The programme for Government is very explicit about mental health. It states that the Government intends to fully implement A Vision for Change and that it will base health expenditure on multi-year budgeting supported by a five year HSE service plan based on realistic, verifiable projections. At Question Time yesterday, Deputy Brown asked the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for mental health, Deputy MacEntee, about the allocation to mental health for 2017. It is a classic case of the rhetoric being good, of language camouflaging the reality, because to fully implement A Vision for Change would cost €35 million per annum but it has been some time since we have had an update on A Vision for Change. Deputy Brown was told yesterday that only €15 million will be spent in 2017 on A Vision for Change. I put it to the Taoiseach------
Questions on Promised Legislation
I thank Deputy Martin. His time is up.
I just want another 60 seconds.
That is the order of the House.
I know.
It is not my decision.
I know well. We will say no more.
I will talk to the Deputy later.
It is sending out falsehoods to people in the mental health arena. I have been hearing this €35 million figure for the past three or four years and it never materialises. We were told in the small print yesterday that it is €15 million. The Government is selling people in the mental health community short. It is time for less rhetoric and more honesty and realistic implementation plans.
Can the Taoiseach give a brief answer?
We discussed this yesterday. This is a commitment of Government. The point the Deputy made about having a subhead which will define both the allocation and the effective spend is a good one. The Government has a confidence and supply arrangement with the Deputy's party in terms of facilitating three budgets, so we work in a three-year envelope in that respect. I have discussed that with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, in terms of setting up a specific subhead for mental health, and I am quite sure the Minister for Health will work with us in that regard.
That is not the question.
I am sorry, it is the question. Deputy Adams was next.
It is €35 million versus €15 million.
May I say, almost in passing, that it is rather strange that the Fianna Fáil leader supports the budget and then laments the very things he has supported.
Hear, hear.
Deputy Adams might focus on his question on promised legislation.
That was a helpful observation.
The programme for Government states that the Government will "offer safe haven for refugees under EU and UN resettlement and relocation programmes, while promoting the integration of refugees in our communities". The crisis was brought home to us not just on our television screens but in the news yesterday that five people, including a child, were found inside a container in County Wexford. These are Kurdish citizens fleeing persecution and war and seeking asylum here.
There is precious little evidence of the Government providing a safe haven in recent years despite the huge crisis for refugees from the Middle East and north Africa fleeing war, famine and poverty. Our Naval Service personnel have done a commendable job. They have saved thousands of lives, but the Government has not matched that. Last year, it committed to accepting 4,000 refugees, which is a very small number relative to the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe that is ongoing, but it failed to reach this number.
Thank you, Deputy Adams.
Críochnóidh mé anois, a Cheann Comhairle. Fewer than 1,000 have been resettled. Will the Taoiseach indicate when he expects the 4,000 target to be reached, and has the Government discussed how the process of resettlement can be speeded up and whether additional numbers will be taken in the light of the worsening conflict in Syria?
The Minister, Deputy Stanton, has made substantial progress in terms of resettlement and relocation. I can give Deputy Adams the exact numbers that have arrived here and that are in transit later today. The Deputy will understand, in terms of the people found in the container in Wexford, which speaks for itself, the lengths to which those who want to send them here will go. Again, I commend the Naval Service personnel for the 13,000 people they have pulled from the Mediterranean Sea. I believe the experiences of some of the naval personnel in terms of injuries, beatings and sad cases are horrific. That is the reason that, while we are not part of the protocol, we send our Naval Service vessels to the region to assist in that humanitarian mission. I will have the exact figures supplied to Deputy Adams. The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, gave them to me yesterday but, unfortunately, I cannot recall them now.
As my party leader stated in his question, everybody in this House wants to be able to contribute to having their ideas put forward with regard to the crisis in housing supply and also affordability of rents. The housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill is on the list of Bills to be published in this session. It contains a number of measures, although nothing I can see, in the summary anyway, with regard to controlling rents. The provision that has been highlighted is on fast-tracking planning for large developments about which concerns had been raised in terms of bypassing the local voice and also the capacity of An Bord Pleanála to deal with these issues. In fact, with regard to this proposal, it is possible we would have a slowing down rather than a speeding up of the process. What is the timetable with regard to that Bill?
That Bill is due to come before the House in the next couple of weeks when we will have an opportunity to discuss it.
I clearly recall a commitment in the programme for Government on the introduction of a pilot scheme for the reopening of six Garda stations. The only conversation I have heard was about Stepaside in Dublin, which has not happened.
I certainly hope the Government is not sidestepping this issue because it is a commitment into which it entered. Where does this stand? Do we need to introduce legislation? I spoke to my constituency colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, about one Garda station that was closed some years ago under a different Commissioner. It is on a national primary route - the N5, a seriously busy route - in the village of Tarmonbarry, through which the River Shannon runs and which the Taoiseach travels through on a weekly basis. It is really important that the six Garda stations are reopened under the pilot scheme that was promised in the programme for Government.
The Government has no intention of stepping aside-----
From Stepaside.
-----from these commitments. The Garda Commissioner has to make recommendations for the order of doing this and any further instructions. The commitment entered into will be met.
When does the Government intend to bring forward the social welfare Bill? Does the Taoiseach intend to stand over and implement the proposed further victimisation of, and discrimination against, young unemployed people, especially those under 25 who, instead of getting the fiver promised to everybody will get, as detailed in the budget documentation, €2.70? They are expected to live on €102.70 per week while the Taoiseach lives on €3,500 per week. This is a driving factor in youth homelessness and 16% of young people currently face unemployment.
The Bill will be published this week or next week.
What about the discrimination against young people?
The Deputy will have the chance to make an eloquent contribution to the debate on that important point.
The Taoiseach obviously finds it okay.
My colleague and Fianna Fáil spokesperson on agriculture, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, raised the issue of slurry spreading yesterday morning. The Taoiseach said that individual cases could be looked at and facilitated, particularly in areas where conditions had been very severe. Yesterday, a memo was sent by the Department to all county councils in the country reminding them that the closed season for slurry spreading commenced last Saturday, 15 October, and that, contrary to some localised public commentary, the Minister had not announced any extensions of the spreading period or any individualised exemptions. It said that it had come to the Department's attention that inquiries from farmers in relation to an extension had been received by some district veterinary officers and that, as the responsible authority, any such queries should be forwarded to the relevant local authority for attention. It went on to request that this e-mail be brought to the attention of any staff that might be dealing with this matter.
I ask the Taoiseach to ask the Minister to clarify this, once and for all, as we are making fools of people.
I ask the Minister to respond.
The deadline for spreading slurry closed on 15 October. In emergency circumstances, the Department is in a position to accommodate farmers who make contact with the Department through its emergency procedures, which are shown on its website. The question of an extension is not one for my Department but one for the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. We can deal with cases on an individual basis.
The programme for Government states that the public marked walkways around the country will be increased in number from 40 to 80. I was speaking to people in the Leitrim development company and they say they are trying to keep many walkways open using the rural social scheme. They have been in contact with the recreation unit of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in Ballina to put in place the proper facilities so that farmers can get a few bob to keep the marked roadways open. Will additional funds be put in place to ensure that these marked ways are kept open and their number increased as promised?
I ask the Minister to respond.
Funding has been allocated for the regional walkways and rural recreation. The Deputy said he was in touch with the unit in Ballina. I will speak to him later about that particular issue.
In February of this year, an inquiry was announced into alleged abuse in a foster home in the south east. What is the delay in commencing this inquiry?
I will have to come back to Deputy Deasy with-----
I will tell you what, I will ask the same question next week and the Taoiseach can have a response.
No. I will be back to Deputy Deasy today. He will not have to ask it next week.
Is the Taoiseach aware that the tenant purchase scheme introduced by his previous Government is the first tenant purchase scheme in the history of the State to preclude those who rely solely on social welfare from purchasing their local authority house? Incidentally, it was introduced by a Labour Party Minister. There was nobody blocked there. Will the Taoiseach tell me when the commitment in the programme for Government to overhaul that will be met? Can the Government not do that straight away? It does not need legislation to do that. Will the Government allow this discrimination against tenants who rely exclusively on social welfare to continue?
One does not need legislation to do that. Deputy O'Dea is correct. I will have him informed as to the intention of the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in this regard.
The programme for Government states the Government will support sporting organisations in their efforts to increase sporting participation. In its recently announced and welcome strategy on obesity for 2016 to 2025, the Government pledged to develop a new national sporting framework structure and policy. That was reiterated in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport document. How does that rhetoric and policy documentation match with the Government decision to cut funding for the sports capital grants by 17% next year? Given the supposed recovery, will the Taoiseach explain the logic of that cut to this House?
There is no lack of commitment in terms of addressing sporting facilities or Healthy Ireland, with a Minster of State appointed to deal directly with that. The reason for the allocation for 2017 is based on what can be spent. We have had a situation where over the past 20 years the Government made allocations every couple of years for sports capital grants, many of which were not drawn down for three or four years after the announcements were made. What the Government is doing here is providing a multi-annual budget envelope where it can make allocations that can and will be drawn down. In other words, the money will be spent and not be lying there for three or four years while applications are objected to or whatever.
If Members are brief, I will try to take everyone.
The broadcasting (miscellaneous provisions) Bill is promised legislation. What is the timescale for its introduction on Second Stage in the House?
That is due for pre-legislative scrutiny in November.
Section 8(5) of the Disability Act 2005 sets down in primary legislation the time limit for children awaiting assessments for autism or any other disability. That is clearly being flouted, left, right and centre. There are many cases where people are waiting. According to communication with parents who were on to me this morning, they will not have an assessment until the middle of 2017 at the earliest. It is a disgraceful situation. Is the Government standing over section 8(5) of the 2005 Act or will it deliberately allow the services of the State to flout that Act and not have the assessment for children that is so badly needed, particularly for those on the autism spectrum and in the case of many other disabilities?
Parents are entitled to have accurate and up-to-date assessments of their children's needs as soon as possible. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, has had a substantial budget made available in respect of disability, and obviously the health budget is of such scale. I do not know the details of the case Deputy Moynihan mentions but I will have the Minister of State contact him.
Tá ceist agam don Taoiseach nó don Aire, an Teachta Humphreys. In the budget, funding for the Irish language, the arts and such issues was cut drastically. According to Conradh na Gaeilge, the budgets of Foras na Gaeilge and Údarás na Gaeltachta have been cut by 50% since 2008. Seachtain na Gaeilge has no funding to run its operational programme for 2017 and is rud úafásach é sin.
Airgead don teanga.
Cuirfidh mé iarratas ar an Aire freagra a thabhairt don Teachta McGrath.
In actual fact the budgets have been increased in the arts Department. I was delighted to get an increase in the budget for the arts community.
An teanga.
We were also able to increase funding to Údarás na Gaeltachta. Within the budgets there are different schemes. I am pleased the budget was increased.
I refer the Taoiseach to page 57 of the programme for Government which states,"We will ensure appropriate care pathways ... including the provision of hospice and 'end of life care' during the perinatal period, infancy, childhood and adulthood." That is a commitment to provide end-of-life care to children and babies. People outside this Chamber who watch the proceedings in here are heartbroken because they must take their children from the west and the south east to Dublin when they are sick, and those children must go home to be buried. They cannot get access to end-of-life care. The Taoiseach gave a commitment in the programme for Government. The people to whom I refer will be happy to meet him to outline what they need. We know there is a report. We know that the work has been done. Could the Taoiseach please give them some hope?
We are over time so I plead with Members to be brief.
The reason we are building a national children's hospital is so that children will have access to the very best level of care-----
That is in Dublin.
-----to keep them alive and make them well again. As Deputy O'Reilly is well aware, the hospice movement itself does enormous work throughout the country. It is always unfortunate and sad when a child's life ends. The Department of Health and the Government are interested in making the commitment on end-of-life care in the programme for Government a reality. It takes time to implement these things, as the Deputy is aware.
I wish to raise again the issue of the review of school transport. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to a review being carried out before the budget, but to my knowledge that has not happened. It is unacceptable that many children throughout the country and in my constituency have been adversely affected. Parents, children and school principals are most dissatisfied with the current situation. Has a review been carried out and, if so, what was the outcome?
I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, to respond to the Deputy's question.
As I indicated, 114,000 children are being carried on school transport twice a day, every day, and 10,000 children with special needs are being carried. I invited representatives of all parties to meet me in recent months to initiate a review. The previous review was carried out two years ago and it ends next September. We have received submissions from representatives of all parties. The review is being collated at present and it will be ready in the next couple of weeks. I will issue the findings of the review to each party, which can come back again to me on the basis of what we discussed. I believe Deputy Nolan was at the meeting where the matter was discussed.
I thank the Minister of State. That is clear enough.
The review is being formulated, collated and put together and will be available to all parties within two weeks.
On Friday we will have the publication of the Finance Bill which will give effect to some of the Government's polices announced on budget day. When will the Government heed expert advice and evidence-based policy? Since budget day we have seen the price of new houses in certain estates soar by €45,000. We are informed by Daft that as a result of the budget announcement on Tuesday, traffic on its website for new homes increased by 130%, yet there are no new homes. What we have now is increased demand as a result of the Government's idiotic policy, which has been taken from Fianna Fáil's proposal for twice the amount of money for new homes. What is happening is a disgrace and the Government needs to stop it now.
This is time for questions not statements.
What is happening is that prices are going up, the Government is creating more demand and there is not enough supply. There cannot be enough supply for new houses to come on stream for at least another two years. Will the Taoiseach listen to the experts and everybody who has criticised this measure and heed the evidence we have seen in the past week of prices getting out of control again?
The experts know all the answers but they rarely have to make decisions. There have been houses sold since the budget that did not increase in price. Deputy Pearse Doherty will always pick the one where prices have increased. Houses have been sold in circumstances where there have been no price increases. The Bill will be published at the weekend and it will deal strictly with the issues that were brought forward by the Minister for Finance in the budget.
The Minister of State, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is carrying out a review of the motor insurance industry. A very serious matter has come to my attention regarding to a company called Setanta that has gone into liquidation. This company was registered in Malta but never carried out any business there. It came into this country and, under EU regulations, was allowed to trade here. The amount in outstanding claims is almost €90 million and it is being proposed that this should be taken from the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland fund, which was set up to protect those who were injured by people who had no insurance. The raiding of this fund is outrageous. I ask the Taoiseach that before the Minister of State, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, produces his report, the House should engage in a full debate about what is happening in the motor insurance industry.
I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, about that. He hopes to bring forward his proposals before the close of this session. I will also ask him to speak directly to Deputy Barrett.
The finance Bill will be published tomorrow. Will the Taoiseach clarify that tax evasion, such as that arising from the abuse of section 110 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, will be outlawed under the legislation? Will he comment on media reports that there will be two finance Bills, one before Christmas and one after? Will he confirm that the very important issue of cutting out tax avoidance in the Irish tax system, which costs very significant amounts of money, will not be long-fingered until after Christmas and that the relevant legislation will be published alongside tomorrow's Bill?
The finance Bill was dealt with by Cabinet yesterday and was approved for publication. It will be published tomorrow and will deal with section 110. I have not heard any comment about producing a second finance Bill after Christmas. The Bill will deal with section 110 and the issues that Deputy Burton has raised.
EU Regulation No. 598/2014 deals with operating restrictions at EU airports. I have asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the Government's plans on this. It would effectively set up the Irish Aviation Authority as the competent body and could see it setting aside An Bord Pleanála planning conditions for the additional runway at Dublin Airport. The latter is a development I support but An Bord Pleanála has put in night-flight and noise-related restrictions. Does the Government plan to simply transpose the regulation by way of statutory instrument or will it bring it forward by primary legislation? Is the Taoiseach aware that, should the Government to this, it will be undermining the independent planning process in this country, namely An Bord Pleanála?
Cabinet dealt with this a number of weeks ago in the context of the presentation of a memo from the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I will advise the Minister to contact Deputy Darragh O'Brien.
Members may note we have run ten minutes over time. This is what happens if I disregard the time allocations in the same way that so many other Members here routinely do. If we are to do our business in an efficient manner, I appeal to Members to have regard to the allocated time.