Vol. 922 No. 3
I will refer to three proposed Bills for the purpose of finding out where they are. First, on the mortgages special court Bill, the Tánaiste will be aware that thousands of people are still struggling with their mortgage repayments. In 2012, the Fianna Fáil Party introduced a mortgage resolution office proposal, which was rejected by the then Government. When will the mortgages special court Bill be before the House? Has it gone through pre-legislative scrutiny?
Second-----
The Deputy may only ask one question.
The Bill will go before the relevant committee for pre-legislative scrutiny in November.
The Law Reform Commission recently produced a report and published a draft Bill on tackling the negative aspects of social media and the digital revolution. The commission's comprehensive report proposes the appointment of a digital safety commissioner, the introduction of new criminal offences dealing with the posting of intimate images online and the reform of the existing offences of harassment and sending threatening and intimidating messages. When will the Government introduce legislation on this issue?
I thank the Law Reform Commission for the work it has done in this area. The Government will consider its work as a matter of urgency to see what legislation is necessary arising from the recommendations the commission has made. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill, which will be discussed in the House next week, addresses some of the points raised by the LRC, for example, online abuse and the sexual grooming of children.
The Tánaiste will be aware of the considerable work done to consolidate overarching legislation on standards and ethics in the public sector. The previous Administration published the Public Sector Standards Bill, which completed Second Stage. This is substantial legislation which involved a significant amount of work. What is the Government's intention with regard to the Bill? Is it intended to proceed with its enactment through committee in Government time?
I understand the Bill is awaiting Committee Stage and, as such, it is a matter for the committee in question to decide when to take it.
Under the new political situation, is it a Government Bill that will be travelled by the Government as a priority Bill in this session?
Yes, I understand it is.
The budget will be introduced on 11 October and a finance Bill will be introduced shortly thereafter. There is a crisis in all sectors of the insurance industry. Yesterday, for example, the Restaurants Association of Ireland raised the spiralling costs of insurance and we hear hourly about cases involving car, house or business insurance. Some of the underwriters-----
Does the Deputy's question relate to promised legislation?
Yes, it relates to the finance Bill. Will something be done in the budget to address insurance costs and sort out the insurance industry?
The Deputy's question did not deal with legislation but what will be in the budget. A task force is working on the issue of insurance, which is an urgent priority for the Minister for Finance.
Children in respect of whom a domiciliary care allowance is paid and children with severe disabilities are in urgent need of a medical card. When can we expect the health (amendment) (No. 2) Bill to come before the House? The Bill will provide a clear entitlement to these children. Medical cards not only entitle them to general practitioner care and medicine but also to other badly needed medical attention in the health system.
There are 11,000 children in respect of whom a domiciliary care allowance is paid. The Government is committed to ensuring these children will have an automatic right to a medical card. This will certainly be welcomed as a support for the families who find themselves in that situation. It is priority legislation to be dealt with in this term.
Will the Tánaiste indicate to the House the extent to which the preliminaries in respect of the new national children's hospital have been progressed, whether the establishment legislation is likely to be brought before the House at an early date and whether the planning and all of the other preliminary work have concluded? Will she make a statement on the matter?
As the Deputy knows, planning permission has been granted for the long-awaited national children's hospital. The Minister will bring the heads of the Bill that is necessary to progress the project to the Cabinet in November.
The Department of Social Protection commissioned the Millar report on the situation of lone parents. As the report has not been published, will the Tánaiste tell us when it will be published? As she may know, it has been leaked and is in the public domain today. It has found that the mandate from the troika was to save money; that the cuts and changes made affected lone parents and left them financially worse off; that the one-size-fits-all approach to lone parents has not worked; that lone parents who work part time are worse off as a result of the cuts imposed by the Government; that the stigmatisation of lone parents continues; and that all of this contributes significantly to the level of child poverty. As all of this is contained in the report that has now been leaked, I want to know when it will be formally published and we will be given an opportunity to discuss it. Given that the report is a damning assessment of the Government's treatment of lone parents, will the Government legislate to deal with the incidence of child poverty?
I will ask the Minister for Social Protection to revert to the Deputy on the publication date of the report. I have no doubt that it will inform the budgetary decisions that will be taken in the area of social welfare. The Government is also committed to the development of further appropriate subsidised child care initiatives, particularly for lone parents in order that they will feel supported in the choices they make in combining work and family life.
The domestic violence Bill was promised in the programme for Government. It is exceptionally important legislation to give the victims of domestic violence more rights. We all know that domestic violence is still insidious in Ireland and there is no doubt that there will be all-party agreement on the legislation which has already been subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. Will the Tánaiste confirm that the Bill will be brought before the Dáil, passed and enacted as soon as possible?
I can confirm that both the domestic violence Bill and the victims Bill will be published this term. As the Deputy said, the domestic violence Bill has already been subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. I hope, therefore, that it can be brought to the Dáil directly.
Before the summer recess, it was proposed that legislation be brought forward to de-designate 46 natural heritage areas, NHAs. This legislation does not yet seem to have passed through the Dáil. When does the Tánaiste envisage it being brought forward? The programme for Government refers to a review of other NHAs. When will that review take place?
I will have to revert to the Deputy on both issues. I will ask the relevant Minister to come back to him today.
As the House is aware, there are serious abuses daily in the provision of free legal aid which is costing the State and the taxpayer a fortune. In my constituency certain criminals are in and out of court as if on a merry-go-round.
On that basis, when can we expect the criminal justice (legal aid) Bill to be advanced and when will it be brought before the House for debate?
Work is under way in the Department on that legislation.
The Tánaiste is aware of the ongoing situation in Aleppo, Syria, which has degenerated into a horror beyond words. I tried to raise the matter in the Topical Issue debate for the past three days.
The matter is not appropriate to the Order of Business.
I understand that.
It is appropriate to be discussed in a Topical Issue debate.
In ordering business we should set aside time to discuss the horrific situation that is going on at present. We must set aside time next week for such a debate.
Every Deputy in this House would agree with Deputy Griffin that the horror we are seeing on a daily basis in Aleppo is unacceptable. We reiterate the call for all involved to continue to talk and to re-enter negotiations to bring an end to the appalling slaughter that we are seeing there. It is for the Business Committee to discuss whether the matter will be on the agenda of the Dáil. I will support the Deputy's call for such a debate.
I think the Business Committee would be anxious to find time to facilitate such a debate. I suggest that if Deputy Griffin were to make the requisite request through the Chief Whip it could be accommodated if the Business Committee so agrees.
Could the Tánaiste provide an update on the status of the Heritage Bill? The insertion of a provision in it might provide some flexibility in terms of extending the hedge cutting season which would be very welcome from a road safety point of view as well as an agricultural point of view.
Is the Tánaiste an expert on hedge cutting?
I know the Bill is on Committee Stage in the Seanad. I hope there can be progress from there.
Does anyone else wish to contribute on promised legislation? No.
