Alan Kelly
Ceist:4. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Taoiseach his plans for legislation from his Department. [18558/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 8 September 2020
Ceisteanna (4)
Freagraí ó Béal (24 píosaí cainte)
The Government legislative programme is currently being finalised and will be published by the Government Chief Whip next week. It will set out the Government's priorities for the autumn reflecting the ambition for legislative change set out in the programme for Government. The forthcoming legislative programme will include no Bills in preparation in my Department as there are no legislative matters that require to be prioritised at this time.
My Department will continue to play a central role in supporting effective co-ordination and prioritisation of policy and legislative developments across government through Government meetings and Cabinet committee structures and the Government legislation committee chaired by the Government Chief Whip.
I have heard the Taoiseach speak an awful lot about the legislative programme and the requirement to ensure that it is robust. However, as we spoke about earlier, there has been no discussion within these four walls on promised legislation because we do not have a legislative programme. It is a contradictory position. We cannot debate promised legislation in the Dáil because the Government has not published the programme.
I also heard the Taoiseach say frequently that he did not want the Dáil to come back only to debate specific matters and that we needed to debate legislation. The Taoiseach kept repeating that when other Deputies were calling for the Dáil to come back. We are back but we do not have a legislative programme. When will the programme be published? There must be a sense of urgency on this. A considerable volume of important Bills has been put forward by many Members. I would ask that the Government and the Taoiseach take the content of some of those Bills on board. On what is the Chief Whip working? What are the Government's priority Bills? There has been a significant volume of emergency legislation but it is not good practice to live on pushing through emergency legislation. Foresight is needed. Rushed legislation is not always the best legislation. What are the Government's priorities?
I very much want the Taoiseach to tell me his views on a number of matters. The programme for Government contains a commitment to a raft of legislation relating to the disability sector in which I am interested. What is the Government prioritising in this regard? I drafted and sent to the Minister the Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2018, which emerged from the Ruth Morrissey judgment. Where will it fit in the Government's schedule? The Minister has already told Vicky Phelan and the 221+ support group that he will look to prioritise that legislation. Where will it fit into the schedule?
There is an absolute need to legislate for sick pay in the middle of a pandemic and I have outlined the importance of that to the Taoiseach on numerous occasions. Where will it fit into the legislative schedule?
We have proposed legislation in respect of enhanced force majeure leave to facilitate the situations that Deputy Kelly has envisaged whereby people are prevented from attendance at work for health reasons. It would surely be a travesty if people felt pressured into going to work simply for financial reasons. This is a matter of some priority.
Does the Taoiseach agree with the proposition from his colleague in government, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that two-for-one specials enjoyed by shoppers in supermarkets and shops across the country will be banned? It is also proposed that levies and taxes will be placed on what Deputy Ryan has described as "cheap clothing" and that families and individuals will be fined for not separating their waste. I am sure we all understand that there are big challenges in terms of our environment and waste management practices but the answer is not to target and disadvantage the very households that have borne the brunt of the Covid-19 crisis and lost jobs and income. Such households struggled to get their kids back to school last week and will struggle to have a decent Christmas. I put it to the Taoiseach that the propositions coming from his Government colleague, Deputy Ryan, are wholly unacceptable and, frankly, off the wall and demonstrate that he leads a Government that is not just chaotic but is entirely out of touch with the day-to-day realities faced by ordinary families. I ask him to have a word with his colleague, ask him to remove those proposals and put a stop to this.
I raised the problem I have with Questions on Promised Legislation being taken off the Dáil schedule on the Order of Business. While the Government might not have a legislative programme, there is a programme for Government, which contains commitments regarding various legislation, some of which has been rightly described by Deputy McDonald as "off the wall". We need answers to be given in the House about when those proposals will come forward.
Taxi drivers have been hammered during Covid-19, are unable to make a viable living and now face cuts to their pandemic unemployment payments. I have repeatedly asked questions on their behalf.
They are doing a drive-by protest, which I hope will be big, to the Dáil next Tuesday. They are looking for the assistance of the Government and to add insult to injury, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has said they have to get out of the bus lanes, as if they are not part of the public transport network. Does that require legislation? Is legislation planned in order that taxi drivers are no longer considered part of the public transport system?
It is kicking taxi drivers when they are down. Is that legislation coming forward? I hope the Taoiseach will tell the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that is not acceptable. Rather than kicking the taxi drivers when they are down, I hope he will listen to some of the demands they have made and try to help them through this extremely difficult period.
I am trying to be fair to the people who put the questions to the Taoiseach.
I thank Deputies for their comments. The Dáil was due back on 15 September and we passed legislation last week, the Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Bill.
Yes, all emergencies.
I said I wanted a Bill put before the House and one was put before the House. The Government's public legislation programme will be published next week, on 15 September, as is always the case. Deputy Boyd Barrett is correct. There is a programme for Government. There are three substantial Bills, including the climate Bill, which we said we would publish within 100 days as key and substantive legislation to deal with the climate change agenda.
I know some people opposite me may not have the same enthusiasm with regard to climate change because every time anything comes up in regard to it, be it renewable energy or carbon, Deputies will always oppose it and then pronounce that they are for climate change. That is politics.
I think the Taoiseach means against climate change and for climate justice. One cannot be for climate change. That is what he said.
I meant climate change alleviation policies.
Climate justice is a better concept.
I have noticed a consistent trend of being populist on these issues.
It is not populist; it is good science.
Sorry?
It is good science.
Taoiseach, if you could just answer the questions please.
I answered the question. In terms of climate change, the marine development Bill is important and significant. There is a lot of work to be undertaken on that. I know the Tánaiste is looking at the issue of sick pay, which was raised last week in the Dáil. That also relates to our PRSI system, and the Government is reflecting on that in terms of the wider debate around pensions and provision for workers more generally when they are made unemployed to try to reduce the cliff fall for many people whose incomes have substantially reduced.
The Government moved very effectively to protect workers through the pandemic unemployment payment, which will continue right up to next year, as well as the employment wage subsidy scheme, which has been acknowledged as being an effective intervention to protect workers, jobs and enterprises. That needs to be acknowledged. The deficit this year could be in the order of €25 billion, which in itself reveals an unprecedented and unique intervention. The July stimulus was that.
I wish to point out that 11 items of legislation were passed in July. I cannot remember a Government that was formed in my lifetime that produced 11 Bills within a month. That has to be acknowledged. There is no paucity or dearth of legislation emanating from this Government. We will publish a legislative programme for the Dáil on 15 September. I will come back to Deputy Kelly at that point on his proposals on the Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill. These are proposals that have to be worked up and worked through.
As for the waste strategy to which Deputy McDonald referred, it is a strategy for discussion and debate. There is no immediate specific proposal around any of the items she identified. I think she probably knows that. Nothing has come from the Government on two-for-one offers or any of the other issues she raised.
On Deputy Boyd Barrett's points, I will discuss these issues with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. He is not out to kill or get anybody. The Deputy knows the Minister. He is not that type of individual. He is open to dialogue and engagement. There are various utilities and State agencies doing different things. I take his point. We have been trying to support different sectors of the economy on an ongoing basis. We have done that in respect of quite a range of sectors. The pandemic supplement was available to taxi drivers but I acknowledge that they are facing other issues.
I thank the Taoiseach for his answer. I for one will welcome the climate legislation that is being brought forward as the Minister who brought in the original climate legislation in the Dáil and signed the COP agreement.
In the limited time left, I urge the Taoiseach to deal with the issue of sick pay and parental leave for the parents of children who will end up out of school. It is a small thing and can be dealt with pretty easily. Sick pay has to be dealt with. We have put forward a Bill. I do not mind if the Government changes it and brings forward its own but I ask the Taoiseach to prioritise it. It is a necessity. It is wrong that we are one of only five countries in Europe that do not have it in the first place but during a pandemic, it should not be a choice between going without pay or going into work. It should not happen.
On cervical cancer, I urge the Taoiseach to act for many reasons, given the false commitments and promises made, sometimes accidentally, by his predecessor in regard to the women affected. The Ruth Morrissey judgment changes everything. I was almost alone in the House in opposing the State challenging the judgment. The State lost. Ruth has passed away. Her legacy should be an amendment to the Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill which the Chief Justice has recommended. I ask the Taoiseach to please prioritise this. I have also drafted that proposal and I honestly do not mind if the Government changes it as long as the outcome is the same.
We have run out of time. There are a few seconds left if the Taoiseach wants to answer the questions.
Next week, we will publish the legislative programme.
That is why I asked questions this week.
I have no issue with that. I take on board what Deputies have said in terms of legislative proposals.
I thank Deputies for their co-operation.