I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions (without debate)

- Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023 - Motion for a Financial Resolution (without debate)

- Statements and Questions and Answers on Children's Health Ireland Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services (statements for 137 mins, followed by 60 mins Q&A, followed by Ministerial response for 10 mins)

Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Reversal of Planned Fuel Price Increases, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Leave to Introduce Supplementary Estimate [Vote 40] (without debate)

- Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Second Stage)*

- Domestic, Sexual and Gender- Based Violence Agency Bill 2023 (Second Stage)*

- Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023 [Seanad] (changed from Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023) (Report and Final Stages) (to be taken no earlier than 5 p.m. and to conclude within 3 hrs)

- Control of Exports Bill 2023 (Report and Final Stages) (if not previously concluded, to stand adjourned after one hour)

* Please note: if not previously concluded, proceedings shall be interrupted on either of these two bills at either 5.00 p.m. or 2 hrs 10 mins after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later

Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Suspension of Scrutiny Requirement for the Eviction Ban Bill 2022, selected by People- Before- Profit- Solidarity.

Thursday's business shall be:

- Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Second Stage, resumed, if not previously concluded)**

- Domestic, Sexual and Gender- Based Violence Agency Bill 2023 (Second Stage)**

** Please note: if not previously concluded (and if reached), proceedings on any Government Bill on Thursday will stand adjourned at 6 p.m.

Thursday evening business shall be Second Stage of the Labour Exploitation and Trafficking (Audit of Supply Chains) Bill 2021.

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.;

(ii) the time allotted to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for the Statements and Questions and Answers on Children's Health Ireland Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services; and

(iii) private members' business shall be taken on the conclusion of Government business, with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following private members' business in the ordinary routine of business, namely, oral Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Rural and Community Development and topical issues;

2. the Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion for a Financial Resolution on the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023 shall be taken without debate; and

4. the following arrangements shall apply in relation to the Statements and Questions and Answers on Children's Health Ireland Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services:

(i) the statements shall consist of a single round, which shall not exceed 137 minutes, and the arrangements for that time shall be in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, and Resolution of the Dáil of 20thSeptember, 2023;

(ii) immediately following the statements, questions and answers shall be taken for 60 minutes, and shall consist of a 7.5 minute slot for the Government parties, and a 7.5 minute slot each for Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, PBP-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group, who shall be called upon in that order;

(iii) following the questions and answers, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and

(iv) members may share time.

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 extent that the weekly division time may be taken later than 8.45 p.m., and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of the proceedings on the Control of Exports Bill 2023, or where that Bill concludes within one hour, on the conclusion thereof, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motion re Leave to Introduce Supplementary Estimate [Vote 40] shall be taken without debate;

3. in relation to the scheduled Second Stages of Government Bills, the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the proceedings on Second Stage of the Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 5 p.m., or 2 hours and 10 minutes after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later, and shall not be resumed on Wednesday; and

(ii) Second Stage of the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Bill 2023 shall only be taken if the Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 concludes within the times outlined in paragraph (i), and if reached, shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned on whichever is the later of those times, and shall not be resumed on Wednesday;

4. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill and Miscellaneous Provisions 2023 [Seanad] (changed from Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023) shall be taken no earlier than 5 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after three hours 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 Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and

5. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Control of Exports Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned after one hour and shall not be resumed on Wednesday.

In relation to Thursday’s business, it is proposed that the ordinary routine of 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 6 p.m., with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Labour Exploitation and Trafficking (Audit of Supply Chains) Bill 2021, and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil: Provided that in the event Government business concludes before 6 p.m., topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of Government business.

Are the proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

They are not agreed.

Yesterday Fórsa, SIPTU and the INMO announced three weeks' notice of their intention to take industrial action in the voluntary and community sector. They have been in discussions to resolve this dispute for years. This matter is now incredibly urgent for service users and for their families who rely on these agencies for supports, day services and respite services, basic interventions that keep their families going. The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform needs to come into the House to outline what steps he has taken to resolve the looming strike. We need to debate this on the floor of the Dáil. I am asking for time to be put aside for this important debate. Thousands of families are going to be impacted.

I return to the issue I raised earlier on the proposed action in the community and voluntary care sector. The Taoiseach's response to me will give little reassurance to those parents who are relying on services provided by Enable Ireland and to those relying on services provided by organisations that provide such vital services to so many across the country. All he said in response to me was that Tusla and the HSE are preparing to make contingencies. That has the sound of a let-them-eat-cake approach to a collapsing care system and is simply not good enough. I did not hear from the Taoiseach an indication of engagement to ensure that the action will not go ahead on 17 October.

We need to debate in this House with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and Ministers who are directly responsible for the provision of these services. We need to have a debate on this so that we can ensure that the action will not go ahead on 17 October and that pay parity will be restored because it is such a vital issue and it cuts across so many areas. When we say the community and voluntary sector, it sometimes sounds like a vague thing, but these are people providing services on the ground in all our communities.

On the same subject, some of these services will collapse. There is no obvious mechanism to resolve this because the State is the funder. As the Taoiseach said, if the section 39 bodies did not exist the State would have to provide the services directly. The problem is that if the State does not come back to the table, there is nothing to negotiate. We cannot talk about the industrial relations mechanisms being available. We urgently need to have a discussion about this. It is fanciful to think that Tusla and the HSE can in some way magic up a contingency. What is going to happen is we will shut down absolutely vital services. We cannot allow the vital 20 days between now and 17 October to go without discussing how to get a resolution to this and it needs to happen urgently.

I refer to the people outside the gate today, a lovely peaceful protest by workers in small childcare facilities, mainly from rural areas, along with parents and some páistí as well. Earlier the Taoiseach gave a very glib answer, saying that there was only a small crowd of them there. They are very passionate about what they do and they are being treated terribly. The core model of one size fits all is not working, as I said to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, last week. They are on the first day of a three-day strike. They love what they do and are passionate about it. They do not want to be up here with the parents protesting but they have no other choice. It will have a huge impact, especially in rural villages. I met a group from Ballynacarrigy in Westmeath there today. It is small villages like that. In the surrounding ones, three of them have closed. It is the same in Tipperary. They are under pressure and will disappear.

Rural villages and rural communities are going to be affected. Families in those areas need the childcare services to continue their work, their own business or whatever else. It is a hammer blow. Dismissing them as a small number or only one organisation is not going to get very far. I appeal for a debate in this House.

I thank Deputies. The Chief Whip informs me that the issue of the childcare protests was not put to the Business Committee as a matter for debate in this House. That would be the best mechanism by which to find time for it. The sections 39 and 56 strike action is planned for 17 October. I believe there is plenty of time between now and then to avoid it happening. Of course the Government wants to avoid it happening. I reiterate that an offer has been made of a 5% pay increase to apply in November, with 3% backdated, and further engagement on more if and when there is a public sector pay deal. We regret that that offer has been rejected. As is always the case, there are means to resolve disputes to make sure they do not happen, including two Government offices, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. Using those mechanisms, the strike can potentially be averted. I certainly hope it can be.

Are the proposed arrangements for this week agreed to?

Not agreed. Vótáil.