Vol. 907 Wednesday, No. 1 20 April 2016 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 20/04/2016A00100Business of Dáil � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2 20/04/2016K00200Health Services: Statements � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11 20/04/2016KK00200Insurance Costs: Statements � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 61 20/04/2016DDD00300Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Appointment of Members � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 103 DÁIL ÉIREANN Dé Céadaoin, 20 Aibreán 2016 Wednesday, 20 April 2016 Chuaigh an Ceann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10�30 a�m� Paidir. Prayer. 20/04/2016A00100Business of Dáil 20/04/2016A00200Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Paul Kehoe): It is pro- posed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the following business shall be trans- acted today: No� 4, statements on health, and No� 5, statements on insurance costs� The pro- ceedings in relation to No� 4 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 3 p�m� today and the following arrangements shall apply: the statement of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, AAA-PBP, Independents 4 Change, the Social Democrats and the Green Party, or a Member nominated in their stead, and a non-party Deputy shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such Mem- bers may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a state- ment in reply which shall not exceed five minutes. The proceedings in relation to No. 5 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 6�30 p�m� today and the following ar- rangements shall apply: the statement of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokes- persons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, AAA-PBP, Independents 4 Change, the Social Democrats and the Green Party, or a Member nominated in their stead, and a non-party Deputy shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes. Tomorrow, the Dáil shall sit at 10�30 a�m�, and the only business to be transacted is No� 6, statements on EU-UK relations� The proceedings in relation to No� 6 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 6�30 p�m�, and the following arrangements shall apply: the statement of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, AAA- PBP, Independents 4 Change, the Social Democrats and the Green Party, or a Member nominat- ed in their stead, shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the statement of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, AAA-PBP, Independents 4 Change, the Social Democrats and 2 20 April 2016 the Green Party, or a Member nominated in their stead, and a non-party Deputy shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes� The Dáil on its rising tomorrow shall adjourn until Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 2�30 p�m�, and there shall be no Order of Business within the meaning of Standing Order 28; accordingly, the only business to be transacted shall be, by order, agreed on that day� 20/04/2016B00200An Ceann Comhairle: Is the first proposal with regard to No. 4, statements on health, agreed to? 20/04/2016B00300Deputy Gerry Adams: Not agreed� I want to move a motion to allow our business to be reordered today� For the past eight weeks we, as legislators, have been prevented by the care- taker Government from fulfilling our mandate. Despite the recent conversion to Dáil reform, we have been prevented from debating legislation� The Dáil, this Chamber, is not an arm of the Government; it is an independent legislator� Yet we can only debate matters at the whim of an acting Government that has no mandate but controls completely the way we do our business, or, as has been the case, the way we do not do our business� A motion calling for the scrapping of water charges, which is supported by 33 Deputies, is listed on the Order Paper and has been cleared for debate, yet the Government has prevented this, despite direct appeals and requests from us to the Government to allow it to go ahead� I propose that motion No� 29 on the abolition of household water charges be debated and voted on today once the other business already scheduled has concluded� This Dáil has the right to pass laws and so can the current Seanad, which is in place until next week� There is nothing to prevent the Oireachtas from also debating and voting on emergency legislation to deal with the result of the High Court judgment yesterday on suspended sentences� We are being denied our right to debate matters that have been properly scheduled and cleared for debate but that the Government is preventing from being put on the schedule� 20/04/2016C00100Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett: I also think it is unacceptable that, as the whole country is aware, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are currently debating the issue of water charges as part of the discussions on the formation of the Government because they fully understand that this is one of the key issues that produced the election result we just had. It is also one of the defining is- sues informing the discussions on the formation of the Government, but this House is not being allowed to discuss it� As Deputy Adams mentioned, we have also signed the motion calling for a debate on water charges� The Government should allow this House to debate that issue particularly as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are now debating it� There are already some signs of the U-turn being the first issue on the agenda when it comes to water charges. This House should have the opportu- nity to put forward its views� While many issues are up for discussion on the formation of the Government, one thing seems to be absolutely not up for discussion� This House was mandated to get rid of water charges because more than 90 Deputies sitting here today are present because their manifestoes opposed water charges� 20/04/2016C00200Deputy Billy Kelleher: We are not just a one-trick pony over here� 20/04/2016C00300Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett: Indeed, but we have a clear mandate and at the very least we should be allowed to discuss it� Of course, it was very deliberate that the Government 3 Dáil Éireann prevented us from discussing it� Even though it was requested at the Whips meeting, the Gov- ernment does not want to discuss this issue� However, this is the place where that discussion should happen� That is what democracy means� Democracy requires that a debate on the matter take place this week while the two main parties are cooking up a plan behind the scenes� 20/04/2016C00400An Ceann Comhairle: I am afraid the motion as proposed is not in order� It is not in com- pliance with the terms of Standing Orders� There is only one proposal before us and that is the proposal for dealing with statements on health� Is the proposal agreed to? 20/04/2016C00500Deputies: Agreed� 20/04/2016C00600An Ceann Comhairle: Deputy Adams has objected to taking statements on health� 20/04/2016C00800Deputy Gerry Adams: A Cheann Comhairle, on a point of order----- 20/04/2016C00900An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy cannot raise a point of order at this stage� 20/04/2016C01100Deputy Gerry Adams: A Ceann Comhairle, I just want to make a request� 20/04/2016C01400An Ceann Comhairle: It is not provided for� 20/04/2016C01500Deputy Gerry Adams: I am appealing to the Taoiseach� 20/04/2016C01600An Ceann Comhairle: The question is agreed if the Deputy is not calling for a vote� The question is agreed� 20/04/2016C01700Deputies: Agreed� 20/04/2016C01800Deputy Gerry Adams: It is not agreed� Question, “That the proposal for dealing with statements on health be agreed to”, put and declared carried� 20/04/2016C01900An Ceann Comhairle: The question is agreed� Will the Deputy please resume his seat? On No� 2----- 20/04/2016C02000Deputy Pearse Doherty: The Ceann Comhairle has not declared the vote� 20/04/2016C02100An Ceann Comhairle: Is the proposal for dealing with statements on insurance costs agreed to? 20/04/2016C02200Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: It is not agreed� I speak on the same basis as Deputy Adams just addressed the Dáil� It was interesting that the caretaker Government did not respond to the calls, not only prior to this sitting but also in this Chamber this morning, for a change to the order that has been put to allow for a debate on water charges� On the event that occurred yesterday, the striking down by the courts of the current practice on sentencing, there has been no response and no indication whether today or tomorrow this Dáil will alter the current sequence�