I move:
That the period for reporting back of the Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown be extended to the 19th February, 1985.
Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown: Motion.
Is item No. 2 agreed? Item No. 3. Deputy De Rossa.
A Cheann Comhairle, the Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown——
On a point of order, did I understand from you that you called item No. 3? Did you announce that we were on item No. 3? If we are, you are allowing a Deputy to go back to item No. 2 after you conveyed to me that you had gone on to item No. 2 and I could not go back to the Order of Business. A Cheann Comhairle, I respectfully suggest——
Will the Deputy please resume his seat?
Will you explain that to me?
I called item No. 2 and I asked was it agreed. Deputy Haughey said it was and Deputy De Rossa stood up to speak. I could not hear my ears with the din in the House. When I realised that Deputy De Rossa wanted to speak on item No. 2 I called him.
I was on my feet before item No. 2 was agreed.
I am not going to argue with the Deputy. I am in charge here.
I can see that.
I am glad.
I will reserve further comment.
I wish to make a few comments on the extension of the time for the Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown to report. When a motion was moved in July seeking an extension to 1 December, we got a categorical assurance that the work of this committee would be completed by then. A number of Deputies — Deputy Shatter in particular — stated that they saw no reason why the committee should not complete their deliberations by 1 December. We are now being asked to extend the time to 19 February 1985.
I ask the Chairman of the committee who has moved this motion if he can give us an assurance that this will be the last time he will come in here looking for an extension of the time. Can he also indicate how often the committee met since the period was extended in July? Did the committee meet in July? Did they meet in August? How many times did they meet in September, October and November? How many members of the committee attended those meetings? How many of the meetings had to be adjourned because of lack of attendance by members of the committee?
I put these questions because there is considerable concern that this committee appear to be grinding to a halt. They do not appear to be able to conclude their deliberations. It is very unsatisfactory that more than two years after the programme for Government promised the setting up of this committee in November 1982 and that they would report by December 1983, in December 1984 they are now looking for a further extension. Could we have an assurance from the Chairman of the committee that this is the last extension they will be seeking?
Deputy O'Brien to conclude.
I can well understand the anxiety caused by this delay. If we were in a position to make our report available today, Deputy De Rossa would not be one bit more happy than we would be. This is a very broad area. It is not a matter of 16 people deciding whether or not to recommend a referendum and leave it at that. We had to cover a very wide field. When I made the application last July I was of the opinion that we would be able to report early in December. There were circumstances outside of our control.
We had several hundred written submissions before us and 24 oral submissions. All of those had to be examined in detail. We now have our first draft available. We are dealing with people, and with a major problem. It is very important that every aspect is examined. I should not like to come in here with a report which was not a good report, and which omitted something it should contain, or included something it should omit. On 19 February we will have our report before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Question put and agreed to.