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

Given that the Dáil has now voted through a resolution at the request of the Chairman of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis for the inquiry to be extended to and report in January, can we take that as confirmation that there will not be a general election in November or before Christmas?

It is important in terms of the working and the order of the House that we get clarity on the issue. It is a very simple matter and I have no difficulty. The question of whether the Dáil will be meeting in January is important, given the amount of work and investment that has gone into the banking inquiry. Given the Taoiseach's lack of comment yesterday, I ask him to tell us.

Under the social welfare (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, will the Taoiseach ensure a report commissioned by the Tánaiste on the impact of the cuts to the lone parent allowance will be published as a matter or urgency? The report was done in July by the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the findings about supports for lone parents are stark and shocking. The report is with the Department of Social Protection, but has not been published. Can the Taoiseach explain why and ensure it is published?

The Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, told the annual conference of the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, that we would publish legislation to establish the first hospital trust, the children's hospital trust, on a statutory basis before the end of the year. Does the Taoiseach expect the Minister to honour his promise, or is he setting a new 18-month waiting time target for legislation?

The programme for Government is one of the greatest documents that has been written in a long time. There is great stuff in it. In the public service reform section, there is a section called " 'Choice and Voice' for service users". It states: "Rather than giving fixed budgets to traditional public service providers like the HSE, VECs and FÁS, we will put resources into the hands of citizens to acquire services that are tailored to better suit their needs and less expensive for the taxpayer." Could the Taoiseach indicate when we can expect this to happen and when the legislation will be brought forward? The programme for Government also states, "In local services, we will establish a website - www.fixmystreet.ie- to assist residents in reporting problems with street lighting, drainage, graffiti ... with a guarantee that a local official will respond within 2 working days." It is not happening in my area. The programme for Government also states, "We will give schools, hospitals and other public service bodies new freedoms - within strict budgets and new accountability systems - to set their own staffing needs, automate routine processes and adapt work practices to local staff and customer needs." When can we expect legislation to inform this? There is much more. I will keep my questions short. The programme also states, "We will bring to an end the unacceptable executive practice where no record is kept of ministerial involvement with an issue and resulting decisions." Anybody who has read the Fennelly report will know the Government has not brought an end to what it called "the unacceptable executive practice where no record is kept of ministerial involvement with an issue and resulting decisions." I would appreciate if the Taoiseach could indicate the processes in his Department to ensure that very significant decisions that have been taken - such as the sending out of a Secretary General to a Garda Commissioner's house close to midnight - are recorded. Can the Taoiseach indicate why no record was kept on that occasion and why the processes the Government committed to in the programme for Government did not click in for the events of that evening, involving the Taoiseach, the then Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, three Secretaries General and an Attorney General, of which no record at all was kept and for which there is no documentation?

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