Publication of three Government bills
Gerry Adams asks about the official languages, water services and public health alcohol Bills; the Taoiseach gives publication or committee timetables for each.
With respect, the Taoiseach is mumbling a lot and we cannot hear him over here. I ask if he could raise his voice a wee bit, please.
Tá trí cheist agamsa, ceann amháin faoi Bhille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla, ceann faoin mBille um Sheirbhísí Uisce agus faoin mBille sláinte poiblí (alcól). D'fhoilsigh an Comhchoiste um Chomhshaol, Cultúr agus Gaeltacht tuairisc iontach mhaith ar Bhille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla mí ó shin. As part of its very good report the committee made 34 far-reaching recommendations on the heads of the Bill. These stressed the need to provide more services for Irish speakers and to protect current levels. D'iarr mé ar an Taoiseach anseo sa Dáil díospóireacht a chur ar siúl faoin tuairisc seo le linn Seachtain na Gaeilge agus d'aontaigh sé. However, there was no debate. Ní raibh díospóireacht ar bith ann faoin mBille seo. Will the Taoiseach now schedule that debate? Can we be told when the official languages (amendment) Bill will be published?
On the water services Bill, yesterday and today the Taoiseach endorsed the position of the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, that new tough laws will be introduced to take water charges from people's wages, social welfare payments and pensions. There are reports about fast-track courts where an attachment order can be secured by Uisce Éireann. An mbeidh deireadh leis seo? An féidir leis an Taoiseach a bheith soiléir ar an bpointe seo?
Comment on this
When will the water services Bill be published? An ceist deireannach, last month the Minister for Health published the heads of the Bill for the public health (alcohol) Bill. Its purpose is to ban the below cost selling of alcohol, tackle binge drinking and combat alcohol misuse. Yesterday the Joint Committee on Health was told that last year, alcohol manufacturers spent almost €24 million on advertising with another €16 million spent by supermarkets. This intense marketing of alcohol is recognised as a major contributor to consumption and the dreadful social and health consequences it leads to. When will the public health (alcohol) Bill be published? Will the Taoiseach explain why the three annual reports by the advertising watchdog have not been published by the Minister for Justice and Equality? Those reports find that compliance with existing standards is falling.
Comment on this
The water services Bill will be published very shortly after Easter. The Bill will contain the decisions made by Cabinet following the propositions brought forward by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. I do not presume to indicate the details of the Bill at this stage.
The Bill dealing with the official language will be published in this session. We will have a díospóireacht ar an mBille sin. The public health (alcohol) Bill was at pre-legislative scrutiny at the health committee on 10 and 12 March and will be before the committee this week for further comment at pre-legislative scrutiny stage.
Thereafter, it will come back to the Minister for the development of the heads of the Bill and work will proceed towards having it published.