Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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I wish to ask about legislation, but I will preface my remarks by saying we should pay tribute to those vulnerable workers who brought the scandal of Rostrevor and what was happening to our elderly to the public's attention. Let us reflect on the question of why care of the elderly should be a profit-making enterprise in the first instance.

Regarding promised legislation, as the Minister knows, tragically unemployment rose to its highest level in the history of the State last week. Where is the legislation for phase 1 of the promised strategic investment bank, particularly given the collapse of private investment? As we have the pleasure of being presented the Order of Business by the Minister, will he take this opportunity to apologise for his insensitive insult to a group of taxpayers, namely, parents who must send their children to dilapidated schools, when he blamed them last week for the situation?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is totally out of order. The Minister to answer on promised legislation.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Government is in the course of implementing its programme for Government and we are considering the strategic investment back in the context of the restructuring of the banking sector. Significant progress has already been made and we will introduce measures as soon as possible. I am not in a position to give a precise date at this point.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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What about an apology?

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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My issue relates to enacted legislation.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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No.

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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It is due to be reviewed in June. I am referring to the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009. My issue relates to low-paid workers who work in a number of educational institutions but are not part of the public service. They are not being paid out of the public purse, yet their wages have been cut by 5%. Is it possible to lay the review before the Dáil so that we might examine the legislation?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy is referring to enacted legislation. In that sense, I suggest the appropriate mechanism to raise the issue is a parliamentary question.

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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A review of the legislation is due in June.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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What does the Deputy mean by "review"?

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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The legislation is due to be reviewed.

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Can the review be laid before the Dáil?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I will raise the matter with the relevant Minister, as I am not in a position to give the Deputy a concise answer now.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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On the issue of whistleblowers legislation, I have good news for the Minister - a whistleblowers Bill will be on the Order Paper next week.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We do not deal with promises.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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Will the Minister comment on the Government's attitude to the Bill?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Dáil has not seen it yet, so we cannot comment.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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It is invisible.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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Let me inform the Ceann Comhairle.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Will the Deputy return to order, please?

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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The Minister has seen it because-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I have not seen it and neither have my colleagues.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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-----it is almost identical to Deputy Rabbitte's Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2010.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government will accept it, so.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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No doubt the Government will be able to accept it and allow it to go forward. There would be no reason for any further delay.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Perhaps the Deputy will raise the matter next week when he has the Bill.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I just thought the Minister would like to know it was on the way.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thanks very much.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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No doubt he has read it many times before because those opposite are correct, in that the Bill is pure plagiarism.

I will ask my second question. In view of the speculation about Greek default-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We do not deal with speculation on the Order of Business, whether it relates to Greece or anywhere else.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Not on a Thursday.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Will Deputy Ross return to order, please?

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I want to ask about legislation-----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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For Greece.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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Has the Department of Finance, in co-operation with the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, and the Central Bank, or any of those three bodies considered emergency legislation in preparation for the possibility of a default within the European-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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No, we do not deal with speculation. The Minister should not reply to it, as it is pure speculation.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I will not.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I am asking-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Ross has had his couple of minutes.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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What about the whistleblowers legislation?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Ellis is next. I hope he will be in order.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I will.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The report on unfinished estates is due today. The Government party Whips have not had a chance to put a timetable together. I have two questions on the matter. Will legislation be required to address the issue and will we be able to debate the report on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week?

There has been a proliferation of parking meters and the inevitable clamping in small towns and villages-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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No.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I am coming to the point.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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If the Deputy is raising the issue of parking meters, I suggest he contact Dublin City Council.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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It has to do with promised legislation. In small towns and villages across the country, many businesses are suffering financial and job losses. The clamping regulation Bill is due to be published. When will that be and will it address the serious economic effects of clamping? For example, people in Finglas village have recently been clamped.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy, but we do not need an example.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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It is causing major problems.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We must move on. The Finance Bill must be debated, but we are wasting time.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I will be brief, as the Ceann Comhairle is under pressure for time. Regarding the first matter raised by Deputy Ellis, the report is to be published soon. The Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, will handle the matter. If the Deputy wishes to table questions about it to the Minister of State, he is welcome to do so. If he wishes to have the matter raised by the Whips for discussion later next week, that is a matter for his party Whip.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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As far as I know, the Whips are tying it up.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The clamping regulation Bill will be enacted later this year.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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When does the Government intend to introduce the proposed animal welfare Bill?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We have no date as yet for that measure.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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A telephone somewhere is causing interference.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I have two questions. The Minister will be aware that the consumer and competition Bill is central to the Government's competition policy. When is its publication expected?

The programme for Government makes a number of commitments, some of which are legislative and some of which are administrative in nature, to deal with the issue of people experiencing difficulty in paying their mortgages. When will these measures be implemented?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We have no date as yet for the first Bill. We are not yet 100 days in office, but as soon as we-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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When will it be published?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We have no date as yet.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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It is central to the Government's policy.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Yes, and we have five years to implement it, but we are fewer than 100 days into our term. The Deputy must be patient with us in the same way we were extremely patient with him.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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What about the second question?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I do not have the answer.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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There is no rush to help distressed mortgageholders.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I could waffle the way the Deputy did in government, but I will not do so.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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When will the Government implement the commitments?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Instead, I will find out the correct answer and communicate it to the Deputy as soon as I can.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I cannot wait.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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We did not need WikiLeaks last week to tell us of the U-turn by the Minister's party leader, the Tánaiste, on the second referendum on the Lisbon treaty. All WikiLeaks has done is expose his thinking and the duplicity of the positions he took, one in public and another in private.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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No introduction is necessary.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Those of us who were sincerely and genuinely opposed to the treaty pointed out that, with its passage, we would find that the decision making process would be ever more at a remove from ordinary people and elected representatives at this tier. That is exactly where we are at. We are now going to-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Sorry, Deputy. We are on the Order of Business.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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My question is on promised legislation. We are now in a situation whereby, courtesy of the EU-IMF deal which the Government has now embraced, water charges are to be introduced, another major u-turn for the Labour Party. Will legislation be required to bring forward the Government's so-called proposals to introduce water charges across the country?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is legislation promised?

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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If that is the case, when will that legislation be introduced and has there been any engagement with the Attorney General in relation to this particular proposal?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I remind the Deputy that he could table a parliamentary question to get an answer to this question. Is legislation in this area promised?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Legislation will be required.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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When might that legislation present?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I am not in a position yet to give the Deputy that information.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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This is the new politics.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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When will the Government bring forward promised legislation to enable publication of the 1926 census?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I am informed that current legislation will have to be changed to provide for that. I am aware of the great success the general public had in accessing the 1911 census. We are anxious to facilitate publication of the 1926 census, which will be revealing given it is the first census taken after establishment of the State.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does Deputy Nash wish to ask a question?

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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No.