It is proposed to take Nos. 4, 17 and 3. it is also proposed that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. today and business shall be interrupted at 10.30 p.m. It is further proposed that No. 3 shall be taken not later than 8.30 p.m. and the order shall not resume thereafter. Private Members' Business shall be No. 33.
Order of Business.
I must ask if the proposal for the late sitting is agreed. Agreed. Is the proposal in respect of No. 3, that it be taken not later than 8.30 p.m. and the order shall not resume thereafter, agreed? Agreed.
On the Order of Business, I should like to ask the Taoiseach if he will make Government time available so that the House can debate the Cecchini report on the achievement of the Single European Market by 1992 either this week or next week because I believe that a debate in the House at this point could help enormously in guiding the Government on the action they have not yet taken in order to prepare ourselves for 1992 in all of the areas of industrial adaptation and, particularly, in relation to our taxation system.
That is a constructive suggestion which I will be glad to consider.
Deputy Molloy has been offering.
By way of amendment to the Order of Business I move——
I am sorry, Deputy, I have declared the Order of Business agreed.
I asked to come in on this.
There was no dissenting voice when I put the question, is the Order of Business agreed.
I was asking for your permission to speak and you raised your hand asking me to wait. I waited.
Until I put the question, and there was no dissenting voice.
I want to raise with the Chair, that the House agree, notwithstanding its practice in relation to matters which are sub judice, that it shall be permissible for Members to raise on the Adjournment the adverse affect of the rod licence dispute on the tourist industry. I suggest that——
The Deputy may not move a motion in Government time.
There is a precedent where matters of this kind have been discussed in the House; the Cavan rape case was discussed in similar circumstances to those which I am suggesting. I also suggest that there may be a majority in the House who would support such a change and allow a debate on the disastrous effect the rod licence dispute is having.
It seems to me to be a matter for Private Members' Business but my office would have regard to what the Deputy has to say and will communicate with him.
I would ask the Chair, when considering this matter, to keep in mind that already millions of pounds have been lost in the Irish tourist trade, that thousands of people have been thrown out of work and several companies threatened with liquidation because of this stupid move by the Government.
I am afraid the Deputy is out of order now. It is not in order to raise the matter now. I have asked the Deputy to desist and resume his seat.
I will ask the Chair to keep what I said in mind when considering this matter.
I hope that I have not misunderstood the Chair, and if I have I beg the Chair's pardon, but I understood the Chair to say to Deputy Molloy that the substance of the issue seemed to the Chair to be a matter for Private Members' Business.
It might be a matter for Private Members' Business.
Could I remind the Chair that my party had proposed to deal with this matter in Private Members' time some short while ago and we were informed by the Chair magisterially that for two different reasons we could not raise it.
Quite frankly, I will have to consider what the Deputy said. I did not hear the Deputy in detail and I will have to consider what he said.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach when it is proposed to introduce the legislation to implement the 1988 house purchase scheme for local authority tenants.
The legislation will be by way of amendment and it will be introduced this session.
I should like permission to raise on the Adjournment the report in the Drogheda Independent last week about the downgrading of the Louth-Meath division by the transfer of the divisional headquarters from Drogheda, the forced transfer of Chief Superintendent Giblin and the grave disquiet this is causing among the public and gardaí in that division.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach if the Government intend to introduce amending legislation to allow the VHI board to own and operate hospitals.
Was this legislation promised?
I take it there is no such legislation proposed?
No.
I should like to ask the Minister for Health if he intends to introduce legislation to regularise his decision to abolish the advisory committees of health boards and, if so, when he proposes to do that.
I want to apologise to the Deputy. As my office have explained to him, I misunderstood his question last week and I thought he was talking about abolishing the health boards but, in fact, he was talking about the advisory committees. Legislation to abolish the health advisory committees is in the course of preparation.
I should like the permission of the Chair to raise on the Adjournment the need for a harbour authority in Dun Laoghaire. At least I am consistent.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach when the legislation on derelict sites will be brought before the House.
It is at an advanced stage of drafting.
Will we see it this session?
It is hoped to have it circulated in this term.