidation) Bill following completion of work on the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill, which is awaiting Committee Stage. I referred earlier to a separate Bill dealing with credit unions. The Central Bank and Credit Institutions (Resolution) Act has been enacted.
When will the Gaeltacht Bill come before the House and when does the Government expect all Stages to be completed? As the Tánaiste will be aware, the Bill proposes to abolish Údarás na Gaeltachta, a democratically elected body for which elections must be held by October at the latest. Information and clarity on the new structure must be provided as soon as possible to show respect to the officeholders of Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Tánaiste will also know that a country is defined as being in recession when it has a decline in GDP over two successive quarters. In the last half hour, the CSO has declared that Ireland has re-entered a recessionary period, given that the last quarter in 2011 has seen a decline in GDP growth. When will the Minister for Finance, as he has indicated to the media, bring forward an updated version of the growth targets in 2012? Does the Tánaiste have any idea of those growth targets, now that the Government has steered Ireland back into a recession?
The Gaeltacht Bill was approved by the Government on 7 February and will be published later this year.
There is normally an assessment carried out on economic growth figures in April, so the Minister's updated version will be published some time after that.