It is proposed to take No. 35, Communications Regulation (Postal Services) (Amendment) Bill 2015 - Report and Final Stages (resumed); No. 1, National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill 2015 [Seanad] - Second Stage; No. 2, Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad] - Second Stage; No. 36, Children (Amendment) Bill 2015 [Seanad] - Second Stage (resumed). Private Members' business shall be No. 198, motion re credit unions, resumed to conclude after 90 minutes, if not previously concluded. Tomorrow's business after Oral Questions shall be No. 37, Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2015 - Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; No. 2, Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad] - Second Stage; No. 36, Children (Amendment) Bill 2015 [Seanad] - Second Stage (resumed); and No. 6, National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage.
Order of Business
As there are no proposals to be put to the House with respect to the Order of Business, I call Deputy Ó Fearghaíl.
I raise again with the Taoiseach the question of the anticipated time for the production of the family courts Bill. I am struck on a regular basis in my constituency by the number of people having difficulties accessing the family courts, the inordinate delays and so on. The Taoiseach has accepted the need for us to take action and produce a family courts system. There was some concern initially that Article 34 of the Constitution might have to be amended in order to facilitate that initiative, but a way has been found around that. Will the Taoiseach give the House some sort of an assurance as to what action the Government will take? In light of the adoption of the children's referendum, there is a need for a real impetus to be injected into this process, and I would include in that the family law Bill promised by the Government.
I also wish to ask about universal health insurance. In April 2014, the Government published a White Paper that was a costings-free zone in terms of its finite proposals. Where are we now on the issue of universal health insurance, which was such a key element of the Government's programme? I ask this against the background of comments by the Tánaiste in the past couple of days, who indicated that any reform of health financing must meet three criteria. She indicated that it must give better outcomes for patients, make access fairer and easier and be affordable. We would all agree with that, but she went on to say, "To be clear, any reform must meet all three criteria." She stated, "I do not know yet whether universal health insurance or any other insurance-based system can meet these three criteria". If this is a key element of the Government's platform-----
We are not having a debate.
-----and the Tánaiste does not know whether it meets those criteria, we are in a sad position. Will the Taoiseach comment on that for us, please?
No, but he may comment on outstanding legislation.
Maybe the Taoiseach might have a quiet word with the Tánaiste.
The Deputy can have a quiet word afterwards.
I would say to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, in respect of the family courts Bill and the family law Bill, that a great deal of legislation is being worked on in the Department of Justice and Equality, but I will have to advise him of the current state of preparations in respect of both those Bills.
Universal health insurance is a fundamental part of the Government's programme. The building blocks are the primary care teams, free GP care for under sixes and over 70s, the setting up of hospital groups and so on. These are all essential building blocks to move away from a discriminating two-tier system, which is-----
The Government has no cement.
-----inefficient and costly.
There is no cement in the blocks.
That work is still under way.
Tá dhá cheist agam, ceann amháin faoin public sector standards Bill agus ceann eile faoin Health Act 2007. Yesterday the Government agreed to publish the draft general scheme of the public sector standards Bill, which is intended to replace the Standards in Public Office Commission. It is a very belated response to the recommendations made by the Mahon and Moriarty tribunals, one in 2011 and the other in 2012. It has taken three years to produce the draft scheme of this Bill, which will now go into consultation until September. When does the Taoiseach expect the Bill to be published? Realistically, does he believe there is any hope of it being passed into law before the next general election?
On the Health Act 2007, the Minister for Health has finally instructed his officials to draw up the heads of a Bill to give new powers to HIQA. I welcome this, but it is four months after he announced this. However, we know that HIQA's recommendations are often ignored by the Minister and the Department. HIQA has said that had its recommendations been implemented, the risks to emergency departments, which even today dominate the front page of the Irish Independent, would have been significantly reduced. The INMO has said that May was the worst month on record for patients on trolleys. We had the disgraceful sight of two elderly patients, both of them born before the 1916 Rising-----
The Deputy must appreciate that is the Order of Business.
When will the promised Bill be published? Is it expected that the heads will be sent to committee for discussion? Can the Taoiseach ensure that it contains robust mechanisms to ensure that HIQA recommendations are fully and speedily implemented?
The heads of the public sector standards Bill have been cleared by Government and it has gone for consultation. The Mahon tribunal went on for many years. Many of the recommendations have been implemented. Some remain to be implemented and are included in the heads approved by Government. That will go for consultation and people will be fully entitled to have their say and make their views known either for or against other matters to be included or whatever. I do not know how long that process will take in the committee. I expect this Bill to become law before the next general election.
When is the election?
For some reason, everything now seems to be related to those two words, "general election".
Cathain a bheidh sé?
What date is that?
We are proceeding with normal business here, and there is a great deal of legislation to draft, deal with and discuss.
He did not say.
Regarding the Health Act 2007, in respect of HIQA, the Government gave approval on 9 June to the Minister and the Department to set out and draft the heads of the Bill to which Deputy Adams is referring. That work is under way. It will go for public consultation and before the committee in the normal way.
The housing situation in Galway city has gone beyond a crisis. More than 5,000 families on the housing waiting list and 25 families presented themselves as homeless in the last month, and that is expected to rise to the high 40s at the end of this month.
That sounds like a Topical Issue.
I raised this issue with the Tánaiste last week. She said that Galway City Council was given approval to take on extra staff to deal with the crisis, but it has not. When does the Taoiseach expect the housing Bill to be brought before the House?
Which housing Bill?
Will these crisis issues be dealt with and will the Government give approval to Galway City Council to take on extra staff to deal with this crisis?
This is the Order of Business. Is there a housing Bill?
The local authorities have already been given both their money and their instructions to get on with building the social housing for which the Government opened up €2 billion.
They have not got the money.
They have not got the extra cash.
They are well short of the money.
They have not got the money.
We are not having a debate.
I am not sure whether Deputy Grealish is saying that the lack of staff is the fault or the lack of supply of houses. Chief executives in local authorities are entitled to move staff around to meet demand. The problem in Galway - or in Cork, Limerick, Dublin, or anywhere else - is supply.
Management of local government.
Competent contractors must now comply with new regulations from the Central Bank, that is, to put up 40% of the equity themselves. The Government is trying to help them with NTMA proposals and so on. There is also the planning process, with objections and so on, as the Deputy is well aware. The question is how fast the supply requirement can be met and that means blocks and concrete on the ground.
If we go down that road, we will have a debate on all issues.
In the spring statement, we were told there would be a statement on the capital budget sometime before the end of June by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin. The month ends next Tuesday, so when can we expect that? Following Deputy Grealish-----
Do not follow him.
He just got out.
Can we expect a major segment of that to provide urgent funding for social housing? Regarding the current situation with rents and rent supplement, etc., will there be legislation to provide what the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly, is calling certainty in the rental regime-----
The Minister for his legacy.
-----or will there be a statutory instrument? When will we see that? Will we have that before the summer recess?
"Yes" is the answer to the Deputy's second question. In respect of the first question, the capital budget has not been decided yet by Cabinet. When it is decided, there will be a debate on it.
It is coming in.
Yes, very soon.
I call on Deputy McGrath.
Which one?
Deputy Finian McGrath.
Sorry, there was confusion with my colleague, Deputy Mattie McGrath.
Will the real McGrath please stand up?
I refer to the health and social care professionals Bill. Is the Taoiseach aware that there are major concerns at Prosper Fingal services in Swords and St. Michael's House services in regard to services for people with disabilities for the summer months of July and August? Will he raise this issue with the Minister, because it is very important that these services are up and running during July and August?
What is the name of the Bill?
The name of the legislation is the health and social care professionals Bill.
Services should continue to be supplied in the absence of the Bill, as one would expect. I will advise the Deputy when I speak to the Minister about it.
I want to ask about the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. We were told at a briefing that Report Stage amendments to this Bill would be brought forward. The deadline for us to put in amendments is tomorrow morning but the Government is going to bring in Report Stage amendments on issues unknown at the last minute. That is completely unacceptable. Are those amendments technical or do they deal with substantial issues, such as water and attachment orders? If they are substantive amendments, when will we see them? When will they be published, or will we see them at the last minute? If they are substantive amendments, will we get a chance to have a debate before we go to Report Stage, given that they were not in the Bill when it was debated on Second Stage? When will Report Stage take place? Can the Taoiseach be precise on that? Will it be next week or the week after?
When will the Committee Stage of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill, for which the deadline for amendments was this morning, be taken? Will it be next week? Will the two Bills be in the same week? These are very precise questions about legislation and I would like precise answers and no fast ones being pulled.
In reply to the Deputy's statement about Government amendments, the same time limits apply to Government amendments as apply to Deputies' amendments.
Committee Stage of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill will be held on Tuesday. The Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will be next week. The Deputy is well aware from his experience here that it is entirely appropriate and in order for any Minister to introduce amendments on Report Stage, no more than for any other Deputy. That is what will happen here. It will be next week.
Will they be technical or substantive?
We are not going to have a debate before that, so we will have the debate, as usual, on Report Stage-----
Are they substantial? Is the Taoiseach trying to pull a fast one?
Six-gun Enda.
-----and the committees will be brought in by the Minister at that stage. The Deputy is entitled, as he knows, to submit amendments between now and tomorrow.
The Taoiseach is trying to pull a fast one. That is the answer.
I call Deputy Mattie McGrath.
One would want to be up early to pull a fast one on Deputy Boyd Barrett.
One certainly would.
I have called Deputy Mattie McGrath.
I want to ask about a number of Bills. Water services legislation was meant to be introduced to tidy up any issues around the Water Services Act 2014. I put down a parliamentary question, as the Ceann Comhairle is always telling me to do.
We are not dealing with parliamentary questions here.
The Ceann Comhairle always encourages us to put down parliamentary questions. I put one down and found out that there are hidden charges by Irish Water of €17 to read one's meter, if one suspects one has a leak-----
This is the Order of Business. On promised legislation------
I seek some clarity in regard to Irish Water. When will the water services (No. 2) Bill be published? There is also a €100 charge to test one's meter.
I call the Taoiseach on the water services (No. 2) Bill. I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath.
The Taoiseach is not listening to me.
That is due for next week.
Also, I want to ask, as I did yesterday------
If the Deputy asked yesterday, he should not ask again today.
I have to ask because it goes on. There is an adage that if there are too many tweets, the tweeter becomes a twat. Are we going to have government by tweets?
Hold on a second.
The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, is tweeting about unsavoury issues and insulting GPs and pro-life supporters.
This is the Order of Business. Deputy Mattie McGrath must speak through the Chair. He is out of order. He has got his information.
Under the broadcasting (amendment) Bill, we have to regulate these "twatters".
The broadcasting (amendment) Bill will be introduced later in the year, and we will tweet that.
Will it be before or after the election? The Taoiseach and his Cabinet colleagues should stick to the tweeting.
I call Deputy Durkan.
Deputy Mattie McGrath was brought up before CPP for insulting people.
The bail Bill has been agreed as being important and necessary legislation. Is it expected to have it before the House before the recess? The personal injuries assessment board (amendment) Bill is also important promised legislation. Have the heads of that Bill been cleared and when is it likely to bring it to the House? Lastly, the proceeds of crime Bill is important legislation which has been promised for some time. Have the heads of that Bill been cleared and will it be brought before the House soon?
This legislation on the Criminal Assets Bureau is going on interminably. The heads have not been cleared and there are consultations going on with CAB about a number of amendments there. The heads have not been cleared in respect of the personal injuries assessment board Bill but there is work going on there. In respect of the bail Bill, I expect that will be published in the back half of the year.
When is publication expected of the Bill to implement the Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance? Is there any chance of publication of the noise nuisance Bill, which has been brought up here over the past couple of years? I seek implementation of that Bill because when one has a problem arising in one's area, there is no legislation whatsoever on noise nuisance and there are people living in fear.
I cannot hear the date for the noise nuisance Bill. It is not due for publication in the near future. In respect of the Hague Convention, yesterday the Cabinet cleared the choice of courts matter in respect of the Hague Convention and I will advise Deputy Butler of the element of the matter that he raises.
When can we expect the public sector standards Bill to be brought before the House for debate? Will it be in this term?
The heads were cleared on this last week. The draft heads have gone to the committee for public consultation, and Deputy McLoughlin will have his opportunity to read them and voice his opinion there.
I thought the Ceann Comhairle had forgotten me.
I nearly forgot Deputy Healy-Rae. I did not hear him. He was drowned out by his colleague, Deputy Mattie McGrath, beside him.
The deposit retention scheme, committed to in the programme for Government and approved by Cabinet, should be rolled out as a matter of urgency to ensure that students are not exploited. The Taoiseach promised it in the programme for Government.
What Bill is Deputy Healy-Rae talking about?
The deposit retention scheme. The Taoiseach promised it.
The Taoiseach cannot remember the programme for Government.
There is a Bill under way, as Deputy Healy-Rae will be aware, for changes in respect of mortgages and I will advise the Deputy on where we are with that. By the way, I met the man from Radio Kerry last week.
The Taoiseach did, and I thank him for doing so.