I reiterate that Deputies may only ask questions on promised legislation. While they may also make reference to the programme for Government, we will not deal with constituency bucket lists Deputies may have.
Questions on Promised Legislation
The programme for Government features a commitment "to encourage efficient local authorities to adopt commercial rates policies to help sustain existing business and encourage new start-ups". It will not come as a surprise to the Tánaiste to learn that many small and medium enterprises are facing rate increases of 20%, 30%, 40% and more. This is on the back of eight tough years during which they tried to keep the wolf from the door and keep their businesses open. Every Deputy and Senator is inundated with complaints from businesses concerning the application of commercial rates and increases in rates. We have information to show that one family business in Wexford with a turnover of €80,000 received a rates bill of €20,000. These figures speak for themselves and are completely unacceptable.
The equine industry is an important industry in most rural counties, including counties Kildare, Tipperary and Limerick, and employs thousands of people in rural areas. As with many other industries over the years, the sector has been reclassified as a leisure industry. This decision will bring the equine industry to its knees. Will the Tánaiste confirm that the Government will immediately review the relevant legislation and prevent further rates increases to try to retain vital jobs in rural areas?
On the same issue, I attended a meeting in Kildare last night at which representatives of the equine industry made an extremely strong case. Given that the industry comes under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, those involved in it cannot understand the reason it has been reclassified as a leisure industry. This decision has resulted in threefold and ninefold increases in some commercial rates bills. There was no prior notification of this decision. For example, county councillors in attendance last night indicated they had not been informed that this reclassification of equine businesses was about to take place. I ask the Tánaiste to ensure the classification of equine businesses reverts to agricultural and agricultural rates are applied.
The Minister indicated earlier this week that he intended to introduce heads of Bill in this area in April. As such, new legislation may be forthcoming by the end of the year. Will the Tánaiste confirm that the rates bills which have landed on businesses' desks in recent weeks and will continue to be sent in the coming months will not be enforceable once the new legislation to amend the archaic mechanism used for calculating rates has been introduced? Notwithstanding the Government's commitment to address the regional imbalance, this development merely serves as a means of wiping out many businesses.
The equine industry is worth €2 billion and employs 28,000 people directly and 58,000 people indirectly. Deputies Cahill, McConalogue and I discovered at a meeting last night that people genuinely believe they will be put out of business, which is appalling. We need a guarantee that the decision to reclassify the equine industry as a leisure industry will be reversed. The industry has always been classified as agriculture and continues to be classified as agriculture for development levies. There is no reason for this change and we need an assurance that it will be reversed.
The heads of a commercial rates Bill are due in April. I will ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, to contact the Deputies specifically on the classification of the equine industry, on which I do not have details. Given the concerns raised by the Deputies, I will ask the Minister to communicate directly with them on the reasons for the change in classification and to provide as much information as possible.
I understand the Government received the second interim report of Judge Yvonne Murphy on the commission of inquiry into mother and baby homes in the second half of 2016. When will the interim report be published? Cabinet meetings in this Government's term rarely extend into lunchtime, yet the Government is sitting on a report that is very significant for many people who are interested in what happened in mother and baby homes. I understand it is doing so out of fear that it contains reference, albeit no detailed analysis, to a potential redress scheme. Sitting on and failing to publish the report is deeply insulting to people who were in mother and baby homes. It also means the work of the commission, which is due to be completed next year, is not being taken seriously. Will the Tánaiste indicate by what date the Government will publish the interim report? Will the redress issue, which is apparently referred to in the report, be addressed by the Government?
I can confirm that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, will publish the report by the end of this month. The Minister will address all the relevant issues at that time and the Government will consider them at that point.
I am not aware of whether legislation exists in the area I raise or if it is possible to legislate or introduce a mechanism to do something the Taoiseach indicated he could not do when responding to Deputy Paul Murphy yesterday, namely, interfere in the judicial process of another country. Ibrahim Halawa's trial was deferred for the 20th time yesterday.
That matter is not relevant to the Order of Business.
The Ceann Comhairle tried to prevent Deputy Paul Murphy from discussing this issue yesterday.
It is not relevant to the Order of Business.
I have requested a Topical Issue debate on the case of Ibrahim Halawa three times this week. The Ceann Comhairle is trying to shut down discussion on the matter again. I do not understand why he is doing so.
The Deputy must resume her seat.
I am asking about legislation.
My responsibility is to enforce the rules of the House, which have been adopted by all Deputies.
Will the Deputy resume her seat, please?
I want to speak----
Will the Deputy resume her seat, please?
No, I will not resume my seat.
The Deputy will not resume her seat.
I will not.
That is an act of total-----
I am asking the Tánaiste about-----
The Deputy is not. That is an act of total disorder. I am asking her please to resume her seat.
Well then I am out of order. I want to ask the Tánaiste a question.
The Deputy is out of order. She should please resume her seat.
Ibrahim Halawa's trial was postponed for the 20th time. The man is very ill.
Please resume your seat.
I want to ask the Tánaiste a question about legislation-----
The House stands suspended in view of the fact the Deputy will not resume her seat.
Sitting suspended at 12.41 p.m. and resumed at 12.47 p.m.
We will resume. I call Deputy Mattie McGrath.
I have not asked a question.
It is not relevant. I have made a determination on that.
I have a question to ask about legislation. Is this section of business not on promised legislation?
Yes. If the Deputy has a question on legislation, I am quite happy.
I started by saying to the Tánaiste that I wanted to ask a question about legislation which I am not sure exists. However, could we find a mechanism to do what the Taoiseach said we could not do yesterday, which was to interfere in the judicial process of another country? In other words, can we do something about the imprisonment, the continued delay of the trial of, and illness of Ibrahim Halawa who is an Irish citizen?
The Deputy is trying-----
I am trying to find out-----
The Deputy is circumventing-----
-----if there is a legal mechanism that we can take. That is all.
I will ask the Deputy again to resume her seat.
Is the Tánaiste willing to answer me?
I will ask the Deputy to resume her seat, please.
Could the Ceann Comhairle ask the Tánaiste if she is willing to answer me?
I will ask the Deputy again to resume her seat. The rules of the House apply to the Deputy just as they apply to every one of the other 157 Members. There are no special rules for her.
But the Ceann Comhairle's interpretation of the rules has gone a bit beyond where it should. In this particular instance-----
Can I ask my question?
No, the Deputy cannot. Sit down.
We would like to ask questions as well.
The Deputy accused me earlier of suppressing a debate on a particular issue. I sought today to convene a meeting of the delegation that travelled to Cairo on the Halawa issue and only one Member was available to attend. I will not accept from her that I am trying to suppress a debate. I am implementing the rules of the House as they apply to her and everyone else.
The Ceann Comhairle used the word "suppress". What I said was that he tried to shut down Deputy Murphy yesterday-----
The Deputy should resume her seat. I am not having any further debate with her.
I am just asking a question of the Tánaiste.
The Deputy should please resume her seat.
Is there a possibility there is some legal mechanism, of which the Tánaiste can inform me, that the State can use to protect our citizen?
I am asking the Deputy to resume her seat.
I will not resume my seat. I will leave the House because I have another meeting to go to-----
Okay, I thank the Deputy.
-----but I protest at the way the Ceann Comhairle is treating me and, more importantly, the way he is treating the issue. It is disgraceful.
I will get my violin.
Deputy Mattie McGrath, please.
There is a commitment in the programme for Government - I was there when it was put in - to hold a plebiscite on local town and borough councils. The Tánaiste need not be shocked. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to allow the holding of plebiscites and to ask the electorate in those areas to vote on whether they wish to have a town council, provided there is no cost to the State. We are a year into the Government's term in office and we have not seen anything about it. We know that big Phil the enforcer banished town councils. There was a commitment that there would be a plebiscite in each borough and district council to see if the people wanted them, provided there would be no cost to the Exchequer.
I will ask the Minister to liaise with the Deputy directly on where that programme for Government commitment is at.
Which Minister?
The relevant Minister.
Yes, the relevant Minister.
The irrelevant Minister.
There is a commitment in the programme for Government to increase our Garda numbers. Given the relative ease yesterday with which an individual created havoc and destruction in Westminster, what plans does the Government have to increase the security of this campus and its surrounding streets?
That is not relevant either.
It is very relevant, given what happened yesterday.
It is not relevant to the Order of Business.
The Tánaiste might like to comment on it.
Does the Tánaiste want to make a brief comment?
We are all concerned to ensure that all premises are secured as much as possible, including this one. I assure the Deputy that the safety and security of locations around the country, including this one, is of prime concern to An Garda Síochána and it has all relevant initiatives under way. The recruitment of 800 gardaí this year is an important part of having a proper response, as indeed was the establishment of the armed response unit which we now have in Dublin and which is available and working at present.
I moved First Stage of my Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Divorce) Bill 2016 on 6 July 2016. Some eight months later, it has not yet reached Second Stage. I receive e-mails and texts daily about this Bill, which will be of enormous assistance to about 300,000 separated couples throughout Ireland. Is there a way of expediting Second Stage of the Bill?
I am aware of the work the Deputy has put into this Bill and its importance. It is in the lottery for Private Members' Bills and we will await it emerging from there.
It was announced in the programme for Government and budget 2017 that the Government is seeking to expand the level of dental services available to both the employed and self-employed who pay PRSI contribution in this country. On this basis, can the Tánaiste or the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, advise me when these services will be reintroduced and what services will become available? Will the optical benefit scheme which was announced also be extended?
There is a Government commitment to bring about a new deal for the self-employed in Ireland, which includes equalising their tax treatment, providing more supports for entrepreneurs and also extending new social insurance benefits to them, including the extension of the treatment benefit. The commitment is that by the end of the month 500,000 people who are self-employed, including farmers, and their dependent spouses, will have access to the free eye check and free dental check on the same basis as other employees who pay PRSI. I signed the legislation to do that yesterday. It will come into effect next week.
My question is on the Technological Universities Bill 2015. I met with the president of the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown which has gone through a three-step process. The next step is this legislation which was ready to go through the House when the last Dáil collapsed. What is the update on it? When can we progress it? If we cannot progress it because of other geographical considerations, will the Government consider a specific Dublin Bill to move it forward for the Dublin institutes of technology because it is important for their future progression and development?
I also want to speak about the Technological Universities Bill 2015. Waterford and Carlow institutes of technology are in a similar position. When can we expect to see this Bill moved forward?
It is an issue that was raised earlier in the week by Deputy Howlin. The position is that the Bill was reintroduced on Committee Stage and will go back to debate on Committee Stage. Before we successfully complete Committee Stage, which was not successfully done in the last Dáil, we need to ensure certain issues are resolved. Some of those relate to industrial relations issues and others relate to the alignment of colleges that wish to become technological universities. This is an important initiative for all regions. I will not contemplate proceeding on a region-by-region basis. We need to see this as the future path for most, if not all, institutes of technology. We want to ensure we have that path, which is available to all regions, and can contribute to the sort of balanced regional development that all Deputies want to see.
I apologise to the four Deputies who have not been reached. That concludes Questions on Promised Legislation.