Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader inquire of the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, on the position of the home help gratuity payment? I have raised the matter with the Minister. In fairness, he came back to me and said these are payments to which thousands of home help workers have been deemed entitled in lieu of a pension benefit. This is a gratuity payment that they are due and that has been upheld by two Labour Court recommendations. The Minister said he would set up a working group - which I welcome - involving the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and his Department. The group indicated it would report back by the end of March. I wrote again to the Minister at the end of March and sought information on the matter but I have not heard anything back. The Seanad has played a leading role in highlighting this issue. Will the Leader inquire as to when that report will be concluded and when these workers, many of whom are low-paid, will get the money they are due?

Second, has the Leader received any update from the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, on the debate I sought in respect of the progress, or lack thereof, of the pyrite remediation scheme? In the two years since its establishment the scheme has managed to fix five houses in the entire country. That is not a criticism of the staff who work in the Pyrite Remediation Board and who do a very good job. However, the legislation is far too restrictive and the scheme far too cumbersome. It is simply not working.

To be fair to the then Minister, Mr. Hogan, when he announced the scheme I debated it with him and tabled amendments. We said that we would review it. I do not think it is any harm to say that it is not working in the way we intended, that we need to change it and that we need to see how more people can access the scheme. Instead, the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, sees fit to throw muck across the floor at me and blame me for the problem rather than trying to resolve the difficulty whereby thousands of people's homes are valueless and they want their homes fixed. In the interests of co-operation the Leader could put it to the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, that I am trying to help him and then ask him to come to the House in order that we could have a reasoned debate with him. I am sure, or nearly sure, he would be able to manage that.During the debate, we could determine how to improve this scheme for the good of the people we all represent.

I object to the Order of Business on the basis that Committee and Remaining Stages of the Sport Ireland Bill are being taken together. This Bill was introduced in the House only last week, on 22 April. We should split up the Stages. The Bill was introduced on Wednesday and we got an e-mail on Thursday stating amendments had to be submitted by Friday. This did not really give us sufficient time. I would prefer the splitting up of Committee and Remaining Stages, even if only some time were allowed between them today to enable an amendment to be tabled.

The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, stated in 2014 that the appointment of the new chief executive of Sport Ireland would be done through public advertisement and interview. When the Minister of State introduced the Bill, he said he would not do this but instead appoint an interim chief executive and make that appointment himself. Therefore, the appointment is not by public advertisement or public interview. I refer to section 9 of the Bill, which needs to be changed. The Minister of State did not address those points last week and I will be putting them to him again today. If he cannot split up Committee and Remaining Stages, I will oppose the Bill in its entirety.