Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I wish to clarify a matter to do with the legislative work programme, which was raised by Deputy Ó Caoláin. It is curious that the first page of the legislative programme states: "The Government partners are committed to the full enactment of the Finance Bill and other budget related pieces of legislation including the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) Bill, the Betting (Amendment) Bill and the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill". I presume that means that these measures are to go ahead and that there is a full commitment to them. However, it seems there is not a similar full commitment to the other Bills mentioned in the programme. Are the other Bills temporarily being proposed as items that might or might not be dealt with? I ask the Taoiseach to explain why the commitment to these Bills is less than full.

I refer the Taoiseach to No. 81 on today's Order Paper, the Twenty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2011. A reference was made to this earlier but the Taoiseach did not respond to it. This Bill, published by Deputy Sargent, is a proposed constitutional amendment on economic treason. As I understand it, it is published on behalf of the Green Party, including the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, who is not Sherlock Holmes but behaves more like Inspector Clouseau. Have the Green Party Members asked in Cabinet that time be given for this Bill, and will the Government make time available? Are the Taoiseach and his colleagues aware that the passing of the Bill would leave every current member of Cabinet, their predecessors back to 2002, and every Dáil Deputy who supported the Government's economic policy liable, if such a referendum were successful, to criminal charges of economic treason? Does the Taoiseach have a view of that? I heard the Taoiseach complaining about Deputy Gilmore's use of this term, but it seems that Deputy Sargent, a former Minister and leader of the Green Party-----

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