It is proposed to take Nos. 4, 5 and 1. It is also proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders that No. 4 shall be decided without debate and any division demanded thereon shall be taken forthwith. Private Members' Business shall be No. 22.
Order of Business.
There is just one matter to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with item No. 4 agreed to? Agreed.
What is the publication date for the Book of Estimates and the Appropriations Bill?
The publication of the Book of Estimates will be decided upon when the Estimates discussion is completed, in other words when it is ready, as I said on previous occasions. So far as the Appropriations Bill is concerned, it will be published as normal, after all Supplementary Estimates have cleared the House. One cannot publish the Appropriations Bill until the Supplementary Estimates have cleared the House. Arrangements are being made to process Estimates next week. I hope the Appropriations Bill will be published immediately thereafter.
Everybody in the House will be aware of the reason we are concerned about this. It has been the practice for many years that the Estimates are debated in the last weeks of the session but never later than the final week of the session. Normally, the Opposition — as the Taoiseach will be aware from the time he was Leader of the Opposition — would have the Book of Estimates for some time. The Appropriations Bill is often used as the vehicle for the debate. It is very difficult for us to plan for a debate on the Estimates if we do not know when we will get the Book of Estimates. Will we have a debate on the Estimates? Will the Book of Estimates be published before the end of the session? In what order will the Estimates be taken? It would help if the Taoiseach could tell the Opposition what he is planning in the financial affairs of the country.
I am happy to arrange for the Government Whip to have a discussion with the Whip of the Deputy's party to go through the Supplementary Estimates we need to process. Having done so the Appropriations Bill can be published. As the House is well aware, it is not possible to publish an Appropriations Bill until all the Supplementary Estimates have passed this House.
Will we have a debate on the Estimates prior to Friday week, when I understand it is proposed to go into Christmas recess?
We are talking here about two sets of Estimates——
The Book of Estimates, the one that is always published before the end of November.
——the Supplementary Estimates and the Book of Estimates for next year. Supplementary Estimates are for this year. They will be published and available for discussion next week.
A Deputy
The Taoiseach does not have a clue.
Do not bark.
Stop dodging questions.
Listen to the reply regarding the Book of Estimates.
The Book of Estimates will be available to the House as soon as the Government's consideration of it is complete.
The Government cannot agree the figures.
Will we have a debate on the Estimates for 1996 before the Dáil rises for the Christmas recess?
We will have a debate on the Estimates as soon as the Book of Estimates is published and ready.
When?
It is not reasonable for the Taoiseach on 5 December to simply say the Book of Estimates will be published when it is ready. That might have been acceptable in October. In Opposition the Taoiseach was committed to parliamentary and Dáil reform and he was a great champion of the cause of having the Book of Estimates published early. We are, therefore, entitled to ask him if the Book of Estimates will be published within the next week.
If it is ready within the next week it will be published; when it is ready it will be published.
This is very unusual and I would like to know the difficulty in regard to the publication of the Book of Estimates.
The Minister for Social Welfare, Deputy De Rossa, has to get his soother and it has to be sugar coated.
There is no difficulty.
Why will it not be published?
I will not give a date for the publication of the Book of Estimates until it has been cleared and ready for publication.
The Taoiseach's policy on this issue has also changed.
The Book of Estimates is being processed expeditiously and carefully by the Cabinet and when it is ready it will be published. As soon as it is published it can be debated.
Will the Taoiseach say if the House will still be in session when the Book of Estimates is published?
The arrangements for the Christmas recess have still to be decided and obviously I cannot answer that question until they have been agreed.
The Taoiseach knows well what is being proposed.
In recent months the Taoiseach has told me on the Order of Business that the Book of Estimates will be published when it is ready. I can take a joke as well as the next person but this has gone beyond a joke. Is the Taoiseach saying that the Book of Estimates for 1996 will not be published before the Dáil rises for the Christmas recess? He is aware of the disquiet about this issue and he should tell the House whether the Book of Estimates will be published this year or in 1996.
Deputies should not debate this matter now.
(Interruptions.)
I have consistently given the appropriate answer to this question. There is no point in my engaging in speculation about particular dates. The Estimates will be published when they are ready. I am not willing to go any further than that until the Estimates have been cleared by the Cabinet.
Were they discussed at today's meeting?
I assure Deputy McCreevy that there is no disquiet about this matter which is being dealt with in the normal businesslike fashion with which the Government deals with all its business.
The matter is not being dealt with in a businesslike fashion.
On numerous occasions the House had been informed that the interdepartmental report on off-shore island services will be published. We were first promised it before the end of October and then we were promised it before the end of November. Will the Taoiseach inform the House when we can expect to see the report?
Does this relate to promised legislation?
The House has been promised on numerous occasions that the report would be published.
It does not relate to a legislative commitment.
The report may give rise to the need for legislation. Does the Taoiseach have any knowledge of the matter.
I will ascertain the position.
Does the Taoiseach intend to reprimand the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for the tasteless comment he made yesterday — I understand it was supposed to be a joke — about the parentage of the US President who has recently left our shores after a magnificent visit? Will he send a note of apology to the President for this widely publicised and most embarrassing comment which was made in the presence of the diplomatic corps in a foreign country?
The Deputy should raise that matter in another way.
It might be a good idea to fire him.
His nose was out of joint.
Is the Taoiseach now prepared to intervene in the Irish Steel issue given that his brother, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, said today that this was the only remaining course of action? Some time ago we advocated a similar course of action. Will he do something about Irish Steel now or "when he is ready"?
This matter must be dealt with in another way.
While I welcome the considerable climb-down by the Minister in regard to the proposals for the governance of universities Bill, does the Taoiseach agree that the Select Committee on Social Affairs should be given an opportunity to discuss the contents of the final position paper published by the Minister? There has been consultation with the heads of universities and newspaper journalists yet the last people to be consulted on this issue——
The Deputy cannot debate this issue now.
I welcome the climb-down by the Minister but the House should be given adequate time to discuss the proposals prior to the publication of the Bill.
The Minister for Education has shown an exemplary ability to listen to representations and to act on a consensus building approach in so far as education matters are concerned.
Senator Ross had his way; he said the Taoiseach would take a direct interest in the matter.
He is like a reed in the wind.
Let us hear the Taoiseach's reply.
The attempt by Deputy Martin to show in a partisan way his disapproval of the Minister's willingness to listen does him no credit.
We have had enough lectures.
The cavalry has come to the rescue of the Minister.
Senator Ross had his way.
I am happy to inform the Deputy that this legislation will be available next spring and it will be debated in the House. If the Select Committee on Social Affairs wishes to initiate a discussion on the matter in advance of that there is nothing to stop them from so doing.
May I——
The Deputy may not debate this matter.
As a legislator I would like to have the same rights as Senator Ross who said in the Seanad last week he would not vote against the motion because the Taoiseach had a direct interest in the matter.
Four weeks ago, at the Whips' meeting, we requested a debate on Northern Ireland. At the time the Taoiseach said that the issues were at a sensitive stage. Will time be provided before the end of the session for a debate on Northern Ireland? Apart from the political issues, we have a number of questions on prisoners, economic developments, deprived areas and discrimination. We have waited more than four weeks for a debate and I would like an assurance from the Taoiseach that time will be provided for it before the Christmas recess.
I will consider the Deputy's request in the light of the other demands on parliamentary time between now and the end of the session.
Given that there will be no debate on the Estimates we will have plenty of time for such a debate.
I would point out to Deputies that there is approximately one and a half hours' debate on this issue every week during questions to the Taoiseach.
That is not a good enough reason.
The length of time provided for questions on Northern Ireland to the Taoiseach is the same as it was in the past. So far this year we have had only one debate on Northern Ireland, that is the debate on the Framework Document last February.
There was a debate last week.
Last week we had statements, which are different from a debate. In previous years there were several debates on Northern Ireland.
I will consider the Deputy's request in the light of the other demands on parliamentary time between now and the end of the session. Last week we had a very extensive debate, the format of which was agreed by the Opposition.
Only one of the 65 Fianna Fáil Deputies had an opportunity to contribute.
If the Deputies wished to have a longer debate they could have requested it.
Does the Taoiseach not know the difference between a debate and statements?
Last week my office was told that the Taoiseach wanted one speaker only from each of the Opposition parties. He should not, therefore, come into the House this week and say differently.
I understand that what the Deputy said is not correct. The Opposition was offered as much time as it wished.
That is incorrect.
I call Deputy Burke.
On a number of occasions in recent months I asked about the publication of a White Paper on foreign policy. Sometimes I got a response from the Taoiseach but most of the time I did not. When I raised the question last week I got no response from him. Last Sunday on the Brian Farrell programme on television the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs said this much delayed White Paper would not be published until 1996. Will the Taoiseach exercise some pressure on the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to ensure that this mildewed paper is published at an early date?
This question falls into the same category as Deputy Molloy's question — it does not relate to promised legislation. I assure the Deputy that the White Paper on foreign policy will be published early next year. The Tánaiste is putting much work into the paper——
It was supposed to be published last May or June.
He engaged in a nation-wide consultation process and listened to the views expressed by people in different areas.
That process was finished before the summer.
Obviously these will be taken into account in the report of the reflection group which has been published today.
Prevarication.
It is appropriate that the contents of that report should be reflected in the White Paper which will be published early next year following careful examination of the matter by the Government. I look forward to Deputy Burke's contribution in view of the commitments his party entered into at the Maastricht Treaty from which they now seem to be resiling.
Because at least we will have a full debate. Try to sell it and see what happens.
With the introduction of competitive electricity and gas industries in the market, when is it proposed to introduce the Bill to establish an energy regulator?
I would need some time to get the relevant information for the Deputy. I am not aware that legislation is specifically promised but I am aware of discussions on the appropriate method of providing an independent regulation in regard to pricing in the energy sector. Will the Deputy allow me to communicate with him on the matter?
Is legislation promised on the Sky television monopoly of major sporting events? Can the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht tell us if he is dealing with it?
He does not regard it as culture.
Teilifís na Gaelige is the premier league from now on.
I am fortunate to have a matter on the Adjournment for the third time in a short number of weeks but Sir, will the Taoiseach ensure that the Minister to whom the question is addressed will be available to reply to it?
I compliment the newly formed Democratic Left Party on its conversion to right wing politics — they did not sprint out of the House during this visit of a United States President as they did previously.