Without wishing to sound like a broken record, I have asked on numerous occasions when the Government will publish the pyrite report and its response to it. I am beginning to bore myself with this matter but it is too important to let go. I would remind the Leader that the Government promised to have a report out by the end of March. It then promised to have the report by the end of June, yet it is still not forthcoming. I know the Leader has been following up this matter and I appreciate that. I would like a commitment, however, that when the report is published time will be set aside in this House for proper debate on it with the Minister present. I would also remind the Government that the Statute of Limitations on this matter is six years. Many residents whose houses are affected by pyrite have been left high and dry by their insurance companies. The longer this goes on the more likely it is they will become statute barred. Therefore, the longer the Government delays this matter, the fewer the number of people who will have recourse to the courts. We have a Bill in preparation that we are waiting to introduce, but we must first see the pyrite report. I am hoping that it will deal with many of the concerns of thousands of people across the country.
When is it intended to publish the report on the Government's proposals on property tax? We have had numerous discussions here on the household tax, and I will not go back over old ground concerning how badly that was handled. At the time, the Government said it would publish fair and just proposals on property tax. I believe that report is ready, but the Government did not publish it before the referendum for obvious reasons. When will that be published and made available to the Houses of the Oireachtas in order that people will know the type and amount of property tax they will be asked by the Government to pay next year?
I was a little bemused that the Taoiseach in response to my party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, in the Dáil yesterday would not give any confirmation of what he said to or discussed with Chancellor Merkel on the day of the referendum count last Friday. The exchange in the Dáil yesterday was astonishing when the Taoiseach could not even tell the Leader of the Opposition or other party leaders what he said to Chancellor Merkel and what she said to him. It raises questions as to whether the Taoiseach even spoke about changes to the ESM or about getting a deal for Ireland on debt. He has now said he has written to the relevant leaders across Europe. Will he publish that letter and will the Leader ask him to do so? The Irish people are entitled to know the Government's position. People need to know what the Government is seeking. Does it entail a debt write-down or the ESM taking over the bank debt? What is the Government's position?
