It is proposed to take No. 12, Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2008 — Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; No. 13, Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad] — Order for Report, Report and Final Stages. Private Members’ business shall be No. 29 — motion re education, capitation grants for primary schools.
Order of Business.
There are no proposals to put to the House today.
Last night in her contribution on television the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, mentioned four reports into cancer services. Three of these have been published. The fourth report is called the Bulfin report. When is it likely to be published and with what does the report deal? There has been very little comment about it.
Second, on four occasions I asked the Taoiseach about the problem regarding the Educate Together school in Castleknock, which is partly the responsibility of the Minister beside the Taoiseach. I spoke to the mother of an autistic child last night.
As Deputy Kenny well knows, that is not in order.
I will tell the Ceann Comhairle why it is in order.
If Deputy Kenny could, that would be great.
As he is aware, normally the Ceann Comhairle would be in another jurisdiction at this time of year but he is here by virtue of his office.
When we reach the Brigg of Turk, the headmost horseman rode alone.
My goodness me. From the land of Sigerson Clifford, the Ceann Comhairle has not lost it.
Walter Scott.
I asked the Taoiseach on four occasions to send me a report about why this unit cannot be opened. I listened to him state last night on television that there is sufficient money in the budget to deal with the provision of specialist teachers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, behavioural therapists etc. and that the HSE will not implement this regime in a crude fashion. At the same time the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was meeting with Mrs. Murphy to tell her that the Educate Together school in Castleknock is No. 13 on a list of 17. I am not sure how those priorities were figured out.
Government is about getting results and about dictating decisions that bring results. Before the entire Government, all 20 or however many Ministers, dispense themselves all over the world from New Zealand to San Francisco, can we get this business sorted out today or tomorrow by calling in the Minister for Education and Science and the Minister for Health and Children? The Taoiseach should give them a direction to get this business sorted out and let that child and all the other children who need to go to specialist units have the best possibility that this State can supply for them. I invite the Taoiseach to respond to me.
As Deputy Kenny well knows, none of this is in order.
The Ceann Comhairle did say he would respond to me on the matter.
John Bulfin's report is about ultrasound.
When will it be published?
If it is not already published it is to be published. I have seen part of the report and I have seen a briefing note on the full report.
What about Castleknock?
All the educational provisions are completed. The HSE is trying to deal with some of the outstanding issues in a number of schools. It is not just one area. The children are currently receiving services in other locations.
Portmarnock.
It is a two-hour journey to Portmarnock. Come on, Taoiseach.
Only one person is not receiving services. The HSE has to source the staff for that particular school but it is not just that school, it has other schools to deal with also.
I call Deputy Burton who will I hope be in order.
When will these places get results?
It is a matter for the HSE to do that.
We cannot have a discussion on that Deputy Kenny. We are completely outside the terms of reference.
Since the Taoiseach came to office approximately ten years ago there have been 150 gun murders on his watch. The murder conviction rate in regard to gun murders is approximately 16%.
This is not in order, Deputy Burton.
It has been at that rate for approximately the past five or six years. Does the Taoiseach have any proposals in the context of the criminal justice (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, which is No. 29 on the list, to take any initiatives in regard to gun crime? It really is outrageous that there have been 150 gun murders and only 24 convictions.
The Deputy has made her point. She should allow the Taoiseach to answer.
The second issue I wish to raise is one the Taoiseach spoke about himself recently. He said he believed there should be independent regulation of the solicitors' profession. In the past six months we have had two cases where the practices of solicitors collapsed with considerable losses to individuals and to the reputation of the legal profession.
To what legislative provision does the Deputy refer?
The Government is supposed to be considering the report of the Competition Authority with a view to establishing an independent regulatory mechanism for the legal profession. The Taoiseach himself indicated when he spoke on this previously that he was actively considering this. Has he had discussions with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform with a view to giving some independent regulation of the legal profession? More cases are before the courts this week regarding solicitors where the Law Society has difficulties in regard to their activities or the governance of their accounts.
It has been necessary to undertake a restructuring of the criminal justice (miscellaneous provisions) Bill to make provision for other matters and requirements not originally anticipated. The Bill is due to be taken in the middle of this year. The Deputy should table a question to the Minister and he will report back to her on the other issue.
Can I ask about the regulation of solicitors?
No, because that is not in order at all.
I said Deputy Burton should table a question to the Minister and he will update her on that issue.
I know the Taoiseach is concerned about this matter, which is along the lines raised by Deputy Burton. In view of the fact that the general public is really scared because with each passing day we hear of another shooting, a drive-by shooting, a stabbing or some other form of loss of life which is attributed to criminal gangs and that the activity of criminal gangs has escalated to such an extent that they appear to be applying their own rough justice——
Deputy Durkan should ask a question.
I am coming to the point.
The Deputy must come to the point or I will have to apply my own rough justice as well.
I know. If matters continue in this fashion it is likely that some public figure or a journalist will be executed in this fashion in the not too distant future. Can the Taoiseach introduce some of the legislation? Can he discuss with the Whips of the other parties in the House the possibility of bringing in the vital legislation to nail down these people once and for all? This cannot go on. The system that applies currently is incapable of dealing with it.
To what legislation does the Deputy refer?
I refer to the criminal justice (confiscation orders) Bill, No. 66 on the list. I also refer to No. 69, the criminal justice (European evidence warrant) Bill. The criminal justice (money laundering) Bill has also been promised. All of these Bills were promised for the middle or the end of the current year. As a former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I am sure the Ceann Comhairle would agree with me that a timeframe now exists within which the Government can act. Will the Government please introduce one of these items of legislation in order that discussion can take place within the House to address the issue that all of the people outside this House are now discussing?
The Taoiseach to reply on these three items of legislation.
The criminal justice (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, which is the general one to cover many of these criminal law matters and also to deal with many international instruments, is due this year. The criminal justice (money laundering) Bill is also due this year. A significant number of justice Bills are dealt with every year.
Some years ago when the dual mandate was being abolished the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government gave an assurance to Members of this House that all questions to the Department relating to local authorities would be answered. This week I submitted ten questions on sewerage and water schemes that are of vital importance to my constituency and the last line of the reply stated the Minister has no official responsibility to Dáil Éireann.
We cannot deal with that now.
How in the name of God can we perform our parliamentary duties——
Hear, hear.
——on behalf of our constituents——
We cannot deal with that now.
——if we do not get answers to these questions?
I call Deputy Broughan. He is next. Deputy Hayes knows I cannot deal with that now.
How are we to do our business?
Deputy Hayes will have to take up the matter with the Minister.
This was the second time I tried to ask these questions. I worded these questions in a different way. It is frustrating to be a backbencher in this House when we just get replies like this. Is it the policy of the Green Party to stop Members getting information?
I call Deputy Broughan. Deputy Hayes is quite out of order.
This afternoon I spent approximately an hour in total gridlock on the north side in the constituency of the Taoiseach and in my constituency.
That is not in order either.
Last Thursday, when I tried to ask about the Dublin Port tunnel and the safety concerns tens of thousands of people have about it, the Ceann Comhairle would not let me ask the question. He would not allow the Minister for Transport to come here and answer me about real safety concerns. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Transport to do an independent report on the Dublin Port tunnel and come here so we can have a proper discussion on it before or after he goes to Australia?
That is not in order.
Last Thursday the Ceann Comhairle did not let me raise it due to a semantic technicality.
On a not totally unrelated matter, 17 Dáil sessions have passed since we were first promised a Dublin transportation authority. With two days left in this session, is there any chance we will have it and will it have any teeth when we do?
It is gone with the wind.
Is that promised legislation?
It certainly is, for at least six years.
The Bill is to be sent to Cabinet in the first week of April.
At the weekend the Taoiseach availed of an opportunity to issue a national statement through his favourite Sunday organ on alcohol abuse in society. Reading the article one could only be struck that it was written by somebody who appeared to have no executive authority.
That is of no interest on the Order of Business. What is the Deputy's question on legislation?
The writer seemed detached. The Taoiseach has presided over a Government that in the past five years has seen an explosion in the number of drink outlets. Last year 4,600 alcohol retail outlets opened and, in the same year, the Taoiseach presided over the facilitation of 91,000 bar extensions. Will the Taoiseach sit down with his Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform before the publication of the sale of alcohol Bill and say the terms of reference of this legislation are too narrow and we need to examine breaking the link between alcohol and sport and glamorising alcohol, something the Taoiseach has been associated with in the past? This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The sale of alcohol Bill is too narrow.
On the fines in the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill, can the Taoiseach confirm that the Government proposes the introduction of administrative fines, which would decriminalise fishermen? Some €250,000 was spent on the Farrell Grant Sparks report on the development of inland fisheries, which produced a visionary plan for a starved industry. We all know the furore over the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill. This is a big issue which would decriminalise fishermen through the introduction of administrative fines. Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Government has agreed to introduce this?
I do not have a date for legislation to introduce administrative fines but it is due.
Will the administrative fines be introduced this year?
I see the Minister for Education and Science here. Could the Taoiseach tell us whether there are proposals to amend the Vocational Education Act to allow the VEC authorities to take on patronage of primary schools?
The heads are being prepared but have not been brought to Government.
The Taoiseach promised the Government would publish 17 Bills this term. We are near the end of the term, although Easter and Holy Week remain. How many Bills does the Taoiseach expect to have published before the end of term?
The Government passed three today and six have already been published, so that is nine. We will reach 12.
That would be very good.
I do not want to try the Ceann Comhairle's patience, particularly at this time of year when he would like to be elsewhere across the water, where he normally was. When will the environment (miscellaneous provisions) Bill be published?
Later this year.