Earlier this week the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, published a report on personal contract plans, PCPs, which are now a very important part of financing transactions in the motor industry. One of the commission's recommendations is that PCPs would come under the Central Bank's consumer protection code. This would require the intermediary or the car finance company to assess the affordability of the product for the consumer. Currently, they are not required to do any check or assessment of affordability. This is one of the key recommendations. Some 30% of all transactions for new cars in the motor industry are with PCPs, with nearly €800 million worth of PCPs issued in 2016. Will the Government move to legislate as necessary to give effect to the recommendations made by the CCPC around these PCPs?

What is happening here is a good thing given the extent of the use of PCPs in the selling of cars and the need for consumer protection considerations. I will come back to the Deputy about the commitment to legislation. I can provide the Deputy with that information from the Department concerned.

The Cabinet agreed this morning to table legislation to allow for a referendum on the repeal of the eighth amendment of the Constitution. Sinn Féin welcomes this. The Tánaiste is aware that we will campaign for the vote to repeal the eighth amendment. The timescale for the passage of the Bill is, however, very tight. This issue has already been raised with the Government. There is every possibility that the antics of some Members in the Chamber could delay the Bill if it does not begin its passage through the Oireachtas as soon as possible. It would be a problem for young people in particular if the referendum is pushed on into the summer. They are buoyed up and eager to cast their votes. I urge the Government to not delay the referendum any longer than is necessary. The Bill should come before the Dáil today to ensure that it is passed as soon as possible.

The plan, as I understand it, is to publish the Bill this evening and to bring it to the Houses tomorrow. This plan will be discussed with the Business Committee later today. We ask for the support of the other parties in order to ensure that we can introduce the Bill and get the Second Stage debate under way tomorrow.

We are committed to facilitating this but we will also seek the support of other parties to do so. For the information of the House, the Minister, Deputy Murphy, will be in a position to set up the referendum commission from tomorrow. The chair of the commission will be Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, whom the Chief Justice has recommended as an appropriate person to do that job. We are proceeding with the necessary legislation and putting the necessary structures in place to ensure that this referendum can be held before the end of May. We are on schedule to do so even though the timetable is tight. We will seek the co-operation of other parties in the House to ensure we can see this through.

The Tánaiste's time is up.

I also take this opportunity to wish everyone, women in particular, a happy International Women's Day. I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle for having invited RTÉ to celebrate in this building this morning. The Tánaiste has anticipated my question because I was going to follow on from the question Deputy Munster raised. We should very much welcome that on International Women's Day the Cabinet has agreed to publish the wording of the referendum. My question was going to be the follow-on question about the establishment of the commission. I welcome the fact that Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy will chair it. Perhaps the Tánaiste could again clarify the timing and give his reassurance, assuming not too much time will be needed for Committee and Report Stages of such a short piece of legislation, that as much time as possible, and as needed, will be allocated in the House to ensure we pass the legislation and that it go to the Upper House as quickly as possible.

The Government intends to make enough time available to allow everyone to speak on this issue. That will start tomorrow. The debate on the legislation will then recommence on 20 March, when the Dáil is due to come back. My understanding was that the Dáil was not to come back until 21 March, but I hope we will be able to get the Business Committee's agreement to come back on the Tuesday, a day earlier, to focus on progressing this legislation. For the benefit of the House, the Government decided on a number of matters today. It decided to approve the text of the Bill, which will be published this evening and debated tomorrow. It has also authorised that the Bill come before the Dáil. As I said, it has approved the preparation of a draft general scheme of a Bill which I hope will follow a successful referendum outcome.

We cannot have a lengthy statement on the matter. We follow what the Government is doing.

Is this not linked to-----

It is relevant to my question.

-----promised legislation?

The Tánaiste has only one minute to respond, I am afraid, the same as everyone else. I am sorry. I do not make the rules; it is just my job to implement them.

That is fine.

Happy International Women's Day to everyone here and beyond, but in particular to the women of the Magdalen laundries, the subject of my question to the Tánaiste. Seven women of the Magdalen laundries have died since the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, made his apology to the House, and there is no sign of the redress being passed to these women. They have been treated disgracefully by this Government and by the Department. Will the Tánaiste please address this and tell us when we will see justice for the Magdalens?

One of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard in this Chamber was made by Deputy Enda Kenny responding to the plight of women who were in Magdalen laundries. It is not fair to say this Government has not acted or is not sincere in supporting and treating appropriately victims of Magdalen laundries and other industrial settings.

Words, not deeds.

Let the Tánaiste answer, please.

I accept that. I will have to come back to the Deputy on the exact timing, redress and so on but I assure her the Government is determined to play a supportive role in this area, as it has outlined on many occasions.

On page 82 of the programme for Government, "Working to Make Our Older Years Better Years", the Government promised to keep our older people active and independent in the community. This Saturday and the following Saturday, being St. Patrick's Day, both Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and I have organised two buses to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for people to have cataract operations done. These will be the fifth and sixth buses to travel from west Cork, Cork County and Kerry to Northern Ireland in the past few months. I am appalled by the long waiting lists for the elderly and children who must wait for a simple cataract procedure, some waiting four to five years for a 15-minute procedure. For those in the Irish Republic, it is Belfast or blindness. Will this Government take urgent steps to deal with this issue? I am acutely aware that while these older people will be travelling to Belfast for vital cateract procedures to save their sight, our Taoiseach and Ministers and the Tánaiste himself will also be out of the country and spread throughout the world on St. Patrick's Day. I sincerely hope they will spare a thought for the people forced to leave this country for Belfast on that day.

I think most people understand the value of Ministers leaving for St. Patrick's Day. We are a country that, from an economic perspective, relies on trade in an open economy and we have a very large and supportive diaspora right across the world to which we reach out at this time of year. If the Deputy is suggesting we should perhaps not do this because there are-----

I am not. I am just asking the Tánaiste to spare a thought.

-----pressures at home, I do not accept that. I accept there are areas where the health services need to deliver to address waiting lists. Regarding cataracts, one of the ways in which we can ensure that people get the treatment they need quickly while the health service is being improved and reformed is to undertake operations in Northern Ireland in order that people can get the health care they need. It is not an ideal setting. We would obviously like to do that locally, and in time I think that will be possible. However, in the meantime I think it is good-----

The Tánaiste's time is up.

-----that people can travel to Belfast or, in some cases, Derry to ensure they can get the vital operations they need quickly.

Ar an gcéad dul síos guím Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan shona daoibh go léir. Tá maoiniú d’Fhoras na Gaeilge, an t-eagras is mó a thacaíonn le forbairt na Gaeilge sa phobal, ag laghdú, bliain i ndiaidh bliana ar feadh deich mbliana nó mar sin. Cuid den chúis taobh thiar de seo ná go bhfuil an maoiniú roinnte idir an dá dhlínse ar an oileán. Nuair atá easpa airgid sa Phoblacht, cosúil le tráth an chúlaithe eacnamaíochta, tagann meath ar mhaoiniú an Fhorais. Nuair a tharlaíonn amhlaidh sa Tuaisceart tagann meath arís ar an maoiniú. In ainneoin go bhfuil an maoiniú tábhachtach do na healaíona ag dul i méid, rud atá muid buíoch de, tá an Ghaeilge ag fulaingt. Mar chuid de Bhliain na Gaeilge, mar chuid de lorg na bliana seo, an ngeallfadh an Tánaiste athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar mhúnla maoinithe Fhoras na Gaeilge?

Ligfeadh é seo don Rialtas beart de réir a bhriathair a thaispeáint don teanga le maoiniú Fhoras na Gaeilge a ardú.

Go raibh maith agat as an gceist. Tá an maoiniú ar fáil faoi choinne Fhoras na Gaeilge agus an Bord Ulster Scots agus tá freagracht agus dualgas orainne sa Rialtas seo suas go dtí 65% den airgead seo, agus sa Tuaisceart 25%. Faoi láthair mura bhfuil an Rialtas ina shuí sa Tuaisceart, ní bheidh aon chomhaontú maidir leis an bhfigiúr ó 2017 ach, é sin ráite, tá sé comhaontaithe idir an dá Roinn Airgeadais sa dá dhlínse go mbeidh an figiúr a bheidh á úsáid i mbliana mar an gcéanna leis an bhfigiúr a bhí á úsáid in 2016, agus b'shin an fáth nach mbeidh aon athrú ar na figiúirí sin. Tá suas go €14.025 milliún ar fáil ina iomlán fá choinne an bhuiséid seo don dá dhlínse: Tuaisceart Thuaidh-Theas, an Deisceart agus an obair atá ar siúl leis na comhlachtaí Thuaidh-Theas.

I wish to raise the Government's drugs policy as outlined in the programme for Government. My concern is a development I am increasingly hearing about, namely, the grooming of children to sell or carry drugs for drug dealers. I have a real concern that this is the next child exploitation scandal. Children can be attracted by the false glamour and material wealth of drug dealers and gangsters. Drug dealers are increasingly seeing children as a business opportunity. For drug dealers children are cheap, expendable, easily controlled and often able to operate under the Garda's radar. Grooming of children for criminal exploitation is very similar to grooming for sexual exploitation. We need a system that can deal with child victims who will also become offenders.

Are there any plans to bring forward legislation to tackle this exploitation of children? Has the Government even considered it and has the Cabinet even looked at it?

Strong legislation and laws are already in place to counteract gangland crime, which abuses and uses teenagers as carriers in the drug trade. An Garda Síochána is very focused on it and has had some success. We also have a comprehensive new national drugs strategy and the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, has led on this. In terms of the issue referred to by the Deputy with regard to children being abused by predominantly gangland activity, it is something An Garda Síochána is very aware of.

The programme for Government makes multiple references to public transport. The 7.28 a.m. service from Sallins to Grand Canal Dock was absolutely full leaving that station with eight stops to go. Commuters were physically unable to board the train at Hazelhatch, Adamstown and further in. There is an urgent need for greater capacity on these services. I have tabled multiple parliamentary questions to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and, shockingly, in the three years since he took office he has yet to spend a single cent on new rolling stock. Where are the carriages, where are the services and where is the capacity that is so badly needed on these commuter lines?

I know Fianna Fáil does not like to focus on the detail of the Project Ireland 2040 plan or the capital plan that goes with it, but it does include----

The spin unit.

Three years and no spending.

Please, time is limited.

It does include-----

There is no detail. That is the problem.

If the Deputy would like to listen.

Please, Deputies. You are using up time.

The problem the Deputy's party has is it does not want to focus on the detail of the plan-----

There is no detail.

-----because it commits almost €115 billion of capital State investment into areas such as public transport and it commits €400 million to the BusConnects project in Dublin, which will invest heavily in new stock and prioritise public transport throughout the capital, on top of the billions of euro that will be spent on Luas and other services.

In three years not a single cent.

The Tánaiste can understand my concerns in view of the convention centre.

There will be €200 million in Cork. It will happen.

We are taking an additional five minutes to make up for people who lost out during the week.

As the Tánaiste is aware, the Government has a proposal to deal with orphan drugs, particularly in cases that need to be resolved. Many of these drugs are examined in the same way as mainstream drugs and it does not work. Two girls, who have been here on a number of occasions, little Grace from Leitrim and Cezy from Kilkenny, are waiting for a drug called Vimizim. The Temple Street hospital clinicians who deal with morquio put a proposal to the HSE a couple of months ago for a managed access programme. The managed access programme is the way forward and I have spoken to the Minister about this, but to this day it is shrouded in secrecy. I believe this is being looked at and progress is being made, but the problem is the HSE makes everybody say nothing. Keep it under wraps and tell nobody. Will the Tánaiste please ensure somebody in the HSE leadership team comes out and publicly states what is going on so we and everyone else can put pressure on the company to continue to give these girls the drug they need?

There is an issue with regard to orphan drugs, whereby there are small numbers of users of very specialist drugs in certain categories. The Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Taoiseach have outlined on many occasions that it is not the job of politicians to decide what drugs should be approved and what drugs should not. That has to be a medical decision and there needs to be an assessment process that is fair, clear and transparent in terms of how it happens. I will see whether the Minister can come back to the Deputy on the drug he has mentioned.

Page 10 of the programme for Government makes reference to affording every citizen equality of opportunity in a fair society. Today, as we know, is International Women's Day, but we have a huge gap in terms of pay between men and women. The gap is now 14%. It was 12% in 2012 so it is widening all of the time. This fact sends out a very clear negative message that the work women do is undervalued in society. We need to tackle this issue head on. We have inequality and we have the widening gap as I mentioned, but we also have pay inequality experienced by entrants into the teaching profession. Post-2011 entrants experience a loss over their career of between €53,000 and €105,000. This is a disgrace. As a woman, as a former teacher and as a former INTO representative, I ask the Tánaiste to address these inequalities. When will the report on teachers' pay and a plan towards equalisation be published? Will we have an opportunity to debate the report? I sincerely hope, in the interests of fairness, that we do.

The Deputy's time is up. We cannot debate it now.

The Deputy has raised two separate issues. I answered an earlier question on the gender pay gap in terms of how the Government is approaching it. There are tangible examples in terms of how the Government is trying to change the fact that for many women their work is undervalued financially. This is separate to teachers' pay.

It is about equality.

Teaching is one of the professions where there is not a gender pay gap between men and women.

No, but there is inequality.

Please, Deputy.

The Tánaiste is aware of the Tarbert land bank in north Kerry. He is also probably aware of the high unemployment in the area.

Which land bank?

The Tarbert land bank. There is huge potential regarding this facility, if it were ever utilised for the benefit of the people of north Kerry, west Limerick and nationally. My understanding is that currently a judicial review is going through the courts regarding the tendering process for use of the land bank. Will the Tánaiste ensure that process will be open and transparent? Will he ensure all organisations that tender for it are accommodated equally in the process?

If an issue is being determined in the courts there is very little I can say about it. I would need to be careful. If there is a specific issue the Deputy would like to raise with me in more detail, perhaps he could put it in writing and I will try to get an answer for him.

On page 66 of the programme for Government a commitment was made to improve mental health services in this country. As the Tánaiste knows, in January 2017 an independent report was carried out on mental health services in County Roscommon. As we all know, it was a damning report. That independent committee suggested that 27 points would be implemented without any delay. A management team was put in place and to this day, as far as I am concerned, none of the 27 points has been implemented. I seek an assurance that the Tánaiste will follow up this matter with his colleagues and ensure that without any further delay the mental health services in County Roscommon and other parts of the country will be dealt with, as was promised in the programme for Government.

I will need to follow up on the detail of that, in terms of the recommendations made and whether or not they have been followed through on. I can certainly ask the relevant Minister to come back to the Deputy.

That concludes questions. My apologies to those Deputies who were not reached.