It is proposed to take No. 6 at 8.30 p.m. tonight followed by No. 7. It is also proposed that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. and business shall be interrupted at 11.30 p.m. It is further proposed that Private Members' Business — the Report Stage of No. 17 — shall be taken between now and 8.30 p.m. and in the case of the following groups of amendments, the amendments shall be taken together for the purposes of debate and the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at the stated time by one question which shall be put from the Chair: amendment No. 15 to conclude not later than 11 a.m., amendments Nos. 16 to 21, inclusive and amendments Nos. 23 and 64 to conclude not later than 12.15 p.m. and amendments Nos. 22 and 47 to conclude not later than 5.30 p.m.
Order of Business.
Are the proposals for dealing with Nos. 6 and 7 agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for the late sitting today agreed? Agreed. Are the proposals for dealing with No. 17 agreed? Agreed.
Last week we had a debate in this House about the review of the workings of the Conference under the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Announcements were made in the British Houses of Parliament yesterday about certain steps to be taken by the British Government during the course of their coming parliamentary session. Can the Government tell us whether any of those proposed steps announced yesterday have been discussed within the context of the Conference?
I am wondering whether this relates to legislation or if it is appropriate now.
It is promised legislation elsewhere, legislation into which our Government should have had an input.
The Chair is concerned only about the deliberations of this House.
I would like to know if discussions took place and, if so, what was the outcome of these discussions?
We are dealing with the business here.
Do you not want to talk about the business here?
Do you not understand the way the Anglo-Irish Agreement is supposed to work?
Has the Minister for Industry and Commerce been alerted to the difficulties being caused in the Munster area by freezing home heating oil from Whitegate and will he make a statement on the matter?
The Deputy should find another way of raising that matter.
I wish to raise it on the Adjournment, then.
I will communicate with Deputy Spring.
I would like to raise on the Adjournment the release by the Minister for Agriculture to his backbenchers in every constituency of confidential information from the private files of farm improvement grant applicants concerning grant payments.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I would like to raise a matter on privilege. You will recall that on three occasions——
Did the Deputy get a grant?
If I did it is my business and not that of Deputy Byrne.
Deputy Doyle will have an opportunity later.
Order.
If you have to descend to that, the Department of Agriculture—
I must insist. Please, Deputy Doyle, have regard to the Chair. You will have your opportunity.
I want to raise with you, Sir, a matter of privilege. You will recall that on three occasions in the past couple of weeks I have raised in the Dáil the question of the anomaly facing certain schools that are not regarded as disadvantaged for staffing purposes. You will recall I did it in relation to a school in Coolock, Scoil Fhursa, and that on each occasion I did so the Minister for Education and the Minister of State who deputised for her indicated there could be no movement.
Please, Deputy Birmingham, come to the point. If you wish to raise the matter with me please mention the subject matter. There is no need to elaborate now.
On Monday night last a meeting of some hundreds of parents was held——
Please, Deputy Birmingham, I cannot allow this to continue. You are obviously making a speech.
I am asking for your ruling on a point of——
Deputy, if you were seeking a ruling from me you should have done me the courtesy of advising me you were raising this matter. My office will communicate with you concerning that matter.
Can I say——
Deputy Birmingham must now resume his seat. Order. I am on my feet.
With your permission, I would like to raise on the Adjournment with the Minister for Energy a serious matter that has arisen in negotiations between SMA Regal Systems, West Germany, and the ESB for the purchase of the integrated energy system on Clear Island.
Deputy Sheehan, are you seeking permission to raise this matter on the Adjournment?
Yes.
I will communicate with you.
I seek your permission to raise on the Adjournment the future of the accident and emergency unit at the North Infirmary Hospital in Cork and the overall future of accident and emergency services in Cork hospitals in general.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I seek, with your permission, to raise on the Adjournment this evening, the absence of steps taken so far by the Minister for Energy to ensure a widespread supply of smokeless fuels in the retail outlets in the Dublin area and his additional failure to ensure a competitive price between such fuels and bituminous coal.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I want to refer to your ruling yesterday concerning a question I raised on the order of Business. Since then I have checked the record of the House and on 26 October the Minister for the Environment said, and I quote——
I do not think there is any necessity. Is the Deputy raising a specific matter with me?
I want to raise the matter on the Order of Business.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I want to demonstrate to you that——
Sorry, Deputy, you may not elaborate now. It is not in order to elaborate now. You may have an opportunity of doing so later.
Can I——
Deputy Stagg, please——
Let me ask on the Order of Business if the Minister for the Environment has prepared legislation and when he intends to bring it before the House as promised on 26 October 1988 to implement the report of the Boundary Commission.
We had this yesterday morning also.
Yesterday you ruled that there was no such promised legislation. On 26 October 1988 the Minister specifically promised such legislation and I can quote from the Official Record if you wish me to do so. I am asking when that promised legislation will be brought before the House.
Perhaps the Deputy will put down a question on the matter.
Can I have a ruling? Is it not in order for me to raise promised legislation on the Order of Business?
Yes, if it is promised legislation.
It is promised legislation. I have it before me. On 26 October 1988 the Minister specifically promised to bring a Bill before the House to implement the recommendations of the Boundary Commission. I am asking when he intends to do so.
There was no legislation promised by the Government.
The record——
Deputy Stagg must resume his seat.
The Minister——
Deputy Stagg, please resume your seat. I shall have to ask the Deputy to leave the House if he persists in being disorderly in this fashion.
I am not——
Deputy Stagg will now leave the House.
I take it the Deputy will behave himself.
I would like to raise on the Adjournment the action of the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach in arranging for his official driver to notify a public meeting of a Government decision when that information was contrary to information provided——
I will communicate with the Deputy.
May I ask the Minister for Justice to reassure the House that there will not be a repeat of 1,300 early releases from prisons this year and that the prison at Wheatfield in Clondalkin——
Deputy Colley, clearly this is not in order now. The Deputy should seek another way of raising that matter.
It is most important.
May I raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of the inadequate sea and air rescue services along the west coast?
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I seek to raise on the Adjournment with the Minister for Health the outrageous proposal to close down half the available beds in Cavan surgical hospital during December when there is generally an increased demand in that hospital for bedspace.
I take it the Deputy is raising the matter with me? I will communicate with him.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the lack of a proper water supply in the Howth-Sutton area which hampered firefighters last week in their efforts to contain a serious gorse fire on the Head of Howth. These fires are ongoing and a serious danger to the public.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
Is it still the Government's intention to introduce legislation to ratify the European Patent Convention before Christmas as promised?
Hardly in this session but it is at present with the parliamentary draftsman.
Has this legislation, which was promised to be introduced before Christmas, now slipped back?
No.
Is it not the case it was promised it would be introduced before Christmas?
We said we would make every effort and we are still doing so.
Your efforts are not sufficient in this matter.
Will the Minister for Health tell the House when the health boards, particularly the Southern Health Board, can expect to receive notification of their allocations for 1989.
There is another way of raising that matter.
When does the Minister for the Environment expect to bring proposals for the revision of constituencies before this House as indicated by him on a previous occasion?
We are having repetition of an earlier question. Deputies will have to find another plan of dealing with that matter.
Not wishing to draw your attention to the fact that your interest in this matter might be less acute than others——
The Deputy should keep the Chair out of it.
——let me say, in an attempt to be as orderly as I can, that this is a matter for which legislation has been promised and the Minister for the Environment indicated he would be bringing forward proposals. If I am out of order perhaps the Minister could reflect on the question and give us an answer another time but I believe——
I think that is sufficient, Deputy. This House doubtless will have ample opportunity of debating that matter in detail and depth.
That is precisely my question. When are we likely to have that opportunity?
I would like to clarify it. This question was raised yesterday, now it is being raised for the third time this morning. No legislation is promised by the Government as yet and it is unlikely in this session. What may happen in future sessions remains to be seen.
Order, please. I am going on now to deal with the Business of the House.
On a point of order, can I ask your guidance on a promise made by the Minister for the Environment to bring forward proposals to this House? Do proposals constitute legislation or not?
I cannot arbitrate on a matter of that kind in the House. The Deputy knows that.
Is it the intention of the Government to bring forward legislation to amend the Moneylenders Act?
There is no legislation promised as yet.
Do I take it that the Government do not intend to bring such legislation forward?
The Deputy can be sure that the Government will be dealing fully with that matter.
They have not done anything to date.