It is proposed to take No. a9, motion re by-election for Dublin West; No. b9, motion re by-election for Longford-Westmeath; and No. 4, Children First Bill 2014 - Second Stage (resumed).

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: the proceedings on Nos. a9 and b9 which shall be debated together shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 25 minutes, whereupon separate questions thereon shall be put from the Chair, and the following arrangements shall apply: the speech of the Tánaiste, a Minister or a Minister of State and the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group who shall be called upon in that order shall not exceed five minutes in each case and such Members may share their time; and Private Members’ business, which shall be No. 144, motion re housing (resumed), shall take place at the conclusion of Nos. a9 and b9.

There are two proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a9, motion re by-election for Dublin West, and No. b9, motion re by-election for Longford-Westmeath, agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with Private Members’ business agreed to? Agreed.

In view of the major concerns in every community affected by EirGrid's proposals, when will the EirGrid Bill be brought before the House?

The EirGrid Bill is due to be brought forward next year.

Permanent TSB recently announced that it is to raise its standard variable rate for mortgage holders. As the Tánaiste is aware, this bank is 100% State owned. It is introducing an additional charge so that the variable rate will move up to 4.5% from 9 June. No. 89 on the Order Paper is the Interest Rate Approval Bill, a Bill I drafted on behalf of Sinn Féin. This would require any bailed-out bank to seek approval of the Financial Regulator before changing a variable interest rate. Given that this will place a major burden on Permanent TSB mortgage holders, will the Government revisit the issue and look at the commitment the Taoiseach previously gave to give these powers to the Central Bank? On average it will cost a family approximately €480 for a €300,000 mortgage, which is a major imposition given that 17,000 mortgage holders with this bank are in arrears of 90 days or more. The Government has clearly stated it will do nothing about carbon tax, but hopefully it will stand in when a State-owned bank is again fleecing approximately 70,000 customers by hiking up its rate.

Sorry, Deputy, this is-----

Will the Government support the moving of the Interest Rate Approval Bill? Will the Government introduce a similar Bill or allow this Bill to pass?

There is a procedure for dealing with Private Members' Bills. We cannot have this on the Order of Business. It is a Private Members' Bill; is that correct?

The Taoiseach publicly gave a commitment regarding banks increasing variable interest rates. He said he would consider introducing legislation to prevent this happening.

Is there promised legislation?

There is the Central Bank consolidation Bill. Deputy Doherty is talking about a Private Members' Bill and he knows very well the procedure for advancing-----

I am asking if the Government will consider-----

-----a Private Members' Bill.

We are dealing with promised legislation here.

I ask the Tánaiste to confirm the status of the workplace relations Bill. Will it include a commitment to mandatory collective bargaining within firms?

The workplace relations Bill is due this session. The Deputy asked a second-----

I asked about collective bargaining.

On the issue of collective bargaining, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is due to circulate proposals on that legislation shortly.

Is there a commitment to mandatory collective bargaining within the Bill?

No. We are not dealing with the content.

I wish to ask about two Bills. When will the Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill to provide GP services to persons aged five years and under be debated in the House? We now find that 30,000 discretionary medical cards have been withdrawn in the past year or thereabouts.

No-----

How will the funding mechanism be put in place to ensure we do not have further attacks on very sick and vulnerable people?

What Bill is the Deputy talking about?

The Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill because-----

We can find out for the Deputy.

I also have a second Bill.

I will come back to the Deputy.

The health Bill to provide medical cards to children under six, which I understand Fianna Fáil opposes, has already been published.

What is the Deputy's second Bill?

While it is giving GP-visit cards to those aged under six-----

The Deputy is not listening to me. What is his second piece of legislation?

-----it is taking medical cards from the sickest people, which I will oppose.

Michael O'Leary's child will get one.

Please-----

In the context of the announcement by the Minister for Health about lifetime community rating, will that require primary legislation or will it be done through statutory instrument or regulation?

Is there promised legislation here?

A commitment has been made that lifetime community rating will be introduced immediately for private health insurance. When will that be-----

What Bill is the Deputy referring to?

I do not know the Bill because he mentioned he would bring forward legislation to introduce lifetime community rating.

The Deputy should probably put the question to the Minister for Health directly. If he can tell me the Bill, I can tell him where it is in the-----

This is about promised legislation.

There has been a policy decision.

No. I will answer any question the Deputy has on a Bill that is on the legislative list.

We are entitled to raise policy issues as well, are we not?

If it is a policy issue, the Deputy should address it to the Minister.

There are other ways to raise it. I call Deputy Kitt.

The Tánaiste just does not know.

A Cheann Comhairle, we are entitled to raise policy.

No. The Deputy knows as well as I do. He is long enough here. He should not be playing games with me. I appreciate he wants to make a point. He has made his point and I now ask him to resume his seat. If he wants to table a parliamentary question, he may by all means do so.

The Tánaiste will be home in a few weeks and he will know all these things.

The programme for Government makes a commitment to give effect to a waste policy - it was actually mentioned by the Minister this morning - the environment miscellaneous provisions Bill. I understand that has implications for the merger of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. I also wish to ask about the radiological protection miscellaneous provisions Bill. Given the problems with the illegal dumping of waste, when will we see that legislation?

I have good news for the Deputy on both Bills he mentioned. The environment miscellaneous provisions Bill is due this session. The radiological protection miscellaneous provisions Bill is also due this session.

The Government deservedly won many plaudits on the publication of the McAleese report on the plight of those people who had been incarcerated in the Magdalen laundries. What progress has been achieved in implementing the recommendations of that report? Specifically a restorative justice Bill was promised arising from that process. Where stands that restorative justice Bill? Where is the Government in terms of implementing the other recommendations of the report?

The restorative justice Bill is due this session. From responses to parliamentary questions, I know the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs have responded to the progress on the implementation of various elements of the report.

A few weeks ago Deputy Finian McGrath introduced a very worthy Bill, the Down's Syndrome (Equality of Access) Bill, which the Government accepted on Second Stage. This morning some constituents asked me the current situation with that Bill. When will it come before the committee?

This is a Private Members' Bill that was agreed on Second Stage.

Again that is a Private Members' Bill. I believe it passed Second Stage and it is now a matter for the relevant committee.

I call Deputy Mathews.

Is there a planned timetable for it to go to the committee?

That is not a matter for now. It is a matter for the committee; it goes to the committee.

I refer to Nos. 150a and 150b on the Order Paper. I appreciate the Tánaiste's remarks that the banking inquiry is a Dáil banking inquiry. It is not a Government proposal, but a Dáil, a parliamentary, exercise. With that in mind the committee that is being established to carry out the banking inquiry will have nine members.

Sorry, we cannot discuss that now.

It is in light of the Tánaiste saying that it is a Dáil inquiry. The recent court case had a jury of up to 15 people.

Hold on a second. We cannot debate this now.

I understand, a Cheann Comhairle.

You have to understand. I understand you have a point but not on the Order of Business.

It is on the Order of Business.

Put down a Topical Issue or a parliamentary question.

Sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, it is on 150b.

We cannot debate the number of people on a committee on the Order of Business. It is as simple as that.

It is on the Order of Business, in print.

It is not on the Order of Business that we debate the number of people who serve on a committee. I am sorry.

The second point relates to 150a which is terribly important for the scope of this inquiry. Under the terms of reference, all the directors of all the deposit taking institutions-----

Deputy, please-----

-----in the period 2001 to 2008-----

Deputy, I have to ask you to resume your seat. You know you are out of order.

-----should be available and compelled to be here, otherwise-----

Thank you, Deputy. Please resume your seat. It is not in order on the Order of Business.

Sorry, a Cheann Comhairle. I was removed from committees as a punishment for-----

Hold on a minute. Please resume your seat.

That exists to this day and that is wrong in a democracy.

Would you switch off the microphones, please?

Deputy Brian Walsh is back.

Would you please resume your seat, Deputy Mathews? I will not ask you again.

I apologise.

Every time you stand up, you are out of order. You will not adhere to the Chair. I call Deputy Pringle.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

You know what can and cannot be raised on the Order of Business. Deputy, will you sit down?

This is why the country is in the state it is in.

Raise this some other way.

This is why Ireland is in the state it is in and it is wrong.

The Taoiseach gave a commitment that the inquiry by Justice Cooke into the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission bugging allegations would be delivered before Easter. Does the Tánaiste have any information as to when the report will be made available to the House?

As I understand it, that report has not yet been received. Clearly when it is, arrangements will be made to have it discussed in the House.

When is publication of the family law Bill to make provision for pension adjustments in the context of separation agreements and certain other reforms in family law expected?

It is expected next year.

I refer to the housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill. We will discuss the Children First Bill 2014 today. Probably like the Ceann Comhairle and almost every Deputy, I have come across situations where children in families are being evicted because of the situation in the rental housing market and with rent supplement. The Tánaiste was a housing spokesperson for approximately ten years when we served together as spokespersons. Is it time to declare a housing emergency-----

Not on the Order of Business.

-----to cap rents and take some urgent action? I know we will debate a motion on homelessness later, and I did not get the chance to speak yesterday, but I think the Tánaiste knows this subject as well as, if not better, than any Member of this House.

Thank you very much.

In the time this Government has left, is it not time to declare a housing emergency and to stop putting children and their parents on the streets as a result of what is going on in the housing market at this time? For anybody representing a worker's movement party, it is outrageous.

Deputy Broughan, please.

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle.

Do not thank me. You are totally out of order.

I am not actually.

You are totally out of order.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

I do not know what legislation the Deputy is talking about. What legislation are you talking about, Deputy Broughan?

The housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill.

The housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill will be taken in this session. We address the housing crisis not by making declarations but by taking action on it.

The Government is not doing that.

The Deputy may be absolutely assured that this Government is taking action on the housing crisis.