I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Appointment of Anthony Harbinson to be a Member of the Policing Authority (without debate)

- Motion for a Financial Resolution - Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the deployment of a Naval vessel to participate in Operation Irini (to conclude within 55 minutes)

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/818 (to conclude within 55 mins)

- Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023 [Seanad] (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to stand adjourned after 50 minutes or at 6.30 p.m., whichever is the later)

Private Members' Business shall be Motion re Proposal for Re-introduction of Mortgage Relief Interest, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Twenty-Third Report of the Committee of Selection (without debate)

- Statements on the Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (not to exceed 145 mins)

- Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Bill 2019 (Amendments from the Seanad) (to be taken no earlier than 5.15 p.m. and to conclude within 30 minutes)

- Courts Bill 2023 (Committee and remaining Stages) (to conclude within 60 minutes)

- Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages) (to conclude within 90 minutes)

- Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages) (to conclude within 60 mins)

Private Members' Business shall be Second Stage of the Rent Reduction Bill, selected by People-Before-Profit-Solidarity.

Thursday's business shall be:

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023 (back from Committee) (without debate)

- Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023 [Seanad] (Second stage, resumed, if not previously concluded)

Thursday evening business shall be the Motion re Report entitled "Final Report of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy" by the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy.

Proposed Arrangements for this week's business

In relation to Tuesday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil shall sit later than 10.30 p.m.; and

(ii) the time at which Government business shall be interrupted to take private members’ business shall be in accordance with the arrangements for the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023 [Seanad], which shall have consequential effect on the commencement time for private members' business, oral Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Rural and Community Development and topical issues;

2. the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of the Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023 shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion re Appointment of Anthony Harbinson to be a Member of the Policing Authority shall be taken without debate;

4. the Motion for a Financial Resolution on the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 shall be taken without debate;

5. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the deployment of a Naval vessel to participate in Operation Irini shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 55 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time;

6. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/818 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 55 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(i) members may share time; and

7. the proceedings on the second reading motion on the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023 [Seanad] shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 6.30 p.m. or after 50 minutes, whichever is the later.

In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil shall sit later than 9.30 p.m.;

(ii) the Statements on the Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement shall be taken immediately following oral Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 46(1) and the sitting shall be suspended pursuant to Standing Order 25(1) on the conclusion of the statements;

(iii) Government business shall resume on the conclusion of the SOS; and

(iv) the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion of Report and Final Stages of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022;

2. notwithstanding anything in Standing Order 170(2), the proceedings on the second reading motion on the Rent Reduction Bill shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after two hours;

3. the Motion re Twenty-Third Report of the Committee of Selection shall be taken without debate;

4. the Statements on the Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement shall not exceed 145 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time;

5. the proceedings on the amendments from the Seanad to the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Bill 2019 shall be taken no earlier than 5.15 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 30 minutes and any amendments from the Seanad not disposed of shall be decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments to the Seanad amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Health;

6. the Order of referral of the Courts Bill 2023 to the Select Committee on Justice is hereby discharged, the Bill shall be taken in Committee of the whole Dáil and the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Courts Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice;

7. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice; and

8. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the following arrangements shall apply in relation to Thursday:

(i) the ordinary routine business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that, if not previously concluded, the proceedings on Government business shall be interrupted and stand adjourned and topical issues shall be taken at 5 p.m., with consequential effect on the commencement time for the Motion re Committee Report entitled "Final Report of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy" and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil; Provided that in the event Government business concludes before 5 p.m., topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of Government business; and

(ii) the Dail on its rising shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, 3rd May, 2023;

2. the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023 shall be taken without debate; and

3. the Ministerial rota for parliamentary questions pursuant to the Order of the Dáil of 29th March, 2023, shall be modified to the extent that the Questions to the Minister for Defence that would have been taken on 4th May, 2023, shall be taken on 16th May, 2023, and the rota shall be otherwise unaffected: Provided that the entitlement to Questions nominated for priority pursuant to Standing Order 49 to the Minister for Defence on 16th May, 2023, shall be as if the questions were taken on 4th May, 2023, and the rota of entitlement to questions nominated for priority pursuant to the Order of the Dáil of 14th December, 2021, shall be otherwise unaffected.

They are not agreed. It has been six days since The Ditch website published very serious allegations about the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. He finally responded to them yesterday, after we wrote to the Business Committee requesting that there would be a statement from the Minister of State, as well as a question-and-answer session. He did not dispute a single allegation set out on The Ditch website. He did not dispute that his wife contacted Limerick County Council when he was a councillor seeking to buy a parcel of land. He did not dispute that he then participated in the decision to put that land up for sale. He did not dispute that he did not recuse himself. He did not declare his conflict of interest. He did not abstain from voting in this decision.

On the face of it, it is a very clear breach of the code of conduct for councillors. It is quite likely a criminal offence under the Local Government Act. We, therefore, need not just a statement from the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, which I understand he has agreed to do and which is welcome, but we need the opportunity for Deputies to have questions and answers with him.

This is now the second time that the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, will come in to make a statement on a matter of serious public concern. This is about our planning legislation regarding the sale of lands by local authorities applying to all citizens equally. It could not be more serious. There cannot be a situation where he comes in, like he did the last time, at the close of business when there was no opportunity for the Opposition to have questions and answers. There is precedent now and I include the Taoiseach, who made a statement and took questions and answers, in this. It is critical that this time, when the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, comes in, there will be questions and answers from the Opposition.

The Taoiseach's latest announcement today was on the effort to do something about the housing crisis, which we have now had for ten, 12 or more years. I ask the Taoiseach to clarify whether the development charges are being wiped out. I think the Taoiseach said to Deputy Healy-Rae that they were to be for people who are building one-off houses. Where will the county councils get the funding? Will they have to increase the local property tax, LPT, to make up for the shortfall in funding that the Government will now have to give to the developers and its friends in the tents in Galway and elsewhere? I am not against development at all, but this needs to be properly thought through. We need a full debate on it in this House, because they are running futa fata. They do not know whether they are coming or going.

Speak for yourself.

They are making no impression. Every move they make is like chess and bad games of draughts.

I thank the Deputy.

They do not know which way to move next. They are like rabbits in the headlights.

I thank the Deputy.

I ask the Taoiseach to clarify that and to give time for a proper debate in this House.

Following these further revelations, we in the Labour Party are also looking for the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to give a statement to the House and, further, to take questions and answers on that statement. On 2 March, prior to the most recent allegations that have emerged, the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, made a statement in a hastily-arranged slot on a Thursday afternoon, when there was no time for questions. At the time, we said that was not good enough. Clearly, it is now absolutely incumbent on him to be in this House and to take questions.

I also say to the Taoiseach that I have seen reports emerging in the last 15 minutes that he and the other leaders of the coalition have publicly critiqued the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins's action in not recusing himself from a crucial meeting at the council.

What action is the Taoiseach proposing to take at this point following that statement?

We too in the Social Democrats believe there needs to be not just a statement but questions taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Collins. Has the Taoiseach looked at all the documentation? There is quite a lot of it online and it seems to be at variance with what the Minister of State said in his statement. The timeline is really important in regard to this and that is the kind of granular information we need to tease out. This completely undermines public confidence and I do not think that will be satisfied until we have a proper forward-and-back on this. How has the Taoiseach satisfied himself on this? Has he looked at those documents? What information has he looked at that makes him confident there is not an issue here?

The programme for Government pledges to introduce a new food authority that will ensure "fairness, equity, and transparency in the food chain”. The legislation to do that is coming before the House tomorrow on Report Stage. Twenty-five amendments have been put forward in good faith, the majority by the Opposition but a significant minority by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Bill is being guillotined. Our debate is limited to one hour. The Taoiseach, before he took office, said that sometimes a guillotine was necessary to get things done. This is the first time the Bill is being put on Report Stage. There have been no long speeches and there is certainly no question of a filibuster. Will the Taoiseach explain to the House why it is necessary to curtail debate on this? In fairness to farmers, surely if they have waited this long, they are entitled to a Bill that will actually work and a regulator that will actually have teeth.

I might ask the Chief Whip to respond on the food ombudsman Bill because I was not involved in the discussions on the scheduling of it. If it is possible to find another hour or two for it, by all means, but I will ask the Whip to come back to Deputy McNamara on that.

I thank the Taoiseach.

In respect of the development levies, this applies to all residential development that commences within a year from today. It applies to local authority development levies and Uisce Éireann-Irish Water connection charges, and they will be fully refunded by central government. Irish Water will not lose out - it will be able to continue with its investments - and local authorities will not lose out either as it will be funded by the Government. This is all designed to bring down the cost of building a home for people who are building who their own home but also the cost of building homes generally, with a view to increasing supply and making sure we exceed our housing targets yet again this year and meet them next year.

In regard to the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, my understanding is he has written to the Office of the Ceann Comhairle seeking time to make a statement in the Dáil. I believe he should be allowed to do so. I do not believe the question-and-answer sessions that happen in this Chamber, quite frankly, are fair-----

Accountability.

-----and I am somebody who has been subjected to it. This place is a Parliament. It is not a kangaroo court.

What about the coalition leaders' critique of the Minister of State?

What documents has the Taoiseach looked at?

I thank the Deputies.

With regard to Deputy McNamara's question, we can look at giving the Bill a little more time this week. I will come back to the Deputy at the Business Committee, if that is agreeable.

I thank the Minister of State.