First, I beg the indulgence of the Chair to offer congratulations to Deputy John Bruton on his new position and send him our best wishes for a long stay in that new position, as Leader of the Fine Gael Party.
Order of Business.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
It is proposed to take Nos. 5 and 13.
It is also proposed, subject to the agreement of the House, that: (1) business shall be interrupted not later than 10.30 p.m. tonight; (2) No. 5 shall be taken without debate; (3) the proceedings on the Committee Stage of No. 13, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 7.00 p.m. by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only amendments set down by the Minister for Justice; (4) The Supplementary Estimates to which No. 5 refers — Votes 32 and 10— shall be taken at 8.30 p.m. and not later than 9.30 p.m., respectively, and the questions necessary to bring the proceedings to a conclusion shall be put from the Chair not later than 9.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m., respectively, and the following arrangements shall apply in case; (a) the speech of the opening speaker for the Government shall not exceed 15 minutes; (b) the speech of any other Member called on shall not exceed ten minutes and (c) the speech of the Minister concluding the debate shall not exceed five minutes.
Private Members' Business shall be No. 25.
I must now put certain questions to the House: That the business be interrupted at 10.30 p.m. tonight. Is that satisfactory? Agreed. That No. 5 shall be taken without debate. Is that agreed? Agreed. Are the proposals for dealing with No. 13 agreed?
That is Committee Stage of the Rape Bill. The Minister is anxious to get Committee Stage through and I can tell him we are anxious to get it through as well. Let me say I can foresee just a possibility that some substantive issues might remain undebated by 7 p.m. Could I at this stage suggest to the Minister that he would agree that if such substantive issues still remain undebated at 7 p.m., by consent of the House some further time might thereafter be allocated? We will try to have the debate completed by 7 p.m. but because it is a very serious measure, I am concerned that if some substantive issues have not been reached, we would not just let it go through on the nod. Will the Government side of the House agree to that, let me say, reasonable proposal?
That is not in accordance with the Order of Business I have just read out but I am sure the Minister will accommodate the Deputy as much as he can but within the confines of the Order of Business.
As long as I am assured he is prepared to agree.
The proposals, therefore, for dealing with No. 13 are agreed. Are the proposals for dealing with the Supplementary Estimates, Votes 32 and 10, agreed? Agreed.
I would like, first of all, to thank the Minister for Finance for his characteristically gracious remarks. I must say I have a great regard for the perspective of this House from which he is now looking at it and I hope the time will not be too far distant when I will be able to enjoy that vista and will be able to look with the same graciousness over towards himself. I hope the House will forgive my undue haste in seeking to get to my feet, Sir. One recognises in these matters I am competing with a well-known greyhound owner who knows all about getting out of the trap quickly. As good nature is the order of the day, let me wish him well too.
I have a simple little question to ask the Minister. The Government have shown some reluctance in the past to establish a committee on foreign affairs, but we see in the papers these days statements emanating from the Government to the effect that the Government may well wish to establish a committee on foreign affairs. Could the Minister for Finance, who knows everything about these matters, give us an indication if there is any intention — I believe there should be — to establish a committee on foreign affairs in this House?
Deputy Bruton is long enough around to know he should not believe everything he reads in the newspapers.
Or hears on televison.
We will leave it at that.
I pray the indulgence of my colleagues and I will not detain them. In view of the fact that the Minister is unable to comment, just as the Taoiseach was unable to comment on newspaper reports which clearly emanated from Government sources, could he arrange that on the next Order of Business Mr. P. J. Mara might come in here to answer questions as well?
Before I seek to elicit some information from an inspiring leader of Fianna Fáil, I would like to congratulate Deputy Bruton on his leadership of Fine Gael and wish him well in that post. I would also like to assure him that my political reputation does not exist on the basis of my owning a greyhound.
I would like to ask the Minister for Finance if he can inform us, as was announced in the Programme for Government, that the Government will examine the feasibility of granting voting rights to recent immigrants. What progress has been made by the Government in that promise? Secondly, when will the Bill to replace the outdated Road Traffic Act, 1932, be introduced, as also promised by the Government? Perhaps the Minister can give us some information in relation to the Estimates; perhaps a more accurate timescale than the Taoiseach has been giving in this House as to when the Estimates will be published or whether they are already agreed.
I am aware of no legislation promised in relation to giving votes to immigrants as suggested by Deputy Spring.
The Road Transport Act, 1932, was specifically to be replaced in the Programme for Government as published when the two parties were working together. The Minister was involved in drawing up the programme, if I remember correctly, and got no credit for it.
(Interruptions.)
You do not get credit for all the good things you do in life.
Is the legislation proposed?
I would also like to congratulate Deputy Bruton on his appointment. I suppose he was a rather surprising choice, but I can vouch for the fact that as spokesperson for education he put tremendous work into his responsibility. I was amazed at the work he did and the innovative ideas he had in regard to education, so I am sure he will do a good job as the new Leader of the Opposition.
Is the Minister for Finance aware or can he find out when the Minister for Education intends to publish the report of the working party on Dublin Zoo whom she appointed, which report was presented to her last July and which has been leaked to the press but has not been published and is not available to Deputies?
The Deputy should put down a question on that matter.
Sir, this has been hanging for many months. Everybody expects it to be laid before us.
That may be, but I can entertain only questions appertaining to legislation promised in this House.
The matter becomes of importance during this winter.
Let me again raise the question of item No. 1, the Second Interim Report of the Committee of Public Accounts on the Appropriation Accounts, 1987. The Comptroller and Auditor General has today laid before the House the audited accounts for 1989, yet a debate has not taken place on this special report. Will the Minister for Finance ask the Whips to consider this matter? It has been on the Order Paper for some time; it will not go away and the sooner we deal with it the better.
It is a matter for the Whips. I will certainly respond to the Deputy's request to bring it to their notice.
Let me ask the Minister for Finance in respect of another matter in the Programme for Government which has been promised in this House subsequently by the Minister for Justice, when the legislation to outlaw and regulate phone tapping will be introduced in the Dáil.
It is not promised legislation.
It is promised legislation.
Has this legislation been promised?
In this House on 9 November last year the Minister for Justice advised the House: "It is my intention in line with that commitment to have appropriate legislation prepared as soon as possible". Given that that was a year ago, where is the legislation and when will we see the draft of the proposed legislation that is now more than a year overdue?
Is the Minister going to reply?
The Bill covering the items mentioned by the Deputy is under consideration by the Attorney General at the moment.
(Interruptions.)
Mr. McCarthy
Is there any indication as to when it will be before the House?
No, not yet.
The Minister did not answer a question that was asked of him earlier. Could he inform the House whether or not the Estimates for 1991 have yet been agreed by the Government? Can we take it as certain that they will be presented to the Dáil before the Christmas recess?
The answer is yes, a Cheann Comhairle.
As we are now into the third last week of this session let me ask the Minister for Finance or, perhaps, his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, two questions. Has the text of the Bill to establish the environmental protection agency been finally cleared by Cabinet and, if so, when will it be circulated?
It will be circulated shortly. It has been agreed by Cabinet.
Let me ask the Minister for Finance, or the Minister for Health who, I suppose, is the more appropriate Minister, if it is intended to bring before the House the report of the Commission on Health on health funding as was promised earlier this year; and whether it is intended to implement the recommendations of the Commission on Health. It was stated that such a report would be brought in.
The Deputy should table a question on that matter.
I am not sure whether this has been promised in the House but, if not, it should have been. I would like to know if the Government intend to amend the Maternity in Employment Act to allow statutory maternity leave for adoptive parents.
That is a rather specific matter, worthy of a question being put down.
It is legislation required.
Please, pursue it another way, Deputy.
I would like to know from the Minister for Finance when item No. 6 on today's Order Paper will be taken as it is a matter of debate for some time. What is the Government's view on this issue? Let me also ask the Minister for the Environment when the road traffic grants will be notified to the local authorities who are statutorily obliged to finalise estimates without that knowledge currently?
The second question is out of order.
That is a matter for the Chair.
With regard to the first question, the situation has not changed since the Taoiseach dealt with this matter very recently.