It is proposed to take No. 7, motion re ministerial rota for parliamentary questions, and No. a19, statements on the reports of unlawful surveillance of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

Is the proposal for dealing with No. 7, motion re ministerial rota for parliamentary questions without debate agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal that Topical Issues shall not be taken today agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a19, statements on the reports of unlawful surveillance of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission agreed to? Agreed.

The situation in our health service is a cause of grave concern with the hospitals in disarray and waiting lists increasing to an extraordinary degree, in particular in the children's hospitals where they are up to three to four years. The primary care system is at a very poor level. Morale is shockingly low in general practice and it has been said we will not be able recruit people for rural general practice shortly. Consultants cannot be recruited by hospitals and key staff are not being recruited. The system is grossly dysfunctional and this is before the impact of the €1 billion cut in the health service plan.

At the weekend, I picked up on a drip-drip sort of leaking around the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance. The Taoiseach has given commitments in the House for quite some time on the publication of the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance but there has been very little consultation between the Minister and spokespeople on health. No one knows what is going on in health; there is no sense of governance or of anyone being in charge. As a result, I have never seen operating morale at such a level low. Will the Taoiseach indicate when this long awaited White Paper on Universal Health Insurance will be published?

A short time ago, the Taoiseach generously offered that he would publish the financial model governing the levying of water charges well in advance of the local elections which means that has to happen in March, April or May. Will the Taoiseach indicate whether that financial model will be published in April, May or even March? Will he arrange Government time for a debate on the model he will put forward?

I expect it will be published in good time before May. The Deputy asked for a week-----

Will it be March or April?

I would say certainly the back end of March or certainly April, which it will have to be. A great deal of work has been done on it and it can be dealt with by way of discussion, conversation and statements in the House.

A debate, maybe.

We will have a debate on it in the House. That financial and business model will set out how the Government sees the costs applicable here are only in the interests of consumers. I assure the Deputy a great deal of work is going on. The Deputy might have a look at his own proposal to retain the 34 entities. All of those issues, including agreements for 12 years, are on the table in terms of consideration of the preparation of the financial and the business model.

What about the charges, or the amount people will have to pay?

That will all be part of that.

The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance is due for publication in the next couple of weeks. I understand it is practically concluded. The implementation of the White Paper will not be able to be introduced until the start of the next Government.

Why is that?

It was never intended to introduce it in one period of office. There is a lot of preparation to be done. I expect the White Paper will be published in the next couple of weeks. People will have time for full consultation and plenty of analysis on it because there will be a lot involved.

Tá ceist agam faoi reachtaíocht atá fórógartha agus ceist eile agam maidir leis an redress scheme for the Magdalen laundries, which I will ask first. The redress scheme was set up to ensure the victims of the laundries were given their full medical entitlements and that they were compensated for the decades of unpaid slave labour they endured. There are many complaints that the redress is presenting more obstacles than opportunities for these victims. Will the Taoiseach undertake to review it and to bring back a report to the Dáil?

As I understand it, the purpose of the children and family relationships Bill is to consolidate and reform the law relating to guardianship, custody of and access to children as well as addressing issues of parentage. The heads of the Bill have been published but the processing of the legislation is having a very direct effect on the marriage equality referendum. When will the legislation be brought before the Oireachtas and what is the timeframe for its passing into law?

The children and family relationship Bill will be taken this session. It is a complex Bill and it will require some consultation and debate in the House. In respect of the Magdalen laundries, I understand €2 million has been paid out. The indications were that there might be between 750 and 1,000 people but 600 have registered. I understand the women involved and their advocates are very happy, in particular in England, with the rate of payment, the way it is being dealt with, the facilities and the opportunities provided for the women.

In regard to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the O'Keeffe case, the Minister for Education and Skills informed the Cabinet today that the necessary sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was received and arrangements have been made to pay the €30,000 damages and the costs of approximately €104,000, including VAT, as directed by the European Court of Human Rights, to the solicitors involved. On the advice of the Attorney General, the Minister has briefed two senior counsels and one junior counsel to provide an opinion on the implications of the ECHR judgment, especially in regard to potential State liabilities in particular areas and what remedial steps, measures, guidelines or other action might be required. The Minister will keep the House updated as that progresses.

In regard to the Magdalen laundries redress scheme, it may be that some of the victims have been able to avail of the scheme but there is a number who feel obstacles are being placed in their way and some have not got their full medical entitlements. They have to undertake a convoluted process. Will the Taoiseach ask someone to review that and bring back a report?

It has been streamlined as far as it can be because there was a lot of talk about it at the outset. If the Deputy has particular cases where he believes there are obstructions or obstacles, he should bring them to the attention of the Minister and we will do what we can. The intention, genuinely, is that it is non-contentious, non-litigious, effective and in the interests of the women involved.

Go raibh maith agat.

What is the progress on the mediation Bill, as per the Law Reform Commission report and recommendations? Have the heads been cleared and when is it likely to come before the House? It is of considerable importance to people in the conflict resolution business.

I refer to the proposed sale of loan books to unregulated third parties, which I and others have raised in the House previously.

In view of the importance of that legislation and its implications for a large number of people throughout the country, will it be possible to bring it before the House earlier than expected? As each day goes by-----

To which Bill does the Deputy refer?

I refer to the Bill relating to the sale of loan books to unregulated third parties.

I will discuss it with the Minister for Finance. It is scheduled for next year. In view of the Deputy's request, we will see what is the state of progress with the preparation of the Bill. The heads of the mediation Bill were cleared in February 2012. Quite a deal of work has been done on it. The Bill will be introduced later this year.

I thank the Taoiseach.

I would like to ask about the progress that is being made with the County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill 2013. I understand it is in the Seanad. When is it due back in this House?

It is at committee next week. We expect to roll out the local enterprise offices throughout all the local authorities in April.

The road traffic Bill might have to be considered in the context of the Narrow Water Bridge project, which has slipped down the priority list. What are the realistic prospects of getting the project, which is of symbolic importance for North-South relations, back on the agenda?

The project will be the subject of a discussion at the North-South ministerial meeting that will take place in June. Clearly, it did not work on the last occasion. It is a tangible link between North and South. Three projects were not dealt with - the museum for €2 million, the Maze for €20 million and Narrow Water Bridge for €13 million. We need to see in what form we can get this back. It may have to be retendered as a different style of bridge. I would be hopeful, in light of the goodwill that was there in the beginning, that this project can return in the next programme.

Will funding for the Special EU Programmes Body be lost?

That is where it came from. When it was not possible for this to be pursued within the specified timescale, the money had to be either sent back or redirected. That is what is under way at the moment.

Where exactly is the criminal justice (miscellaneous provisions) Bill at? Last Thursday, the Tánaiste told me in this Chamber that he is prepared to meet representatives of the Stardust relatives and victims committee. As the Taoiseach knows, the 33rd anniversary of that terrible event will be marked on Thursday and Friday of this week. The Taoiseach will be aware that the leader of this committee, Ms Antoinette Keegan, spent 24 hours at the security hut at the entrance to his Department last week. I do not think he availed of that opportunity to meet Ms Keegan. I understand that during the 2011 general election campaign, he gave a commitment to call immediately for a commission of investigation into the disaster, once and for all, to deal with this legacy issue. I wonder whether he has given any more thought to that. Will he meet the people concerned?

The criminal justice Bill is due next year. As I have made clear here previously, when I spoke to members of the group, they informed me that their legal adviser was in a position to produce new evidence. My view was that if the legal adviser has new evidence, it should be produced. My understanding was that they intended to do that.

They say the Taoiseach made a commitment during the campaign.

I have heard a number of comments about this. Let us just leave it at that for the moment.

We must move on.

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I would like to make an amendment to the Order of Business, to provide that Members may share time during the statements on the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

Before I knew that Government time was to be made available for the statements referred to by the Taoiseach, I received seven requests from Deputies who wanted to speak about this matter during the Topical Issue debate. In light of the number of requests and the importance of this subject, I decided to allocate three Topical Issue slots for such a discussion. I would like to think that when time is being shared during the debate, time will be given to those who agreed to withdraw their Topical Issue requests. That would be only fair.

That is a fair comment.

It would be unfair if they were to be wiped out, given that they submitted their requests before 10 o'clock this morning.

Does this mean the order is being amended to allow for the sharing of time?

That is correct.

I am putting that formally to the House now. I would like to think the House will agree that the Deputies to whom I have referred will be facilitated in whatever way the House agrees.

I do not disagree with that.

Is the proposal agreed? Agreed.