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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Mar 1987

Vol. 371 No. 2

Order of Business.

It is proposed to take Nos. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 6, 7 and 1. By agreement, Nos. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 6 shall be taken without debate. Also by agreement, No. 7 and the Second Stage of the Air Pollution Bill, 1986, shall be taken together for the purposes of debate. Private Members' Business shall be No. 14.

Is the Order of Business agreed?

No. A Cheann Comhairle, I want to raise a couple of issues in relation to the Order of Business proposed. It is right that you should know that there are two falsehoods in the Order of Business proposed to the House. It says: "By agreement, Nos. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 6 shall be taken without debate". That should read: by agreement with all except the four Workers' Party Deputies Nos. 5, 8, 10, 11 and 6 shall be taken without debate, because the only agreement we made was with regard to Item No. 4 to which we agreed. We have not heard about the others. The Order of Business says: "Also by agreement, No. 7 and the Second Stage of the Air Pollution Bill, 1986, shall be taken together for the purposes of debate". That also was not by agreement of The Workers' Party. I am not saying we disagree with all these items, a Cheann Comhairle. What I am saying is that if any item is to be agreed on the Order of Business it is to be agreed by all parties in the House. We are not taking any action on this today. If we were to, we would call a vote on every single item — Nos. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 6 agus 7 — and we would be here for an hour and a half. On the next occasion on which this happens, that is the procedure we will adopt. We will oppose everything down on the Order of Business as agreed if we have not been asked about it. I am opposing the Order of Business on that basis.

I am putting the question that the Order of Business as outlined by the Taoiseach, Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11, be taken without debate.

Before you put that question perhaps I might say to Deputy Mac Giolla that I was not aware in reading out these arrangements that there was any disagreement and to that extent I apologise to the Deputy and to the House. Perhaps the Deputy would take into consideration the fact that this is the first routine working day of the new Dáil and because of the different composition of this Dáil from previous Dáils, perhaps he would bear with us today and we can iron out procedures in this regard from now on.

May I ask the Taoiseach when it is proposed to take the Status of Children Bill which has been passed by the Seanad and which is on the Order Paper?

That will be a matter for discussion between the Whips.

Is it likely to be soon?

Given that the Taoiseach has abolished the ministry for women's affairs may I ask him if it is his intention in the near future to reactivate this ministry and to give the responsibilities that heretofore were under his Department to a Minister of State?

That does not arise on the Order of Business.

When does it arise?

May I ask the Taoiseach when it is expected that the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will be reintroduced into the House? As I am sure the Taoiseach is aware, there is a serious problem of homelessness in the State and the sooner we can have this legislation before the House the better.

When the Taoiseach was informing the House of the appointments he made to the various ministries of State, there was no opportunity to speak. I cannot see when I can raise this matter with the Taoiseach. Perhaps he might be prepared to answer it——

The announcement by the Taoiseach was for the information of the House and no debate or statement by other Members can arise on such an announcement.

Perhaps the Taoiseach will be prepared to answer my query.

May I ask the Taoiseach if the Government will be circulating any new or appropriate pre-budget data? Secondly, have the Government at this stage agreed a budget? Can the Taoiseach indicate to the House the timetable for the Finance Bill?

First of all, I agree with Deputy De Rossa on the desirability of legislation for homeless persons and I will see what can be done to have it brought forward as quickly as possible. I am sure Deputy Harney will find many other occasions within the order of the House to raise the matters she has adverted to. I am not quite sure of the exact point Deputy Spring has in mind but whatever additional information is required in connection with the budget will be circulated. The Deputy will understand the very difficult situation we are in. So far we are working on an abridged version of the Book of Estimates. For convenience it will be necessary to stay with that publication as far as the Estimates are concerned.

I can certainly see from the demeanour of the Government that it is a difficult task. I would like the Taoiseach to give some indication as to whether there will be documentation available to the House before next Tuesday, budget day.

All the relevant documentation, the economic background and so on, has been published. If there is any additional information the Deputy wishes to have I will see what can be done to facilitate him. I assure the Deputy that we are getting on very well and very satisfactorily with the difficult task which he failed to complete.

(Interruptions.)

May I ask the Taoiseach whether the legislation dealing with the adoption of legitmate children which was before the last Oireachtas will be brought back before the House or what are the Government's intentions in that regard?

I cannot say——

Have the Government any view on the matter?

I would like to point out to the Deputy and to all Deputies that at the moment the Government are — and I imagine the House very soon will be — preoccupied with budgetary and financial matters. The legislative programme, while it will not be neglected, must take second place to the implementation of financial business. Financial business has already been seriously delayed at this stage.

Further to previous questions, will there be a revised abridged Book of Estimates published?

In view of the fact that the first quarter of the year has elapsed and before any post-budget decisions can be implemented a third of the year will have elapsed, would the Taoiseach not agree with me that it is imperative, if the House is to consider a budget, that we have a revised abridged Book of Estimates and a revised receipts and expenditure statement from him?

The Deputy will be glad to know that the Minister for Finance and I discussed the matter with the appropriate officials. The view is that the best way to proceed at this stage is with the existing abridged Book of Estimates. Of course, a full Book of Estimates will be published in due course. In the budget itself, all the variations, additions, subtractions and so on from the abridged book, such as they are, will be fully detailed.

May I ask for an assurance from the Taoiseach that where subheads in the revised abridged Book of Estimates are changed——

They will not be revised.

Where subheads are changed, is it the intention of the Taoiseach to publish the revised subheads?

It is our intention for the purposes of the budget to stay with the already published——

That is not the question I asked.

I am not too clear what question the Deputy is asking. Perhaps I shall tell the Deputy the situation as I see it. The view and advice we are given is that it is much better and more convenient all round to stay with the published abridged Book of Estimates. In the budget any alterations, additions or subtractions, as the case may be, from that will be fully detailed. Later, then, a full Book of Estimates incorporating the final Estimates for the Departments will be published — a full and complete Book of Estimates.

Would the Taoiseach not agree that it is the established practice of this House, including last year's budget, that subsequent to the publication of the abridged Book of Estimates, where policy changes are declined by the Government they are published on budget day? In the case of last year there was a variation of £51 million and the details were published contemporaneously with the budget. Can the Taoiseach give an absolute assurance here that changes in the subheads, which I understand are being done at the moment, will be published next Tuesday simultaneously with the budget? In due course, we will have the total Book of Estimates. Otherwise, I am afraid the Taoiseach will be making some difficulties.

The revised figures for all the subheads will certainly be given to the House on budget day. Subsequent to that, the complete and final Book of Estimates will be published. When the Deputy is talking about normal practice and procedure, he must acknowledge that in this year normal practices and procedures cannot possibly be adhered to because of the rather dramatic circumstances in which his Government left office.

(Interruptions.)

Would the Taoiseach not agree, particularly in the light of abnormal practices in the past, that it will not be possible for this House to assess the Budget Statement unless the data which I have requested is contained in an appendix to it?

I am gravely concerned at the statement by the Taoiseach because it looks as though we are starting the same old merry-go-around of revised receipts and expenditure and here we go again.

(Interruptions.)

All relevant and necessary information will be given to Deputies in connection with the budget.

Here we go again.

May I point out to Deputy Desmond that he is entering into rather dangerous territory from his own point of view, in so far as these Estimates are concerned.

I would like to know. I am asking for information.

We found when we came to look into the abridged Book of Estimates that there were many funny decisions incorporated there.

Deputy Desmond was the one who fell off the merry-goround, or jumped off it.

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