Order of Business

The Taoiseach

It is proposed to take No. a7, motion re membership of committee; No. b7, motion re ministerial rota for parliamentary questions; and No. 14, Financial Resolutions 2014 from the Minister for Finance, resuming on Resolution No. 8.

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that Nos. a7 and b7 shall be decided without debate; and the following arrangements shall apply in regard to the resumed debate on No. 14: the speech of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, or persons nominated in their stead, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 30 minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the speech of each other Member called upon, who may share time, shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case; and the suspension of sitting under Standing Order 23 shall take place on the conclusion of the leaders' speeches for one hour.

An Ceann Comhairle

There are three proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with Nos. a7 and b7 without debate agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 14 agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for the suspension of the sitting today agreed to? Agreed. I call Deputy Martin on the Order of Business.

Deputy Micheál Martin

The new HSE national director of acute hospitals, Mr. Ian Carter, warned of further dysfunction if the Government kept taking money out of the system. Since yesterday, there has been a major lack of credibility with regard to the figures presented for the health budget and the proposed cuts of some €666 million. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, did not do a good job of explaining this yesterday. Many people were not impressed at the press conference and the general impression was that, to be fair, the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, dug him out of a hole and saved the day.

The figure involved is €666 million. Are the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the chief executive officer of the HSE standing over the figures? Do we have background documentation that can support the figures for each provision in that Estimate? When can we expect the promised Health Service Executive (financial matters) Bill, which deals with a statutory financial governance framework for the HSE? Will the Taoiseach confirm the accuracy and credibility of those figures?

The Taoiseach

The position is that, as the budget resolutions went through yesterday, the HSE must now prepare its service plan within 21 days to give effect to the plans it will implement based on that budget.

Obviously, that will come back to the Minister, and he must bring it to Cabinet to have it signed off. They can then get on with spending the moneys allocated.

Deputy Micheál Martin

Do they stand over the figures?

The Taoiseach

Of course.

An Ceann Comhairle

There will be a debate on the budget after the Order of Business.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

My question is about the health (provision of general practitioner services) Bill. I understand this is the legislation in which the provision of GP cards to children aged five years and under will be contained. When will that be introduced? Will that also contain provisions for the same extension to people with long-term illness? The Taoiseach will recall that this promise was made in his Government's first budget.

A separate issue that I have raised with the Tánaiste on a number of occasions relates to the Magdalen laundries and the redress scheme. The women are still waiting; none of them has seen a shilling. I have correspondence from both the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, and from the Tánaiste indicating that there is some logjam in respect of agreement on pension and health supports. The clock is ticking-----

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

That term is not used in the letter.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

That is what it says.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

Where does it say logjam?

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

It says that payments cannot commence until decisions have been made on the other recommendations which include pension and health supports.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

Where does it say logjam?

An Ceann Comhairle

We cannot debate it now.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

It is a logjam. Urgency was promised and many of these people are elderly.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

The Deputy made that up.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

The Tánaiste should give over.

Deputy Micheál Martin

The Tánaiste made up a lot of stuff himself.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

When will the women get their payments? When will the issue surrounding health and pensions be resolved? That is what the women want to know.

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

And the supports for education.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

Really, it is very unedifying for somebody in the office of Tánaiste to be so petty and childish at this hour of the day.

An Ceann Comhairle

This is the Order of Business and we will move on to a debate on the budget. Members should stick to matters that are suitable for the Order of Business. We cannot have debates.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

We cannot have lies either.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

The Deputy is sensitive on the issue.

The Taoiseach

As the Tánaiste has confirmed in respect of the Magdalen women, there is no difficulty-----

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

A Cheann Comhairle, the word "lie" was used. That is outside Standing Orders.

The Taoiseach

-----other than the verification-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Will the Deputy please withdraw the word "lie"?

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

I withdraw it. It is untruths.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

Misleading information.

The Taoiseach

There is no difficulty other than verification and validation of the paperwork that has been submitted. Some of it is complex, but there is no problem. The Deputy's use of the non-existent word "logjam" is irrelevant in this.

An Ceann Comhairle

I call Deputy Bannon.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

I also asked about the general practitioners Bill.

Deputy James Bannon

We have the largest binge drinking population in Europe-----

An Ceann Comhairle

We do not need statements, Deputy.

Deputy James Bannon

-----and there is a huge increase in below cost selling and in the number of outlets selling cheap alcohol. This is very harmful to people's health. When can we expect the Public Health (Alcohol Labelling Provisions) Bill to be brought to the House? It is urgent.

The Taoiseach

I can confirm that this matter was on the agenda for the Cabinet yesterday, but because other matters had to be dealt with it was not taken. It will not be long.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

My question is about the promised health identifiers Bill, which will provide for an identification system throughout the health services through a single and unique identifier. Have the heads of the Bill been discussed and has it been progressed? When can we expect it to be brought before the House?

The Taoiseach

It is expected to have it by the end of the year, but the Cabinet has not yet discussed the heads of it.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I have a question about the data sharing Bill. WikiLeaks is in the ha'penny place after the leaks about the budget in the last few days. I heard the entire budget on Sean O'Rourke's programme yesterday. I know he is trying to outdo Pat Kenny but he had the entire budget, line for line and syllable by syllable. When the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, was Minister of State at the Department of Finance some years ago he had to resign over a leak half an hour before the Budget Statement. This budget was completely leaked. It is making a farce of this House.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy can deal with all those issues when he speaks on the budget.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

The entire budget was leaked, although it was all the good bits, not the bad bits.

The Taoiseach

Perhaps the Deputy got the data mixed up.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I am not mixed up. The Taoiseach is mixed up, with spin doctors.

The Taoiseach

I do not have a date for the publication of the data sharing Bill but I will advise the Deputy as progress is made on it, so he will be fully informed line by line.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

Deputy Mattie McGrath should change the dial.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

The Minister for Social Protection has stated that people who are in trouble should go to their local social welfare offices. Unfortunately, these offices have been closed and there has been a targeting in the budget-----

An Ceann Comhairle

To what legislation is the Deputy referring?

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

The social welfare Bill, which will provide for amendments to the Social Welfare Consolidation Act and other relevant legislation arising from the measures to be announced in the budget. The Government has closed many small community welfare offices, but the Minister is telling people to go to those offices. It is a hide and seek exercise.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

It is a treasure hunt.

An Ceann Comhairle

Every morning I have to correct the Deputy and I do not like doing that. Will he try to stick to the rules occasionally and not make statements?

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

It is the social welfare Bill.

The Taoiseach

The social welfare Bill will be discussed next week.

Deputy Willie O'Dea

The Government has introduced a number of schemes to extend credit, particularly to SMEs, and they have been less than successful, to put it mildly. The Government acknowledges that because it is proposing legislation, the credit guarantee (amendment) Bill, to "enhance the success of those schemes". That is urgent legislation so when can we expect to see it?

The Taoiseach

I do not have a date for it. However, I remind the Deputy that the first full commercial licence for a lending bank in a number of years was issued recently by the Central Bank. It is applicable to firms. It is not a mainline bank but is for those who use technology produced by a company, Dell, located in the Deputy's constituency. It is one of a number of groups interested in acquiring full commercial licences for lending money to small and medium enterprises. The Deputy will also be aware that the Government has set new lending targets for the pillar banks of €4 billion each to be achieved this year. I will advise the Deputy as to the stage of preparation of the Bill.

Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick

When can we expect the publication of the noise nuisance Bill, which is to extend and improve the power available to enforcement authorities to prevent, reduce and abate noise nuisance by allowing for on-the-spot fines and providing for mediation between neighbours?

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Wednesday, 16 Oct 2013

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 16 Oct 2013