The Taoiseach has not provided clarity. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform promised legislation implementing a 7% across the board cut in public sector workers' wages if the Croke Park II agreement was rejected. The Croke Park II proposals have gone down in flames because low and middle income workers in the public sector cannot take any more cuts, nor can they in the private sector. Is the Taoiseach resiling from the threat of further savage cuts?

I am absolutely committed to what the Government has decided here. We have to achieve €300 million in savings this year. If the Croke Park II proposals were accepted by the unions, one would operate on the basis of a negotiated deal and a negotiated programme. While I am disappointed by the result, the fact remains that the Government has to achieve €300 million in savings this year and it will now have to reflect on the outcome of the ballot and how to proceed to achieve that figure because that is the bottom line.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform reflected on this a few weeks ago when he issued the threat.

What about his announcement?

In the House a month or six weeks ago, the Taoiseach promised three Bills consequent on the Croke Park II agreement, irrespective of whether it was passed, and this point has been missed in the debate so far. One Bill relates to pensions and the others to pay in different sectors of the public service. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform committed to that legislation. The Minister in a detailed public statement pointed out the three areas in which legislation would be required. I have read sections A, B and C of the legislative programme for the summer session and I do not see provision for those Bills. Does that mean they are not even at heads of Bill stage yet? Will they be proceeded with, as outlined by the Minister in the aftermath of the publication of the Croke Park II agreement? He indicated this would happen either way. That is in addition to the threat made subsequently to introduce a 7% across the board pay cut. The Minister said this would happen if the agreement was defeated. We need clarity both on the legislative timeline and the Bills that have been signed up to.

With regard to the media mergers Bill, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has written to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation expressing his deep concern at the time it is taking to produce the legislation, which would have the effect of making matters pertaining to media mergers his responsibility.

There has been considerable comment recently about important issues such as media diversity, media ownership and public debate, all of which go to the heart of democracy. Many people are concerned about the plurality and diversity of the media. The letters written by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, were published at the weekend. The Government's legislative programme does not indicate any sense of urgency. Either it will be a very long summer, metaphorically speaking, or a great deal of substantive legislation will not appear in 2013. Perhaps the legislative programme does not mean anything given the Taoiseach's previous reply that major legislation which does not appear on the legislative programme will appear when it appears.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, set out on behalf of the Government the requirement to achieve €300 million in savings this year. He has issued detailed statements on the matter and the Government will now consider the implications of the ballot and make decisions in respect of achieving the savings. The legislation on media mergers to which Deputy Martin refers is the Consumer and Competition Bill. A great deal of work has been done on the Bill, which will be published this session. In the case of 17 of the 25 or 26 Bills on the A list a great deal of work was carried over in the previous session and the Bills will all come through over the course of the next 15 weeks.

The legislation does not feature on the list.

It is on the A list.

With respect, the Taoiseach did not answer the questions asked by previous speakers. Is it the Government's intention, in light of the rejection of the Croke Park II agreement by rank and file workers, to legislate to cut workers' pay and conditions or will it return to the negotiating table and try to reach an agreement?

The House has been given an answer to the question. We will not have a debate on an issue that has been dealt with.

SIPTU dealt with it.

Will the Government legislate for pay cuts?