Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Friday, 30 November; No. 2, motion re the EU decision on the European refugee, integration and return funds, back from committee, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1 without debate; No. 3, Personal Insolvency Bill 2012 Dáil - Committee Stage, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 2 and to be adjourned at 1.30 p.m.; No. 4, motion re the Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee)(Amendment) Scheme 2012, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 3 and to conclude not later than 2.30 p.m. with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed six minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed three minutes, and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 2.25 p.m.; and No. 5, the Europol Bill 2012 Dáil - Second Stage, to be taken at 3 p.m. and to conclude not later than 4.30 p.m. with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 4.20 p.m.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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It is easy to understand today the reason the Taoiseach set up an Economic Management Council and did not believe it was appropriate to bring any of the Cabinet in on his budgetary discussions. A Cabinet meeting was held yesterday and today we all learn from the Irish Independent the full make-up of the property tax the Government is proposing to introduce next week. That is remarkable because for the past few weeks it has kept that information tight, yet after one meeting, with 16 people around the table, the leaks begin again. Prior to the budget and the Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas discussing the measures in the budget we are able to read that information in the Irish Independent thanks to a Cabinet member who leaked the full details of the property tax to the media. We have one Cabinet meeting and the following morning we can read the details in the Irish Independent. It is easy to understand why the Taoiseach does not trust 12 of his Ministers in terms of giving them any information because-----

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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Is the Senator saying the cuckoo is out of the nest?

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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-----they will leak all of it. Senator Coghlan might be interested to hear that my party has put forward an alternative budget which shows-----

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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-----how we can raise the ¤3.5 billion through cuts and tax increases without-----

John Gilroy (Labour)
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Without affecting anyone.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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-----imposing a property tax on a group of people. Almost one quarter of residential mortgages are now in arrears.

We have had the banks raise variable interest rates arbitrarily and the Irish League of Credit Unions stated that 1.8 million people have less than ¤100 in disposable income after their bills are paid. How does the Government expect people to be able to pay property tax?

David Norris (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Can the Leader tell us where are the mortgage resolution measures that were supposed to be given to the Central Bank on 30 September this year? These were to help those not in severe mortgage difficulties but those who are about to go over the cliff. Since then, AIB, which is a covered institution and effectively fully owned by the taxpayer, Bank of Ireland, which is still a covered institution have and ICS Mortgages have increased their variable interest rates by 0.5% so that the standard variable rate now stands at just short of 4.6%. The Personal Insolvency Bill is not the game changer; it is the nuclear button where people must give up everything they own, including their houses, and it does not resolve the mortgage crisis. In the absence of the Government bringing forward any mortgage resolution measures, I say to people to pay the banks what they can afford and no more. People have had four years of paying the banks despite interest rate increases. The Government has failed miserably to bring forward any solution to those struggling and living just to pay their mortgage repayments to the banks. The banks must come forward with proper solutions, such as extending mortgage terms and zeroisation of interest, and not just moratoriums that will pile on the interest at the end of the term. People should be allowed to live a bit and have a life. Members of the public should take a stand and say that this is what they can afford to pay and that is it.

Governments must come up with something. I have a high regard for the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan and the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes. I listened to them but I get the impression this Government, like others and like the previous one to a degree, are being led by the nose by the banks. The people are being screwed. Where are the mortgage resolution measures that were supposed to be granted to the Central Bank on 30 September? Where are the products the banks are supposed to be releasing to people not yet in arrears but who will be in arrears because the Government will introduce a property tax costing normal Irish mortgage payers hundreds of euro per year?

Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I am leading the Order of Business today on behalf of the Labour Party leader, Senator Ivana Bacik. I want to highlight an issue of utmost importance to the country and its recovery, which relates to the banking system and the SME sector. The latest news from the Department of Finance is that 24% of SMEs who were refused finance were not given reasons. Almost half of all applications take 15 days or longer to turn around. The period of 15 days was indicated by the Government as acceptable but, unfortunately, the banks are in flagrant disregard of our directions. This makes me fear for a lost decade in Irish society. It must be adequately addressed so that we do not have continuing deep-seated problems with regard to this sector. The SME sector makes up 99% of businesses in Ireland yet the loan rejection rate, at 24%, is second only to Greece in the eurozone. We also have the second highest level of discouraged borrowers. If SMEs are lucky enough to get finance, they have the worst terms and conditions of all EU member states.

We must compare SME lending Ireland to best practice in the western world. Bank lending in most First World countries is based on cash flow rather than bricks and mortar security, as was the case in Ireland and continues to be so. We have gone through a property crash and bricks and mortar security is not a proper basis on which to proffer loans. AIB and Bank of Ireland gave an undertaking that they would allocate ¤3.5 billion worth of lending to the SME sector in 2012. However, it seems we have been duped in this regard because in their calculations the banks include restructuring, renewal of seasonal loans, renewal of overdraft facilities and all agricultural, retail and service loans for their interpretation of SME lending. This will not help Ireland and its economy to recover. We need proper banking competition. We must look at what happened in England recently, with Metro Bank being granted a new licence so that it could lend almost half of its capital to the SME sector. We need to do this because we need to target entrepreneurs and Irish businesses and ensure they can continue despite the recession. We will not be able to rebuild Ireland unless we have a thriving SME sector. It is critical to economic development. I would like to invite the Minister for Finance to the House to discuss lending and the SME sector.

John Crown (Independent)
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I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to clarify the situation regarding the brand new cystic fibrosis unit in St Vincent's University Hospital, the first designated cystic fibrosis unit for a nation with the world's highest incidence of this lethal genetic disorder. Over several years, when plans were being made to build a cystic fibrosis unit in the new block at St Vincent's University Hospital, it was intended to have 34 beds. Ms Orla Tinsley is well known to Members as a very brave young survivor of cystic fibrosis and a tireless advocate and campaigner for the rights of those with cystic fibrosis and for the health service in general. She appeared on a programme a year and a half ago and immediately before the programme went on air it was announced that the unit was being built and the contracts had been signed. Instead of the necessary 34 beds, the commitment was for 20 beds with a flexible provision that additional special rooms that could be isolated, washed and sterilised, which were not specifically designated for cystic fibrosis, would also be available in addition to the 20 ring-fenced beds. Ms Tinsley has written about this and spoke on the broadcast media yesterday.

This week, it transpires that she required inpatient care with a serious, potentially life-threatening, lung infection. The condition means the risk of acquiring additional infections if she is exposed to other patients is quite high. That is one of the reasons the isolation unit was developed. She was told the 20 beds were full and she was offered a shared four-bed ward. She found out that five other patients were at home waiting admission to the specialist unit. She was finally offered a nonspecialist, quasi-isolated bed in the old St Vincent's private hospital, which has been taken over by the St Vincent's University Hospital. While the room contained only one bed, the bathroom was shared and this was not a designated isolated room. The situation is unacceptable and it is terribly disappointing that, within four months of the opening of the long promised, long-awaited new unit, it is not fit for purpose in terms of its requirements. Perhaps the Minister can clarify this for us.

I ask the Leader to bring it to the attention of the Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance a matter that could be, at this late stage, rectified in the budget. I refer to the absurd situation whereby sun creams and sun blocks are levied with VAT at 23%. They are charged the same rate of VAT as luxury cosmetic items. This takes place in a country where the incidence of malignant melanoma in the decade following 1998 doubled from 400 to 800 and the number of cases of fatal malignant melanoma virtually doubled from 100 to nearly 200, with every projection showing it is likely to continue on an upward trajectory at least through the next decade. We are genetically unsuited to sunny weather and designed by God to live under the grey misty skies of Ireland. We do not do well in the sun but we now know that we can protect ourselves against it. A critical component of this is wearing adequate sun protection and it is absurd that we are charging 23% VAT. I have suggested it should be brought to 0% and that sunblock and sun cream be considered medicinal products. Instead, a tax should be levied on sunbeds in the short term pending the banning of sunbeds. People can work out the arithmetic. What we receive from the VAT charged on sun creams should be charged as a tax on sunbeds to recoup the exact amount. I ask the Leader to bring these matters to the attention of the learned gentlemen.

Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)
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Two years and seven months ago, a Bill was introduced in this House by my esteemed colleague, Senator Feargal Quinn.

It was the Construction Contracts Bill. Some colleagues may recall the Bill and, I am sure, contributed to the debate. I was not a Member of the House at the time, nor were many of my colleagues. I understand the Bill had cross-party support in both Houses but, to date, it has not reached Committee Stage. I appreciate that both Houses have changed since the Bill was introduced but the delay in taking the Bill to the next Stage is unacceptable.

I commend Senator Quinn on introducing yesterday's Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill. The Construction Contracts Bill, like yesterday's Bill, is simple and concise. We all read recent newspaper reports of the difficulties incurred by contractors at Kilfinane national school in County Limerick. The issue was one of construction payments and the difficulties arising from them. I am told difficulties regarding payments to contractors are ongoing in many project. In my own county of Louth, outstanding payments are due to contractors. The same is true throughout the country.

The Construction Contracts Bill is designed to eliminate these problems. Its main aim is to help ensure proper and prompt payments for construction contractors at all levels of the industry. I call on the Leader to do all in his power to bring that Bill to Committee Stage as soon as possible.