Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

In the matter of promised legislation, we have nine sitting days left, including the extra week we squeezed out of the Government with our Private Members' motion. We know what will be the legislation programme next week. Thereafter, the House will sit for a further six days. It would be useful for the working of the Dáil and to allow the Opposition to do its job if we could get an indication of what the business will be in the other six days before the House closes down. Will the Government indicate whether it plans to publish further Bills before the end of the Dáil term and if it intends to complete any of the Bills it has not published? Only five of the 17 Bills promised in this session have been published, while the 12 remaining Bills have not been touched, as far as we can ascertain. It is important we do not have the usual end of term raft of legislation being rushed in, insufficiently debated and guillotined through the House. The Labour Party will strongly oppose any attempt to do this and I hope the new Government Whip will not attempt to take this type of approach.

On specific legislation, if the Ceann Comhairle gives me a little latitude, I propose to restate the position in the matter of management companies to enable people to understand what we are talking about. Management companies operate in particular in the counties around the city of Dublin — one probably does not have them in Counties Donegal, Cavan or Monaghan — in standard housing estates where there are no flats, apartments or gates. They are ripping off people to the tune of €1,200 per annum for cutting grass and carrying out the functions of the developer who has a legal responsibility in the matter.

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