Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is fine. It is an important debate. We have all been contacted by our respective county enterprise boards, CEBs. Undoubtedly, improvements can be made. Some CEBs perform better than others, but their dissolution and subsumption into local authorities will remove local focus. CEBs support start-up and existing businesses in specific areas. It is flawed legislation that my group will oppose. We look forward to the debate.

I commend Senators Quinn and Barrett on the passing of Second Stage of the Upward Only Rent (Clauses and Reviews) Bill 2013 yesterday. It is not easy for the Government to lose a vote in the Seanad, but the debate in which I participated yesterday was a good one in which many good points were made. Successive Governments have failed to tackle this issue. I include the most recent Government. I hope that this Bill will show the Government a way forward. This matter must be tackled urgently. Businesses are trapped in upward-only rent review leases, most of which are held by landlords that are institutional investors. We have a two-tiered commercial system. The last Government abolished upward-only rent reviews from 28 February 2010 onwards under the 2009 conveyancing Act.

I seek a commitment that the Minister responsible for this matter be in attendance next Tuesday when Committee Stage is held. I am not casting aspersions on the Ministers of State, Deputies Tom Hayes and Ring, but this matter does not fall within either's portfolio. In the middle of yesterday's debate, one Minister of State left and another replaced him. This is an important issue for business and we all agree that it must be tackled. There are disagreements as to how that can be done.

It is important the line Minister is in the House to listen to the debate and to set out the reason the Government now believes it is unconstitutional to pass this Bill given the unambiguous commitment in the programme for Government and, as I stated yesterday, the Fine Gael and Labour Party manifestos to abolish upward only rent reviews. This is clearly set out in the programme for Government. I ask the Leader to ensure that the line Minister is in the House for that debate.

Earlier in the week, I raised the issue of discretionary medical cards. Has the Leader had any success in ensuring the Minister for Health will come to the House to answer questions on the reason more than 22,000 discretionary medical cards have been withdrawn? I instanced a case with which I am dealing of a seven year old child with severe mental and physical disabilities and no mobility or speech whose medical card has been withdrawn. This is only one of thousands of cases across the country. This issue which has been raised by Senators from all sides of the House needs to be addressed. Has the Leader made any progress in regard to the setting of a date on which the Minister can come to the House to answer questions in relation to his portfolio, in respect of which his performance to date has been poor?