Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the House a month or six weeks ago, the Taoiseach promised three Bills consequent on the Croke Park II agreement, irrespective of whether it was passed, and this point has been missed in the debate so far. One Bill relates to pensions and the others to pay in different sectors of the public service. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform committed to that legislation. The Minister in a detailed public statement pointed out the three areas in which legislation would be required. I have read sections A, B and C of the legislative programme for the summer session and I do not see provision for those Bills. Does that mean they are not even at heads of Bill stage yet? Will they be proceeded with, as outlined by the Minister in the aftermath of the publication of the Croke Park II agreement? He indicated this would happen either way. That is in addition to the threat made subsequently to introduce a 7% across the board pay cut. The Minister said this would happen if the agreement was defeated. We need clarity both on the legislative timeline and the Bills that have been signed up to.

With regard to the media mergers Bill, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has written to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation expressing his deep concern at the time it is taking to produce the legislation, which would have the effect of making matters pertaining to media mergers his responsibility.

There has been considerable comment recently about important issues such as media diversity, media ownership and public debate, all of which go to the heart of democracy. Many people are concerned about the plurality and diversity of the media. The letters written by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, were published at the weekend. The Government's legislative programme does not indicate any sense of urgency. Either it will be a very long summer, metaphorically speaking, or a great deal of substantive legislation will not appear in 2013. Perhaps the legislative programme does not mean anything given the Taoiseach's previous reply that major legislation which does not appear on the legislative programme will appear when it appears.

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