Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

A few minutes ago the leader of the Labour Party, when asking about the pre-budget information, asked whether this was trick or treat time. It is for the children of the country, but for the Deputies it is like the old Irish Hallowe'en game of bobbing for apples. We are bobbing for information about the budget. The Taoiseach ignored Deputy Gilmore's question which was whether he or the Minister for Finance would make a pre-budget statement as happens in many other parliaments setting out in some detail the Government's proposal for the budget, which is due in little more than a month's time. I ask for a timeline and an indication of the likely length of the debate on the pre-budget situation, which is standard in most parliaments but has not been done here. As Deputy Gilmore said, we no longer even get Estimate information. We get everything just after the Minister for Finance stands up to speak on budget day.

There are two Bills in the Seanad dealing with management companies, the Property Services (Regulation) Bill and the Multi-Unit Developments Bill. I know the Senators are working hard on their amendments to these Bills. Does the Taoiseach know when they might finish their amendments and we might get these Bills in this House? The confusion for many apartment and house owners who are subject in their tens of thousands to management companies is considerable.

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