It is proposed to take Nos. 10 and 17. It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: (1) No. 10 shall be decided without debate and any division demanded thereon shall be taken forthwith; (2) the following arrangements shall apply to the resumed debate on No. 17: (i) the main spokesperson for the Fine Gael Party, the Progressive Democrats Party and the Technical Group shall be called on to contribute to the debate first; (ii) the speech of each Member called on shall not exceed 30 minutes; and (iii) Members may share time; (3) business shall be interrupted not later than 4.45 p.m. today.
Order of Business.
There are three matters to be put to the House. First, are the proposals for dealing with No. 10 agreed? Agreed. Are the proposals for dealing with No. 17 agreed? Agreed. Is it agreed that business shall be interrupted not later than 4.45 p.m. today? Agreed. I call Deputy Bruton on the Order of Business.
Yesterday in the budget the Minister for Finance promised that legislation would be introduced to control the budgetary activities of health boards. On checking the records it would appear that this legislation was also promised by Deputy O'Hanlon when Minister for Health and by Dr. O'Connell when he was Minister for Health and that it has been promised several times by the present Minister.
A sum of £100 million has been allocated.
I have the recorded references in my file. What I would like to know is why there is such a delay in introducing this legislation in view of the fact that many private business have not been paid by health boards over the years on time because of poor financial management within the health boards in the absence of this legislation which has been repeatedly promised?
Yes, legislation has been promised. I ask Deputy Bruton to jog his memory because the Bills he has referred to relate to institutional reform. As he well knows, it is a different matter to give statutory powers to control spending in the health boards. In the budget yesterday the Government approved an allocation of £100 million——
To bail them out.
——to pay off the over-drafts which have been run up since the mid-1980s. Deputy Bruton knows as well as I do that one cannot control expenditure without changing legislation. The draft legislation was approved by the Government on Tuesday and it will come before the House at an early date.
I am sorry but the Taoiseach is chancing his arm.
I am not.
I refer specifically to column 1129 of the Official Report of 24 June when legislation relating to statutory controls on expenditure was promised. A similar promise was made by Deputy O'Hanlon. Some Members possibly do not remember that he was ever Minister for Health.
I ask the Deputy to check the records again because it is not correct to say that about Deputy O'Hanlon——
He did promise it.
Deputy O'Hanlon promised legislation relating to institutional reform in the health boards.
This matter should not be debated now. I call Deputy De Rossa.
I am sorry, but the Taoiseach should not question my veracity in this matter. The Taoiseach is wrong.
My Whip checked the records.
Appropriate revisionism.
Is the Deputy against it? He should have the good grace to welcome it.
(Interruptions.)
It was promised in the Programme for Government that a commission to revise the constituencies would be established on a statutory basis. When does the Taoiseach expect that legislation to be brought before the House? Is it intended to do so before the Dáil constituencies are redrawn?
Has legislation been promised?
Legislation has been promised and it will be brought forward at the earliest possible moment. For Deputy Bruton's information, and to correct the record, on 28 April 1992 legislation relating to organisational structures was promised to amend the Health Act, 1970 and implement the Government's decision on the reorganisation of the health services, including the replacement of the Eastern Health Board by a new authority.
If the Taoiseach reads further he will also find that on the same occasion——
The Deputy should not argue.
——the Minister promised legislation to introduce statutory controls on expenditure. Not for the first time the Taoiseach is quoting when it suits him and ignoring the other specific commitments made on the matters I referred to.
It is in the record.
We must not debate this matter at this time.
I am careful in keeping records of promises made on the Order of Business and I can assure the Taoiseach that this promise was made by at least three Ministers for Health.
Deputy Bruton, we must not debate this matter at this time.
The Taoiseach did not address the second part of my question which was whether the legislation will be introduced and passed before the Dáil constituencies are redrawn.
The answer is yes.
In view of the Minister's promise yesterday to review the Companies Act, and realising that the next 24 hours are crucial to the survival of Kentz Corporation in Clonmel, can the Taoiseach give the workers in that company any reassurance——
That matter was dealt with adequately and comprehensively yesterday.
When is it intended to circulate the Juvenile Justice Bill and the Solicitors Bill?
The Juvenile Justice Bill contains 150 sections. It has left my Department, I am in consultation with the Minister for Education in relation to some of the provisions which will be controversial and which may have constitutional implications. The Bill is being progressed as quickly as possible. The Deputy is aware that it is very comprehensive legislation. The Solicitors Bill will be taken during this session.