Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I want to ask about the timelines for two important Bills, the first of which is the personal insolvency Bill. The Taoiseach will agree that thousands of people are in significant mortgage arrears or have significant household debt. This situation has been dragging on for a long time. There has been a lot of inaction. Can the Taoiseach outline to the House when the full draft of the personal insolvency Bill will be published by the Government? It is crucial and important for the thousands of people in this country who are under huge pressure with their mortgages.

Can the Taoiseach state when the public service management Bill will be published? Will it contain the measures that have been proposed by the Minister, Deputy Howlin, to cut or remove allowances from public servants across the board? There seems to be a particular focus on allowances like increments that are salaries, in essence. Any change in the allowances paid to teachers and nurses, etc., would have significant repercussions for the Croke Park agreement. It would be interesting to get an indication of when the public service management Bill will be published. It is designed to remove barriers to redeployment and provide for greater flexibility across the public service. Can the Taoiseach give the House a sense of what the Government is now proposing and what the contents of the Bill will be?

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