It is proposed to take No. 6, Credit Guarantee Bill 2012 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. Private Members' business shall be No. 36, Regulation of Debt Management Advisors Bill 2011 - Second Stage (resumed), to conclude at 9 p.m. if not previously concluded.
Order of Business
There are no questions to put to the House. Does Deputy Willie O'Dea wish to put a question to the Taoiseach on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party?
Is the Ceann Comhairle asking me to put a question to the Taoiseach on the Order of Business for today as outlined by him?
I am inviting the Deputy, if he so wishes, to ask a question. There is no obligation whatsoever to do so.
(Interruptions).
You do not have to do it, Willie.
I have a question, if I can get the Taoiseach's attention. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, has said that proposed changes to the law on media mergers will be part of the forthcoming competition Bill. On the other hand, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, has indicated an intention to extract this matter from the competition Bill and present it to the House as stand-alone legislation. Which of these indications is correct?
This issue will be dealt with in the competition Bill, as outlined in the programme for Government, and is being actively pursued by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and his Department.
Does that mean the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural, Deputy Rabbitte, is out?
No, he is very much in and is a very important Minister in this Government. In respect of the matter to which the Deputy referred, it will be dealt with in the competition Bill, as set out in the programme for Government.
That is very interesting. I thank the Taoiseach for his clarity.
Everything in here is interesting.
(Interruptions).
The Government has indicated its intention to sell off State assets worth €3 billion. In March, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, committed to identifying what legislation and other measures would be needed to facilitate this proposal. Does the Government plan to bring forward such legislation and, if so, when can we expect its publication? The selling off of the State's wealth makes no sense whatsoever because these assets could be the engine of economic recovery.
That argument is for another day.
The Government will bring forward a detailed list of assets for potential sale in the not too distant future. That is not say these assets will be hived off just like that. Any agreement from Government regarding the sale of a State asset will be properly considered and done at the appropriate time. Therefore, there will be no rush to legislation in this regard.
Will the Taoiseach define what is meant by "in the not too distant future"?
I expect that before mid-summer the Government will be in a position to present a list of assets that could be considered for potential sale.
It is envisaged that the Government, in the course of its term in office, will have to introduce legislation to deal with regional aid and the boundary changes that are to take place. I understand the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Mr. Hahn, will be in Ireland this week. Inequalities exist throughout this country whereby, for example, grant aid can be provided to the Border, midlands and west, BMW, region but not to County Kerry, where I understand the Taoiseach will be meeting the Commissioner.
Where is the Deputy going to?
We are going to Kerry and will get some quality back into the county. The Taoiseach will have an opportunity in his meeting with the Commissioner to address whether we will be able to do something about this.
To which legislation is the Deputy referring?
I refer to legislation in regard to regional aid. Will the Taoiseach discuss this matter with the Commissioner and how he foresees the implications for this State?
I will be happy to discuss the issue with the Commissioner during our meeting. It is a matter of interest to a great number of people. I do not have a date for the Deputy in respect of any legislation but, following my meeting with the Commissioner, I will be happy to advise him as to how the landscape is looking. From my experiences in Kerry, its people have never been too far behind the curve in finding ways of extracting financial injections into that leading county in the area of tourism. Kerry people have never been slow in that regard.
My question relates to the scheduling of the fiscal responsibility Bill, the Bill relating to the treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism, and the European Communities Act 1972 (Amendment) Bill. Is it the Government's intention to have these items of legislation relating to the fiscal treaty, or, more accurately, the austerity treaty, completed before the summer recess? Why will the Taoiseach not debate with us openly on the austerity treaty? Why is he standing behind the shelter of the Dáil and of his minders and advisers?
The Deputy must confine his questions to legislation.
Will he not come out and debate in any language, Irish or English, so that we can get to the nub of the issue, man to man and woman to woman? Will he agree to debate with us in a public forum? Why is he hiding?
This Chamber is the most open forum of all for debate. I will have that debate any time the Deputy likes, day or night. It makes no difference to me when I discuss the matter with the Deputy or his colleagues. The fiscal responsibility Bill and the ESM Bill will be taken in the House after the people make their decision in respect of the referendum. Far be it from me to determine in advance what the people might do, but I hope they make a resounding "Yes" decision. The process of ratification of the conditions of the treaty will be done through the fiscal responsibility Bill. It would be completely inopportune to take it in advance of a referendum. If the people approve the referendum proposal, as I hope they will, the Bill will follow in this House and in the Seanad.
Will it be brought forward before the summer recess?
Yes, I would expect there to be proper and comprehensive discussion of it, including contributions from the Deputy. If the referendum is passed, we will move on and complete the ratification process without delay.
Will the Taoiseach step outside the House and debate the matter with us?
(Interruptions).
We do not deal with challenges on the Order of Business.
A Deputy
Deputy Durkan will hold Deputy Higgins's coat.
There is no need.
I welcome the fact that the Government is allowing the Fianna Fáil Private Members' Bill on the regulation of debt management advisers to pass Second Stage. The Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy John Perry, advised the House last night that the Government intended to enact similar provisions by way of amendments to the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill 2011.
Tell Deputy John McGuinness how it came to cross the floor. It happened on a Friday.
How quickly would the Taoiseach hope-----
The Deputy can see the value of sitting on a Friday.
If the Deputy will allow me to ask the question-----
For €90,000.
It does not matter whether the Deputy had an audience. Look at the good work that was done.
Will Deputy Stagg, please, allow Deputy Michael McCarthy to finish his point?
Deputy John McGuinness is wrong about the €90,000.
A Cheann Comhairle, I am asking a question.
Go on.
How quickly does the Government hope to have the legislation enacted and institute regulations for the sector?
On the personal insolvency Bill which we understand is to be published in full in June, when does the Government hope the Bill will have passed all Stages in this House in order that the new non-judicial debt settlement system can be established for the thousands awaiting the putting in place of such a system?
The Minister had no objection to the Private Members' Bill. Most of the details, or certainly elements of the Bill, were published on 24 April, as the Deputy is aware. The Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill is awaiting Committee Stage. The amendments to the Regulation of Debt Management Advisors Bill 2011 can be discussed on Committee Stage and incorporated into it. I expect the personal insolvency Bill to be published by June and would like to see it passed as quickly as possible, although I can tell the Deputy it is quite complex. I expect it will be early autumn before we move through the process of dealing with it. I hope, however, that it will be concluded by early autumn, but I do not want to lock myself into this because there will be much discussion and comment on the Bill when it is published. Believe me, a great deal of complicated work has been done on it.
The Gaeltacht Bill will provide for a redefinition of the Gaeltacht based on language planning criteria, reduce the size of the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta and dispense with Údarás na Gaeltachta elections. I have great reservations about this. Will the Taoiseach give us a clear indication of what the Government proposes to do with regard to the Bill?
The health information Bill is to provide a legislative framework for the better governance of health information in order to enhance individual patient care and safety and achieve wider health service goals, It is also to provide a streamlined structure for multi-site health research ethical approval. What are the Government's intentions with regard to this Bill?
Is féidir liom a rá leis an Teachta go mbeidh an Bille faoin nGaeltacht tugtha isteach an seisiún seo. Caithfidh go dtabharfar isteach é go luath san seisiún seo.
The health information Bill will be introduced later this year.
The publication of the dissolution of the county and city enterprise boards Bill is to take place in 2012. Will the Taoiseach be more specific about the actual date? From listening to him this morning, I know we have a busy programme for the remainder of the year.
We will see what we can do for the Deputy.
It is very important for the rural economy and small and medium-sized businesses up and down the country which are struggling to survive. As Deputy John McGuinness said earlier today, they are having difficulties in accessing funding from banks.
Can the Taoiseach can help this man?
I can. The Deputy wants me to be more specific about the date of publication. The heads of the Bill are being drafted. It is separate legislation that does not take from the importance of the county enterprise boards and the role they play. The Government has made a decision about it. The heads are being drafted and we will keep the House informed. It will not interfere with the ability of county enterprise boards to drive local initiatives.
Last but not least, Deputy Bernard Durkan.
On promised legislation-----
The Deputy is like the cuckoo.
No, this fellow will be heard before the cuckoo and is not as rare.
In view of the importance of job creation and job training facilities, I ask the Taoiseach the extent to which the heads of the further education and training authority Bill have been discussed.
This issue is of importance not just here but throughout Europe. Work is being driven by the Minister of State in this regard. I expect it will be later this year before the Bill is finalised.