We will now move to the next business, statements on the Government's priorities for the year ahead.
Business of Dáil
On a point of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms-----
That is not a point of order.
-----the suppression of the Order of Business. Most Members came to the House thinking there would be an Order of Business this week-----
The Deputies agreed that last Thursday.
No; the Government forced it through the House last Thursday in a very undemocratic manner. What we are having today is basically a series of set-piece speeches-----
That is not a point of order.
-----to spin this and that. It has nothing to do with substantive policy.
Deputy Martin-----
Two weeks ago we agreed to have substantive statements on housing policy-----
Deputy Martin-----
-----and the Government agreed to that debate-----
Deputy Martin, I am on my feet.
There was supposed to be a discussion on housing two weeks ago.
(Interruptions).
Deputy Martin, I will have to suspend the House.
We would like to raise some legislative items with the Government. I seek an explanation as to why the Government has ordered the business of the House in such a way that we cannot even have an Order of Business this week, or discuss or raise issues to do with legislation. There is not a single legislative measure before the House this week from the Government, although there is from the Opposition.
Please, Deputy Martin.
It is a disgrace. It is the usurpation of the Parliament by the Executive for its own purposes and nothing else. It is absolutely cynical and disgraceful.
(Interruptions).
Would the Deputy prefer we were talking about Ivor Callely?
Can we have some order? There was a discussion on this last Thursday when the Order of Business was decided. The Taoiseach might have another proposal on this. I call the Taoiseach.
This matter was decided last Thursday.
It was railroaded through.
Last week, without even being asked for it, the Government gave Members not only a debate and statements but also questions and answers. It is a measure of how generous we can be but, of course, the Deputy will not mention that.
What is the Taoiseach talking about? There are no questions and answers.
It is proposed, notwithstanding Standing Orders-----
I just raised a point of order. The Chief Whip did not know, as late as this morning, how the speeches would be organised. He did not even know how the blocks of speakers would be organised. There was complete disagreement all morning between the Whips.
Let us hear from the Taoiseach.
It was completely disorganised. The Government did not know what way it wished to organise this. It is absolutely disgraceful.
I call on the Taoiseach to announce the statements.
It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or the order of the Dáil of 27 February regarding the arrangements for the statements on the Government's priorities for the year ahead, that the statements of each other Member called upon after the opening statements shall not exceed 30 minutes in each case.
Where are the questions and answers?
Accountability? Dream on.
Send any requests to the Opposition Whips.
The Taoiseach has announced that for the second round of speakers the Member called shall not exceed 30 minutes in each case. Is that agreed?
Not agreed.
He proposed questions and answers as well.
The Deputy was not here last week and neither was his Whip.
The reason this has been proposed is to get over a difficulty and problem which emerged this morning, and the lack of preparation by the Government side for this debate is evident-----
On the contrary.
-----in the way it wants to organise this block by block, in other words to dilute the capacity of each Opposition party-----
Deputy Martin was not here for half of last week.
-----to have its 20 minutes-----
The Opposition missed half a debate last week.
Everything Fianna Fáil asked for was granted.
No it was not.
Please.
Everything Fianna Fáil asked for was granted.
Deputy Stagg was not even party to it but he is such a merciful person.
Deputy Martin is trying to think of something else now he is on his feet.
Deputy Stagg please.
He is all mercy and generosity. We all know about it.
All I want to say is there were issues about speaking slots all morning. The Government side did not know how to order the state of affairs. I know the Ceann Comhairle's office had its views on the options for former members of Fine Gael with regard to speaking priorities and each party getting a block of time to respond.
What about Finian?
What about Mattie?
In essence what the Government proposed was a fragmented position for the Opposition whereby each speaker from the various parties would have seven minutes. It was very unacceptable from our perspective.
The whole week is a farce. The idea the Dáil should have to spend three days backslapping the Government is a farce and ridiculous.
It would not have happened in Deputy Martin's time.
The Government does not have legislation to bring forward so we could have the normal week everybody would want, which would allow for Order of Business and questions to the Taoiseach.
Is this meant to be a brief contribution?
Why do we not have questions to the Taoiseach today? The Taoiseach decided not to have them.
Deputy Martin will have nothing left to say.
This is a jackboot approach to Parliament. The Government wants to dictate the debate the way the Executive wants to dictate it, with no input from the Opposition whatsoever in terms of the form or order of the schedule.
Deputy Sean Ó Fearghaíl had an input.
The Government's approach is very anti-democratic. With regard to all of the proposals made on Dáil reform and so forth, this is the absolute antithesis of such proclamations by the Taoiseach in the past.
Neither true nor fair.
Does Deputy Adams wish to comment?
No, I have become used to the way the Government does its business. I would rather go into a review of the programme for Government.
Is that a white flag?
Question put: "That the proposal for dealing with No. 19 be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 66; Níl, 42.
Tá
- Bannon, James.
- Butler, Ray.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Catherine.
- Byrne, Eric.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Coffey, Paudie.
- Conaghan, Michael.
- Conlan, Seán.
- Conway, Ciara.
- Coonan, Noel.
- Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
- Costello, Joe.
- Creed, Michael.
- Daly, Jim.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Deering, Pat.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Dowds, Robert.
- Doyle, Andrew.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Ferris, Anne.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Flanagan, Terence.
- Gilmore, Eamon.
- Hannigan, Dominic.
- Harrington, Noel.
- Harris, Simon.
- Hayes, Brian.
- Hayes, Tom.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Hogan, Phil.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Humphreys, Kevin.
- Kenny, Enda.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Kyne, Seán.
- Lawlor, Anthony.
- Lyons, John.
- McCarthy, Michael.
- McLoughlin, Tony.
- Maloney, Eamonn.
- Mitchell, Olivia.
- Mulherin, Michelle.
- Murphy, Eoghan.
- Nash, Gerald.
- Neville, Dan.
- Nolan, Derek.
- Noonan, Michael.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Mahony, John.
- O'Reilly, Joe.
- O'Sullivan, Jan.
- Penrose, Willie.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Quinn, Ruairí.
- Reilly, James.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Stanton, David.
Níl
- Adams, Gerry.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Collins, Joan.
- Colreavy, Michael.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Daly, Clare.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Stephen S.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Halligan, John.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Higgins, Joe.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Kirk, Seamus.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McLellan, Sandra.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Mathews, Peter.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Nulty, Patrick.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- O'Brien, Jonathan.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Sullivan, Maureen.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Ross, Shane.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Troy, Robert.
- Wallace, Mick.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Joe Carey and Emmet Stagg; Níl, Deputies Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Aengus Ó Snodaigh.
Question declared carried.
I do not want to delay proceedings further, but I ask the Taoiseach to clarify whether there will be time for questions and answers after each Minister's contribution, which is what was suggested earlier.
This matter was agreed to yesterday over the telephone with Deputies Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Aengus Ó Snodaigh. Then Fianna Fáil wanted to change the arrangement again, which is why I read out a revised Order of Business today in order that Opposition spokespersons could come in directly after Ministers. That is why it was changed, despite the fact that it had been agreed to by the Fianna Fáil Whip yesterday over the telephone.
In fairness, that is not happening in the case of the Ministers for Health, the Environment, Community and Local Government and Children and Youth Affairs. Our spokespersons will not come in on the issues of health, the environment and children, mainly because of the availability of Ministers and so forth. That will not actually happen, even though the Taoiseach mentioned that there would be questions and answers.
This was agreed to yesterday. Then the Deputy wanted it to be changed and I have changed it for him.
Yes, but the Taoiseach mentioned that there would be questions and answers. I take it that-----
No. We are now going to have statements.
Just statements.
There will be plenty of time to ask plenty of questions.
We cannot ask questions.
I received no notice of any of this. I am now going to go ahead.
Deputy Barry Cowen should calm down.
Of course, we cannot question the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. He is bringing in water charges, about which we cannot ask questions.
(Interruptions).
Order, please.
The Government doesn't want to be reminded of that matter.
The Deputy should go back to his brother.
Deputy Cowen was one of the good ones.