The Order of Business shall be as follows: No. 17, Citizens Information Bill 2006 — Second Stage, resumed; and No. 4, Industrial Development Bill 2006 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. Private Members' business shall be No. 56, motion re the establishment of a patient safety authority.
Order of Business.
There are no proposals to put to the House on the Order of Business.
In view of the number of motions tabled under Standing Order 31 which the Chair considered to be out of order, when will the Chief Whip introduce his proposals for Dáil reform so the House might become more effective? Has the Taoiseach decided when the House will discuss the Morris tribunal report and the Harris report on the decline of spoken Irish in the primary school system? When will Operation Freeflow be announced? I have been to Lucan, Clondalkin and Firhouse and the people there are under serious pressure.
The Taoiseach will be aware that the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, announced a £50 billion contribution to Northern Ireland over five years, assuming the parties return to the Assembly. We all support this and have given the Taoiseach our support in respect of the St. Andrews Agreement. The Taoiseach last week mentioned infrastructural developments towards Letterkenny and the Erne waterway. Will the Government announce what funding it will provide before the critical 24 November deadline for the naming of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister designate? This would show how serious we are.
Níl an tAire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, anseo le fada an lá. Níl a fhios agam cá bhfuil sé, tá sé ag dul thart ar fud na tíre an t-am ar fad. An bhfuil a fhios ag an Taoiseach cá bhfuil sé agus an bhfuil eolas ar bith aige faoin tuarascáil a bheidh á chur ar fáil aige chun na Dála faoin chinneadh atá le déanamh as ucht na pobalbhreithe thíos i Dingle, nó Daingean Uí Chúis, faoi meon na ndaoine a bheith sáite isteach sa dlí ansin? In the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I know the Taoiseach has an expert translator beside him and he has already given a full and comprehensive explanation of what I said. I thank the Minister.
He said I should tell the Deputy to table a question and he would get an answer from the Minister.
The freedom of information Minister.
That sounds true.
I will be more helpful to the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, will meet Kerry County Council on 17 November. We will await the outcome of that.
That will be worth writing home about.
They will need earplugs.
They will be sorry about that. They will need a pint after that meeting, but whether they drive home or not is another matter.
I would say the bars will be long closed by then.
Please allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.
The debate on the Morris tribunal report was put back because the Opposition's spokespersons and others were caught up in the Judge Curtin issue. There were three separate reports and the Tánaiste is ready to debate them.
What about my other questions?
I have asked the Minister to deal with the Harris report and have asked the Whips to arrange a debate. Operation Freeflow will commence on 28 November.
What is the response to the question on Northern Ireland?
We have outlined our position over recent weeks. The Minister for Finance has met the parties and given a detailed speech in Derry outlining our position. We have also made clear our position on the Ulster Canal; the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs has met the parties.
Has a figure been put on that?
Yes.
Is the Taoiseach saying there will be a figure?
Does the Government understand that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, will announce elections in the House of Commons later this week?
Has the Government set its face against any provision to improve the reliability, accuracy and quality of the electoral register? I read in today's newspapers that notwithstanding the fact that——
After Deputy Kenny's contribution, I suppose it is necessary to remind the House that we are still dealing with the Order of Business.
I am grateful for that, Sir.
The Chair is the only Member who can be returned at the next election with flaws in the electoral register.
There are 600,000 inaccuracies in the electoral register. We do not know how many people entitled to vote are not on it.
Does the Deputy have a question on legislation?
Does the Government intend to introduce the brief, one paragraph amending Bill necessary to extend the deadline of 25 November and allow the register to be refurbished so we can rely on it?
While the Tánaiste is briefing the Taoiseach he reminds me that——
I would prefer if the Deputy would stick to the Order of Business.
I am on the Order of Business, believe me. Last week I asked the Tánaiste what happened the judicial misconduct Bill. This falls even within the Chair's narrow parameters for the Order of Business. Given recent events, the collapse of the amendment in 2001, the withdrawal of the judicial misconduct Bill and the promise of a new Bill some three and a half years ago, when are we likely to see what is now called the Judicial Council Bill?
Earlier this year Members called for a campaign to update the electoral register. More than 1,500 field workers carried out the most extensive process we have had in 20 or 30 years. A related publicity campaign was also conducted. This is the result of what people called for.
What does the Taoiseach mean when he says this is what people called for? We called for an accurate electoral register.
The work is done.
It was done badly.
It is a mess.
Another fine mess.
I do not know how anybody can say, when 1.25 million households were called on, information was circulated, there was an extensive publicity campaign——
Is it accurate?
A register will never be accurate because the day after it is finished, somebody will move house or move to another area.
It is valid for a year.
Let us be frank. The people who did not respond, or who should not have been on the register, were removed from the draft register.
People responded.
There is still plenty of time for people to get on the register if they wish. They can do so.
In some cases a representative called to their houses.
The legislation has been here for some time. We wanted to have a constitutional referendum to deal with these issues some years ago. That Bill has been with the Judiciary for some time. A number of models for dealing with it have been put to the Judiciary and the Minister intends to bring legislation forward shortly.
May I ask the Taoiseach to refer to Mr. Peter Hain?
The issues on the legislation are not yet complete. If the legislation were brought forward in its draft form, it would provide for an election in the spring, probably late February or early March.
Does the Taoiseach believe Mr. Hain will make that statement in the House of Commons this week?
Although the date for the draft legislation is Thursday or Friday, discussions on that and several other issues are ongoing. If the legislation comes out in its current form, that will happen.
In light of the Ceann Comhairle's decision to refuse my request for the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31, with promised legislation in mind, will it be possible for the Government to give any time to ensure the issue of the Atlantic Osprey shipment is immediately debated?
To which legislation does Deputy Sargent refer?
I will tell the Ceann Comhairle. As taxpayers' money was spent on the case, the Government should have known about it, but apparently did not.
We will not debate it now. If the Deputy wishes to have it discussed in the House, the Chair will facilitate him in the appropriate way.
There is no armed escort. The UK Government says al-Qaeda is seeking nuclear material.
Deputy Sargent cannot ride roughshod through the rules of the House.
Certainly not, but this issue is urgent. The Ceann Comhairle said I could deal with it by parliamentary question next Wednesday. As this ship will be docked in Cherbourg next Tuesday, the Chair is making a mockery of parliamentary procedure.
The Chair will facilitate Deputy Sargent. He could have had it on the Adjournment this evening if he had wished.
I could have, and that would not have been regarded as urgent in the eyes of those who see this matter as a threat to the health of this nation. The promised legislation that should at least refer to this is the British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill. That will not be dealt with by next Tuesday. Will the Government promise a debate before then?
That legislation will arise this session.
Does Ireland contribute to a fund for fast-tracking people in various crafts via 17-week crash training courses? In the context of the employment agency Bill, which is on the Order Paper, will the Government bring forward proposals to deal with this inferior training programme with which a lack of standards and quality is associated?
That is a question for the line Minister.
The legislation will come forward next year.
Regarding the Taoiseach's response to my leader's question, can he clarify whether the heads of the Bill to provide for the establishment on a statutory basis of the health information and quality authority and the office of the chief inspector of social services have been agreed? He referred to consultation. Has that consultation process concluded?
That is not relevant to the Order of Business.
When will the Bill be published and will it be enacted in the course of this Dáil?
The heads of the Bill were published in the spring. There were a large number of submissions, which have been dealt with by the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The consultation process is finished and the Bill has been drafted. It is hoped that the legislation will be taken at the commencement of the next session.
Is it proposed to bring in legislation to enable what the Minister for Health and Children has stated to be Government policy to transfer grounds from public hospitals to private companies to build private hospitals? Is it necessary to have legislation and will it be introduced?
There is no need for legislation.
The issue of judicial conduct has been under discussion recently and there is a proposal to establish a judicial council to provide effective remedies for complaints about judicial misbehaviour, including lay participation in the investigation of complaints. What is the position on that Bill? Before the Taoiseach replies, I remind him that the 2004 legislation programme provided that this Bill should come before the Oireachtas in 2005. We have not yet seen it.
Although I have already answered this, I will answer it again. It has been with the Judiciary for consultation since last March. The Tánaiste has had discussions with the Judiciary. We hope to get its views before we can move forward, but we are ready to do so.
I urge that the matter be expedited.
I thank the Taoiseach and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources for agreeing to introduce the short Bill I suggested to allow the broadcasting of television signals to Britain. I assure the Taoiseach that the Labour Party will accommodate the Bill's going through the House as quickly as necessary. Hopefully we will see it before Christmas.
The Tribunals of Inquiry Bill 2005 was before the Dáil early in the session, but seems to have disappeared. Does the Government intend to bring it back before the House?
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government indicated that a short Bill to extend the time for the draft register would be considered. Given the amount of work that was done, the draft appeared late, leaving a shorter period for people to be notified. The Government would have our support if it indicated that the short Bill on that matter would be forthcoming.
I thank Deputy Stagg for his remarks on the communications Bill and will bring his remarks on the other Bill to the attention of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
I wish to ask about the glaring lack of adequate provision of broadband and ancillary facilities throughout the country and the likelihood of this situation continuing for some considerable time. Would the Taoiseach consider, as I have suggested previously, withdrawing the Electronic Communications Bill due before the House shortly and replacing it with a more comprehensive piece of legislation that would deal with the issue? In view of the extensive use of the Internet by paedophiles who have targeted children, with tragic results in the UK recently, would it be possible to introduce a revision of that Bill or something more serious to electronically track this practice through the system? I have previously suggested this in the House and the European Commission has also suggested it. My final question is on the e-voting technology, which is still swinging around in the mid-distance. Is it true that the Defence Forces have inquired as to its potential use, not necessarily for target practice——
That would be a question for the line Minister.
The Defence (Amendment) Bill is before the House and could be the vehicle——
I am not sure whether the e-voting——
I have heard a rumour that the Defence Forces have inquired to what use they could put the e-voting system and I am sure the surrogate father of e-voting would be delighted to hear that.
He is not in the House.
The surrogate father is in the House.
The electronic communications Bill will be published this session. Subject to consultation, the defence (amendment) Bill will also be this session.
On secondary legislation, has the Government any plans to introduce the necessary regulations under the most recent Local Government Act, to allow the establishment of new town councils? Will he accept that the failure to do so to date is causing difficulties with boundary revisions, as between county councils and borough councils?
Perhaps the Deputy will table a question to the Minister. I do not have that information.
A number of weeks ago, a question was asked in the House on legislation about drug testing for drivers. Has the Cabinet discussed any such legislation in the past number of weeks or are there are any plans to publish a Bill? I shall be requesting at the meeting of the Whips tomorrow that the O'Neill report on Leas Cross nursing home is debated in the House and I hope to get a satisfactory answer.
What is the present position on the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill and will this be done and dusted before the Christmas recess?
The Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is awaiting Committee Stage. On the drugs issue, I understand the conclusions of the deliberations of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety on this are being awaited.