Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Sep 2014

Vol. 851 No. 2

Order of Business

Deputy Michael Noonan

It is proposed to take No. 15, motion re. referral to Select Sub-Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Double Taxation Relief Orders 2014; No. 4, Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage; and No. a32, statements on the participation by Irish Defence Forces personnel in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force mission on the Golan Heights.

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that No. 15 shall be decided without debate; and the proceedings in relation to No. a32 shall be taken at 6.50 p.m. tonight and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 7.30 p.m. and the following arrangements shall apply: the statement of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sínn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such members may share their time; Private Members' business shall be No. 159, motion re. housing.

Tomorrow's business after Oral Questions shall be: No. 4, Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 - Second Stage (resumed); and No. 5, Sport Ireland Bill 2014 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage.

An Ceann Comhairle

There are two proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 15 agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a32 agreed to? Agreed.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

I appreciate the importance of the Golan Heights issue but it might have been useful to us if we had a little more time. None the less, I appreciate the urgency of the situation.

I refer to the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 because, to say the least, there is a considerable amount of confusion about the impact of this Bill. It includes changes to the charges to be applied to people with intellectual or physical disabilities who avail of assisted accommodation provided by the HSE. The Disability Federation of Ireland and other groups are very concerned about the impact of a number of the amendments to be made by the Bill. I understand a committee was set up to look at this area of charging people with disabilities and that it comprised people from the Department of Health and the HSE but nobody from the disability sector was engaged in that process which, I suggest, was extremely reprehensible.

The Disability Federation of Ireland is concerned that the charges will adversely impact on people accessing respite services for a period of time, together with the inevitable consequences that this new set of charges will have for people in residential accommodation.

Our national disability strategy and the Disability Act-----

An Ceann Comhairle

I am afraid you are straying a bit on the Order of Business.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

I will stop at this, but it is a vital issue. The disability strategy and the Disability Act committed us all to a framework whereby equal participation in society would be facilitated and encouraged. If one is going to take large amounts of money from disabled people in residential care-----

An Ceann Comhairle

That is a Second Stage speech.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

-----they will not be able to participate. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his forbearance but given there was no consultation on this, will the Government withdraw the Bill and have the consultation it should have had before the Bill appeared on our Order Paper?

An Ceann Comhairle

Hold on, according to the order, the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 is ordered for Second Stage and Second Stage. I think all these points can be made on Second Stage. Does the Minister wish to reply?

Deputy Michael Noonan

As I understand it, Second Stage is being resumed, so the Deputy will have every opportunity to make his points in the course of Second Stage, if he has not already made them.

An Ceann Comhairle

I think he has made his point anyway.

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

On promised legislation, last week TheJournal.ie website covered the family courts in an excellent series of reports. The suffering of families which must endure this family courts process was quite harrowing. In fairness, Ministers have, on a number of occasions, promised that the Government will bring in legislation to address this. The first Bill to which I draw the Minister's attention is the mediation Bill which would ask families, when they initially break up, to engage in mediation to, hopefully, find a resolution which avoids them having to go through the whole process of the courts and all that comes with that, including the huge costs to families that entails. The second Bill to which I refer is the family court Bill. Having read through those harrowing reports and excellent journalism last week, when will the Government bring in these Bills to address this issue once and for all?

Deputy Michael Noonan

We have no date yet for publication of the family court Bill. The mediation Bill will be published early next year.

Deputy Michael McGrath

On a number of occasions before the recess, we discussed the situation relating to the sale of loan books to unregulated third parties Bill and the Minister committed to bringing it forward earlier than 2015. It is listed for this session but does the Minister know specifically when it will be published? I know his Department had a public consultation exercise, which has concluded, but the sooner we see the Bill, the better.

Deputy Michael Noonan

It is still on schedule to be published this session.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I would like to ask about the referendum on children's rights and the misappropriation of funding. Will there be a debate in this House on what happened to the money voted by the House for that referendum? Approximately, €1.1 million of it was-----

An Ceann Comhairle

That is a separate-----

Deputy Mattie McGrath

It is an issue.

An Ceann Comhairle

It sounds like a parliamentary question.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I am going to be forced to report it to the Garda Síochána if I do not get some answers here. I have raised it here countless time.

An Ceann Comhairle

You are entitled to an answer but put down a parliamentary question.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I have done so but did not get answers.

Deputy Michael Noonan

Normally, items of expenditure are debated when the debate occurs on the Estimates. When the Estimates debate is scheduled for individual Departments, it is either discussed here or at the finance committee.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

Is the Minister able to indicate to the House the current position on the national paediatric hospital development board (amendment) Bill? To what extent has it been approved by Cabinet and is it expected to be brought before the House in this session? Has the education (admission to school) Bill been approved by Cabinet? When is it likely to come before the House and will it be in this session?

Deputy Michael Noonan

The second Bill to which the Deputy referred is well advanced and it is expected to be published in this session. There is no date yet for publication of the national paediatric hospital development board (amendment) Bill.

Deputy Alan Farrell

Given the amount of time it will take the universities to put together their electoral registers, can the Minister outline the progress on the Seanad electoral (university Members) (amendment) Bill? It is of key importance that it is taken early in the new year on the basis that an election will be called sometime next year or the year after. Will the landlord and tenant Bill include proposals to amalgamate any of the agencies in the property services area in order to streamline such services?

An Ceann Comhairle

We can debate the content of the Bill when it comes before the House.

Deputy Michael Noonan

The proposals in the Seanad electoral (university Members) (amendment) Bill have been discussed in the Seanad already. Effectively, the discussion was on the proposed heads of the Bill but work is advanced on it. Tentatively, it will be published next year.

Deputy Alan Farrell

What about the landlord and tenant Bill?

Deputy Michael Noonan

There is no date for publication.