Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

There are three matters I wish to raise. In response to my earlier question on the need for a debate in the House on the IMF and OECD reports, the Minister said he would leave it to the Whips to arrange. Can I take it from this reply that the Government is, therefore, agreeing there will be a debate on those reports in the House prior to the summer recess and that it is now left to the Whips to arrange the time therefore?

A year ago today the Government published the heads of a proposed Bill on civil partnerships. We have not seen any progress since. When will it be finalised and published?

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, indicated publicly there will be a climate change Bill introduced by the Government prior to Christmas. However, when Deputy McManus and I asked the Taoiseach about it this week, he did not seem to know anything about it. He told us no proposal for such a Bill had been brought to the Government. Will the Government introduce a climate change Bill? If it is not in a position to do so, will it accept the Labour Party's Private Members' Bill, which is on the Order Paper, and consider it in Government time?

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