It is proposed to take No. a14, motion to rescind order of referral of the Protection of Children’s Health (Tobacco Smoke in Mechanically Propelled Vehicles) Bill 2012 [Seanad] to the Select Sub-committee on Children and Youth Affairs; and No. 28, Social Welfare Bill 2014 - Second Stage (resumed). It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: (1) the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. tonight and shall adjourn not later than 10 p.m.; (2) No. a14 shall be decided without debate; Private Members’ business shall be No. 168 – motion re the fair deal scheme; tomorrow’s business after Oral Questions shall be: No. b14, Workplace Relations Bill 2014 – instruction to committee; No. 29, Workplace Relations Bill 2014 - Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; and No. 30, the Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014 - Second Stage (resumed). It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the proceedings on No. b14 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after one hour and the following arrangements shall apply: the speech of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case.

There are three proposals to put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with the late sitting agreed to?

Before I agree the proposal, agree not to oppose it, or propose a variation on it, could I ask the Taoiseach to tell us when precisely we will have the promised debate on water charges?

No. I am sorry but I must interrupt the Deputy. This is a straightforward proposal that I must put to the House. We cannot have a debate about some other issue.

Yes, but a Cheann Comhairle-----

Deputy Higgins raised the matter last week as well. I ask him to respect the Chair because otherwise it will lead to disorder. The Deputy should please resume his seat. I am putting a straightforward proposal.

Yes, but-----

If Deputy Higgins is against the proposal, he should vote against it. I cannot have a debate on another topic.

I can either oppose it or propose a variation on the order on the basis that other issues should be discussed.

The purpose of the proposal is a late sitting. Full stop.

Yes.

It does not deal with the topic that is being discussed during the late sitting. It deals with the late sitting itself. Deputy Higgins should please resume his seat. I thank Deputy Higgins.

I will raise the matter on the Order of Business then.

Deputy Higgins might raise the matter in some other way but he cannot do it now. Is the proposal for dealing with the late sitting agreed to? Agreed.

Is the proposal for dealing with No. a14 agreed to? Agreed.

Is the proposal for dealing with arrangements re No. b14 tomorrow agreed to? Agreed. I call Deputy Ó Fearghaíl to speak on the Order of Business.

I wish to ask briefly about a couple of pieces of legislation. The commission on low pay was announced with great fanfare as part of the revamped programme for Government. Will the Taoiseach indicate when the House can expect to have the opportunity to consider the heads of the Bill?

A reformed consolidated domestic violence Bill is promised. The Bill is meant to reform and consolidate the Domestic Violence Act to aid the ratification of the Istanbul Convention on combatting and preventing violence against women. That is something in which the Taoiseach has an interest and he has given commitments to various groups that we will take action in the area.

The health reform Bill is No. 88 on the C list. There is growing chaos across the country in acute hospitals. I am sure the Taoiseach is aware through media reports of what happened yesterday in my local hospital, Naas General Hospital.

I thank the Deputy. We cannot deal with individual issues.

Staff were protesting outside the gate about the conditions in which patients were being treated in the hospital. When will the health reform Bill be introduced to deal with such issues?

Much work is going on in terms of reshaping the priorities for the health reform Bill. I do not think the Deputy will see it before next year. A memo to Government was cleared last week on the low pay commission. The Bill is due next year.

The Bill on domestic violence is also due early next year. I had the opportunity and privilege to address the COPE Galway group yesterday. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, are working on this area to give effect to the implementation of what is known as the Istanbul Convention. It is a challenge for any government to deal with the issues that arise when doors are closed in the evenings. It is a matter of priority that we would follow through on our commitments.

I wish to raise three pieces of legislation, but, first, I wish to refer to two other issues. During Taoiseach's Questions, a number of times the Taoiseach has made a suggestion about priority questions. Perhaps he or you, a Cheann Comhairle, might be able to advise us on how that could be introduced. Both Teachta Higgins and I, separately, have tried to inquire about when debates will be held on certain matters. Could we be advised on the best way to do that, in particular in terms of a debate on the crisis on water charges?

The Government has committed to amend the Constitution to provide for a voting age of 16, which would be very welcome, and a Bill for that purpose is being drafted. Will the Taoiseach confirm when the Bill will be introduced and if it will be published in 2015? Could the extension of the franchise to citizens in the North and the diaspora be considered as part of the Bill?

We are inundated with complaints from citizens who are not happy with the treatment they have received during their participation in the judicial system. Will the Taoiseach confirm when the judicial council Bill will be introduced and, if possible, will he outline the main provisions of the Bill?

The children and family relations Bill will come before the Dáil, given that a revised scheme of the Bill was published in September. Could we have a sense of the timescale for the completion of the drafting process? I accept the legislation is complex but it requires sufficient time for scrutiny and discussion. The Bill could help to keep pace with a changing Ireland.

Could I ask a question on the same issue?

No. Deputy Higgins should please resume his seat. Deputy Adams addressed me on both of the issues he raised initially. They are best dealt with through the Whips. As a former Whip, I found that one gets tremendous co-operation by doing so because it allows matters to go back to the parties. It never works to raise such issues on the floor of the House. I strongly recommend that the Whips deal with both of those issues through their parties behind the scenes. I would be only too delighted to agree to any changes that are forthcoming.

The children and family relations Bill is important legislation.

It must be put through in respect of the question to be asked on the equality of marriage referendum next year. The Government will make its announcement in due course regarding the dates for those referenda and the issues to be decided by the people.

On the point about how debates may be arranged in the House, the Whips system is the best way to deal with that. A fortnight ago we received requests from Members for a series of discussions and statements in respect of sexual abuse of people formerly involved with the IRA, arising from Maíria Cahill's statement and those statements will happen tomorrow. As I said, I am prepared to consider making Questions to the Taoiseach more relevant and topical in order to give Deputies the opportunity to raise matters they may deem to be more important than dealing with matters which are few months old.

I do not think the Taoiseach answered the other two questions about the voting age Bill. I may have missed his replies.

It requires a referendum. The Government will make its announcement in due course about the date of the referenda and of the issues to be decided. The Government has already put forward the proposition that one of the referenda would be to decide on the reduction in the voting age.

I thank the Taoiseach.

The relocation of Ask.fm last week highlighted once again the real and substantial threat of cyberbullying and the serious consequences it can have, up to and including the loss of life. Last year I produced a Cyberbullying Bill. I refer to a departmental expert advisory group to compile a report on this issue. Will the Taoiseach consider taking my Bill in Government time so that it can be debated in the House or at the minimum that the expert advisory group report on cyberbullying would be brought to the House in order to give all the Members the opportunity to debate the findings?

I refer to the terms of reference of the independent commission to investigate mother and baby homes. Catherine Corless has further evidence to indicate that the size of the burial plot was larger than originally discovered. This has highlighted the need for the Government to live up to its commitment and to publish the terms of reference of the independent investigation. We were promised the terms of reference before the summer recess but we are now well into the Dáil year and we await them. I ask the Taoiseach to indicate when they will be published.

In the debates on the budgets for 2013 and 2014, I raised with the Taoiseach the issue of the below-cost selling of alcohol. On both occasions he said that he would be bringing forward recommendations within a matter of weeks. It is now a matter of years later and we are still waiting for the Government proposal on how it plans to deal with below-cost selling of alcohol.

That proposal will be published next year. The protection of children is a question to be discussed with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs which has the information and expertise in that regard. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, has responsibility for the issue of cyberbullying which is a matter of serious concern and about which I have been briefed. It is not edifying and we need to move as quickly as possible on this issue. I have no objection to the report on cyberbullying being debated in the House and I will advise Deputy Troy.

On the question about the terms of reference for the investigation into mother and baby homes, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, had a very good meeting with Catherine Corless. We are not far off publishing the terms of reference which will determine the scale, scope and length of the inquiry and who might be called. It is far more complex than one would have imagined at first instance. The Minister is anxious to move on the finalisation of the terms of reference with the Attorney General and he will bring them to the House for discussion.

How long does the Taoiseach anticipate it will take for section 45 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013 to be commenced? The European Commission must approve State aid and negotiations seem to be extremely protracted. The section will allow for the granting of CGT relief for entrepreneurs. The provision was lauded in the budget last year but it has not been introduced. Further measures were introduced in the 2015 budget. How long will these protracted negotiations with the European Commission continue? Does he anticipate it will be concluded before Christmas? Does he expect further delays with the other measures which were announced in the budget for 2015?

I do not have the information for the Deputy. Is she referring to implementation of section 45 of the Finance Act of last year?

Yes.

I will advise the Deputy of the up-to-date position.

I refer to the commitment in the programme for Government to fundamentally reform the delivery of child protection services. Is the Taoiseach concerned that the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has stated that over 45,000 calls to its Childline service will go unanswered next year unless it receives additional funds? The charity has issued an appeal for €1.2 million to keep the 24-hour service open.

Sorry, Deputy-----

Some 11% of its calls are to the night-time service which has become a critical support for children in distress, who in many instances are prevented by domestic circumstances from phoning at other times of the day. Childline is the only support option available to many children-----

Sorry, Deputy-----

-----and the loss of the night service would have a significant impact on those in real need.

The Deputy cannot make a statement on the Order of Business.

Will the Government intervene to ensure that the vital services are kept open?

That is a Topical Issue matter. I strongly recommend that the Deputy submit a Topical Issue matter on that subject.

With regard to promised Dáil business and sittings, will the Taoiseach tell me precisely when will we have the promised debate on the water charging regime he intends to continue to enforce on our people? I ask him to please not tell me it is when the Government has finished its deliberations.

It will be next week; that is progress.

That is a start. I ask the Taoiseach to elaborate. We are six weeks into a charging regime and vulnerable and scared people-----

We are not having a debate on it now.

-----do not even know what the Taoiseach will be looking for. I ask him to say which day next week we will have a decision and a debate.

By Wednesday of next week the Deputy will be away; he can flow on with his words at that stage.

Will we have the debate on Wednesday?

The Deputy will have the opportunity to let his words flow through the House on Wednesday of next week.

Unmetered.

Now that is progress.

I have a question for the Taoiseach about EirGrid, an organisation with which he is very familiar and which has not been established in legislation. EirGrid rides roughshod over many communities throughout the country, including in the Taoiseach's home province. When does the Government intend to introduce legislation to put EirGrid on a statutory footing in order to strengthen its powers so that it can further ride roughshod over the people?

When does the Government intend to bring forward legislation to introduce a new broadcasting charge? There has been much discussion about water charges. I understand it is the Taoiseach's plan to bring forward a broadcasting charge. What provision will it include with regard to an ability-to-pay clause? When does he expect to hit the public with his proposed broadcasting charge?

The legislation will be introduced early next year. On the question about primary legislation for EirGrid, the Deputy will be aware of the necessity to provide infrastructure to supply electricity for consumers and for industry. All EirGrid's proposals are vetted and validated independently by An Bord Pleanála. I will provide the Deputy with an up-to-date report on the preparation of the legislation.

In the aftermath of the fiasco that was the licence for the Garth Brooks concerts last summer, a commitment was given to review the legislation on licensing events of this nature. In the recent past an announcement was made that a concert will be held in Croke Park next summer. When is it expected that legislative proposals will be brought forward to address this anomaly to ensure concert promoters and venue owners are not discommoded in the fashion in which the GAA and the concert promoter were by Dublin City Council last summer?

I can strike a good note for the Deputy. The review group has been established and comprises nominees representing the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Meath County Council, Cork City Council, Laois County Council, Kildare County Council, Fáilte Ireland, the Garda Síochána, the HSE and the chief fire officer. The first meeting of the review group took place on 23 October, when the current system was discussed and analysed. Event promoters have been invited to present their experience to the group during the second meeting, which is due to take place next week. The public consultation process is under way and will end on 28 November. The Minister, Deputy Kelly, expects to receive recommendations from the group before the end of the year.

Seeing as the Taoiseach is in musical note today with his few puns, does he have a tune or a couple of notes to give the farmers protesting at how their industry is being treated by the meat industry? I am delighted the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is here. Under the Competition (Amendment) Act, is there any possibility of some respect for the primary producers? We have agriculture 2020 and everything else spoken about-----

About what Bill is the Deputy speaking?

I am speaking about the Competition (Amendment) Act. Will the Taoiseach do something? Will he meet the farmers and play a tune with them? They are not in very good humour to do a harmony because-----

Perhaps the Deputy can have a chat with the Taoiseach after the Order of Business.

The Minister is not doing anything for them. Round-table talks have done nothing.

It is not on the Order of Business. I know this is an important issue.

Can we have a freagra or a tune?

I had a meeting with Galway IFA at one o'clock this morning. I confirm to the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, has spent exhaustive hours on this issue.

Why is he the Minister for Defence as well? He has enough to do with agriculture.

He has put together the beef forum and we expect considerable and good progress will be made at the forum tomorrow. Everyone wants to see an end to this matter.

Insurance is of the utmost importance to many people and their families throughout the length and breadth of the country. We saw the serious problems which arose earlier this year when an insurance brokerage company collapsed. When can we expect to see the insurance Bill, which will provide an alternative statutory regime for those insurance companies not covered by the solvency II directive?

The insurance Bill is due next year. I will give the Deputy a report on the current state of preparation.

I thank the Taoiseach.

I have been approached by the families of children with severe disabilities. The health (transport support) Bill will provide for a scheme to make individual payments to people with severe disabilities who cannot access public transport as a contribution towards their transport costs. When can we expect publication of this Bill?

This is to replace the mobility allowance. It will be early 2015.