It is proposed to take No. a13, motion re membership of committees; No. 4, Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012 - Second Stage (resumed); and No. 16, statements on philanthropy and the arts (resumed). It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that No. a13 shall be decided without debate. Private Members' business shall be No. 63, motion re agriculture (resumed), to conclude at 9 p.m. tonight, if not previously concluded.
Order of Business
There is one proposal to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a13, without debate, agreed to? Agreed.
I am unsure whether the Taoiseach read the Irish Examiner this morning but there is an interesting headline: "Child benefit scare tactics 'hit economy'". It refers to and accurately reports the comments of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to the effect that the various kite flying exercises that have gone on have damaged consumer confidence to the extent that it has gone down ten points.
This is the Order of Business, Deputy.
He refers to comments in terms of child benefit cuts, cuts to the disability allowance and the property tax.
This is the Order of Business.
My question relates to forthcoming legislation. We understand from another report that Ministers were discussing bringing forward the date of the budget because, without question, what has been going on in recent weeks is damaging consumer confidence and jobs. Can the Taoiseach confirm the date of the budget and when the finance Bill will be forthcoming? I realise he is consulting with the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, but the Minister was clear yesterday in the Dáil about the damage Ministers are heaping on the economy and the damage Ministers are doing to consumer confidence by the serial leaking and kite flying. I have been on the doorsteps talking to people about the property tax-----
Sorry, Deputy, this is the Order of Business.
I am asking about the budget.
We are not talking about the budget. We are discussing promised legislation.
I want the time.
He is asking about kite flying.
I want the time for the resolutions and the finance Bill. Can we get confirmation of when the budget will happen and when the finance Bill will occur?
I am glad Deputy Martin has been on the doorsteps. Let me confirm that the Government has not considered the question of child benefit. The Government has not considered the question of disability benefit. The Government has not considered the question of property taxes.
What is it doing?
Has the Government considered anything?
Does the Taoiseach not believe the Minister, Deputy Varadkar?
That is in the newspaper. I am telling Deputy Martin what is the story. Ministers have not discussed-----
The Taoiseach should answer the question.
Would you mind, please? Plenty of other Deputies want to speak. Deputy Dooley, you indicated you wanted to speak. Would you mind allowing other people to speak? Thank you.
Let me give it here to Deputy Martin.
He said it was probably due to Ministers and others talking about child benefit cuts and property taxes. That is what the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, said.
A Deputy
Does the Taoiseach agree with him or not?
He said within one month it had fallen by ten points.
I see you. I hear you.
Ministers and others, including Deputy Martin.
He said within one month it had fallen by ten points.
Excuse me, we are not having a debate on the Order of Business.
If Deputy Martin wants to talk about the Irish Examiner, it is fair enough.
Would the Taoiseach stick to the legislation?
I am confirming for Deputy Martin-----
Would the Deputy put away his newspaper? Would the Taoiseach answer about the legislation?
The Government has not discussed any of those issues and there is no change in the date of the budget or the finance Bill, as outlined by the Minister for Finance here on a number of occasions. What Deputy Martin is talking about is absolute fallacy.
I call Deputy Adams. Would Deputy Martin leave down his newspaper?
It is in the newspaper.
What did Deputy Martin have for his breakfast this morning? Would he allow Deputy Adams?
I had a healthy breakfast.
Weetabix.
Maybe he should go out and get breakfast then if he did not have breakfast.
Seo ceist faoi reachtaíocht atá fógartha. I want to ask for an update on the progress of the health (Amendment) Bill to provide for free GP services. When will this Bill be published and when will it be debated here, and will the Government provide free GP care for claimants under the long-term illness scheme before the end of the year? What is the reason for the delay in bringing forward this legislation?
It is merely the pressure of the line of legislation. The GP services Bill is scheduled to be published this session and Deputy Adams will have the opportunity to raise any issues he wants when it is published.
What progress has been made on the solas Bill?
We are all in the dark.
That will be published this session as well.
The lights have gone out.
When will the housing Bill be published? Would the Taoiseach agree that the social housing programme has pretty much collapsed, in particular, over the past number of months?
Years.
Will the Government take any initiative next year to restore a reasonable programme of social housing?
When will Mr. Justice Finnegan's report on Priory Hall be published? A colleague asked about it yesterday. Priory Hall residents are deeply anxious to know what kind of resolution there will be about their homes.
I can confirm that the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is working hard on the housing Bill. It will be next year before it comes in.
Today marks World Homeless Day and the Irish homeless football team is in the third round of the Homeless World Cup.
Hold on a second, for goodness sake.
I am just coming to the question. They are playing Scotland today and I am sure we wish them all the best.
We all wish them well. Now, would Deputy Ellis ask about promised legislation?
I am coming to that. There is a serious issue over homelessness. There are nearly 5,000 homeless on the list and there are 100,000 on the housing list. When will the housing Bill be brought before this House?
The Taoiseach just said it.
I heard him saying that. I intended to ask that. Also, in the meantime, if it is not coming soon, can we have a debate on the issue of homelessness and housing because it is such an important issue?
There is Private Members' time.
There is Private Members' time. Deputy Ellis will be able to raise that in the general economic debate which will take place shortly.
When will the Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011 be back before the House? When will the Personal Insolvency Bill 2012 come to Report Stage?
The Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011 is due back in on 5 November. I hope that that date can be adhered to. If not, we will let Deputy Mac Lochlainn know.
I call Deputy Higgins.
What of the Personal Insolvency Bill 2012?
It is being worked on. I think it is due back from committee fairly soon. I hope it will be completed here before the end of the term.
When will there be a statement in the Dáil on the location and time cale for the children's hospital? Has the Cabinet signed off on that?
The Cabinet has not signed off on it. I can confirm that the Minister for Health has reviewed the Dolphin report-----
It is a matter for a parliamentary question.
-----and the Department has carried out its assessments.
Are there new criteria?
I would expect the Government to make a decision on that within the next two weeks.
There have been reports in the media that the advisory group on the ABC case has completed its report. Has the Cabinet seen that and when will the Government bring it to the Chamber?
It certainly has not been presented to the Minister. I am not aware that it has been completed. Obviously, we will wait until it is presented to the Minister for Health to see what it contains.
As the Taoiseach will be aware, the mortgage crisis faced by approximately 160,000 households in this country is one of the most pressing issues facing this country. In the context of the Personal Insolvency Bill coming back for its final Stages, will the Taoiseach release the information that Mr. Simon Carswell of The Irish Times indicated the Government was refusing to give out-----
That is not relevant to the Order of Business.
-----about banks lobbying the Government-----
Would Deputy Boyd Barrett resume his seat?
-----on the Personal Insolvency Bill before we discuss the final Stages?
Would Deputy Boyd Barrett please respect the Chair and resume his seat? I ask the Taoiseach not to answer somebody who is totally out of order. Deputy Boyd Barrett should respect the Chair. When I stand up, the Deputy is supposed to sit down. He is totally out of order.
I was only asking for information on property legislation being discussed.
The Government is proposing to introduce unfair and anti-family water taxes. Recent reports suggest that as many as one third of connections cannot be metered and will be the subject of a flat tax. Similar reports, or maybe the same reports-----
We are talking not about reports, but about promised legislation.
I am getting to it.
Please get on. I have a list of Deputies waiting to speak.
Some of the reports suggest that Bord Gáis will not be able to meter these connections before 2014.
That is not a matter for the Order of Business.
I am asking the Taoiseach when will we see the water services Bill so that we can clarify these reports.
Deputy Healy will see that Bill this session.
In July, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, announced that he would provide an additional €36 million to the CIE group of companies to assist in the protection and retention of services. Today we understand that he has changed his mind on that.
We understand what?
If I could get to it, today we discovered that he has changed his mind on that. He is now suggesting that they sell assets or that they borrow money.
We are not dealing with debates.
It is effectively selling the bus to pay for diesel. There is, on the schedule, the transport (CIE borrowings) Bill. When does the Minister intend to bring that before the House?
The transport (CIE borrowings) Bill is down for publication this session.
When is it expected that the criminal justice (proceeds of crime) Bill, to strengthen the powers of CAB in forfeiting the proceeds of crime, will be published? Naturally, one of the big issues would be the smuggling that is having a significant effect on this country.
I can confirm for Deputy Butler that the proceeds of crime Bill is the subject of discussions with CAB. It will be next year before the Bill is published.
I hope I am in order this morning.
I hope the Deputy is.
I want to ask the Taoiseach, under the Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012, about the serious erosion taking place here in the proposed legislation in relation to the Veterinary Association of Ireland. Its members have given good service to the community and farming practices and they are being undermined here.
To which legislation does Deputy Mattie McGrath speak?
The Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012.
I thank the Deputy. What of the Animal Health and Welfare Bill?
There is a serious diminution of their situation.
There is no need to expand.
There will be more quangos and more lay people, animal rights activists and others, interfering here whereas the veterinarians are qualified and have given good service.
The Bill is expected to go to the Select Sub-Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine next week.
By the way, Deputy Mattie McGrath is entitled to attend that committee.
I know that. I was there this morning.
On a matter that another Member and I have raised on many occasions-----
If somebody else has raised it, there is no point in Deputy Durkan raising it a second time because he will get the same answer.
The important part there is I have a unique way for raising this question.
That is a given.
I know Deputy Durkan has, very unique.
It relates to organised crime, which I have raised on many occasions when I was sitting over there, as the Ceann Comhairle will recall because he supported me in that.
Deputy Durkan should have a chat with Deputy Butler who has already raised the matter.
I want to ask if it might be possible to introduce the legislation that is most likely to impact in a really negative way on organised criminal activity because the carnage continues.
What Bill?
The carnage continues, as it did when I was sitting over there.
What Bill is Deputy Durkan talking about?
There is a variety of Bills and I will not-----
It is only for the Taoiseach's sake.
Wait for a second, I do not propose to read them all out but there are many of them. They have been sitting on the Order Paper for at least five to ten years.
This is the Order of Business. Deputy Durkan is supposed to be asking about promised legislation. Would he tell us about the Bill?
This is a matter for the Order of Business.
Be fair.
Promised legislation.
This is a matter for the Order of Business.
It is because of the negligence of the previous Administration-----
The Deputy is only wasting time.
Will Deputy Bernard Durkan please resume his seat, co-operate with the Chair and adhere to the rules applying to the Order of Business, which require Deputies to ask when promised legislation is likely to be brought before the House?
Just like I did. Did Deputy Bernard Durkan see what I did?
Will Deputy Bernard Durkan please tell the Taoiseach what Bill he is talking about?
I will not repeat what I said.
I hope the Deputy will not.
He has forgotten it already.
The criminal records information system Bill has been promised for some time, with other similar legislation, the introduction of which is hugely important. Is it intended to expedite the processing of this legislation through the House in order that we can make a real impact on the criminality taking place?
I can confirm that the heads of the criminal records information system Bill were cleared in April, but it will be next year before the Bill is actually published.
Regarding the proposed new housing agency, will it be funded properly in order that local authorities can purchase-----
That is the subject of a parliamentary question.
No, it comes under the housing Bill.
We do not discuss the contents of Bills on the Order of Business. We only inquire when promised legislation is likely to be introduced.
I want to know if local authorities will be funded in order that they can buy properties currently for sale at very affordable prices.
The Deputy should table a question to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
In that way, they would be able to provide housing for those on housing waiting lists.
Has a housing agency Bill been promised?
Yes; it will be introduced next year.
The programme for Government promised reform of local government. We have a situation where 235 staff of local authorities are being paid in excess of €100,000 and there are 203 directors-----
We are not having a debate on that matter now.
Will the Taoiseach confirm that there will be measures in the-----
No, not on the Order of Business. What legislation is the Deputy inquiring about?
Before the summer recess we were promised legislation, but we still have not seen it.
Will the Deputy please resume his seat?
The Ceann Comhairle did not ask Deputy Bernard Durkan to resume his seat.
He did, actually.
This is codology. Every single morning this happens. Deputies know exactly what issues they are entitled to raise on the Order of Business and I ask them please to do so. However, we do not want speeches.
The Ceann Comhairle did ask Deputy Bernard Durkan to resume his seat and the Deputy sat down.
He did not.
The Deputy can check the record.
I am fed up having to ask Deputies to stay quiet.
The Ceann Comhairle is very one-sided.
Deputies should stick to the rules of the House. If they do not like them, they should change them. I have to apply them.
Deputy Niall Collins should withdraw he remark made.
Deputies can table parliamentary questions, raise Topical Issues and attend committee meeting, but they should not use the Order of Business every single morning to raise issues that they should not. I have to cut them off when they do so, even though I do not want to do so.
My question is very relevant.
No speeches, please.
I did not receive an answer to my question.
I do not know the legislation to which the Deputy was inquiring.
Given the abuses at all levels within the body politic, can the Taoiseach give us a more definite date for publication of the registration of lobbyists Bill?
I believe it will be published next year. We will not get to it in this session.
Deputy James Bannon can take another chill pill in the meantime.
Will the Dolphin report be published in full? Can we have a debate in the Dáil on the proposed location of the new children's hospital and the detail of that report?
Primary legislation is required to abolish the 50 cent prescription charge. As the Minister has made a commitment in the matter, will the Taoiseach indicate if the required legislation will be published in the near future? The Minister made the promise in March 2011 to abolish the charge.
I will have to get back to the Deputy on the legislation to which he refers. The Dolphin report is in the hands of the Minister. When the Government makes its decision, there will be an opportunity to have a full discussion in the House. Clearly, the report can be published at that stage.
First, I express my disappointment that Deputy Micheál Martin did not have a copy of the Evening Echo when he was canvassing in Rathgar last week. I am glad he was canvassing there and not in Cork-----
Will the Deputy please get on with it?
Is Deputy Jerry Buttimer questioning the editorial content of the Evening Echo?
I am aware of the reaction Deputy Micheál Martin received when he was canvassing in Rathgar.
I was in Ranelagh actually.
On the Irish Aviation Authority Bill, the Dublin Airport Authority has written to Cork Airport seeking redundancies. Obviously, there is huge concern in Cork regarding the airport-----
Is the Deputy asking about an aviation Bill?
It is important that we allay the concerns of workers and recognise that Cork Airport is a hub and a gateway to the south. When will that legislation be brought before the House?
That is a Topical Issue matter.
I can inform Deputy Jerry Buttimer that discussions and consultations on the Irish Aviation Authority Bill are ongoing. It will be next year before the Bill is published.
I hope I will be in order, a Cheann Comhairle.
So do I.
I am learning the rules slowly. Regarding Bills in preparation touching on the security of citizens, gangland crime, the proceeds of crime and so forth, I ask the Government to consider the possibility, if not the necessity, of providing for the visible arming of the Garda Síochána. The news today that a 16 year old boy was shot at 9 p.m. is yet another example of the problem. We are seeing it day by day. With such a move we would have manners and decorum on the streets.
That sounds like a Topical Issue matter to me.
It does, a Cheann Comhairle. I regret the incident in which a 16 year old boy was shot and I hope he recovers fully. The changed rosters after discussions within the Garda Síochána have meant a greater level of activity and greater visibility on the streets, which I welcome. The Minister for Justice and Equality is concerned, as is the Garda Commissioner, about the ongoing level of violent crime on the streets of Dublin, in particular, and every effort will be made to deal with it effectively.
Will the Taoiseach confirm that the Thornhill report has been with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government since June? Has the Minister read it yet? Has he passed it on to the Cabinet and when will it be made public?
That is not a matter for the Order of Business but the subject of a parliamentary question.