Vol. 392 No. 1
I move:
That Dáil Éireann requests the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to report to it by 31st March, 1990 with
(a) proposals, with necessary safeguards, for the televising of Dáil and Committee proceedings, and
(b) proposals for a more general programme of reforms to Dáil procedure, covering limitations on the length of speeches, procedures for dealing with urgent matters and the relevancy and admissibility of Parliamentary Questions."
With your permission I seek to move an amendment to this motion. I seek to move that the date 31 March 1990 be deleted and that an amendment be tabled by the last sitting day prior to the Christmas 1989 recess. The reasons for this amendment have been advanced by Deputy De Rossa already on behalf of our group. We are anxious to have this matter debated and discussed by the House at the earliest possible opportunity, particularly in view of the fact that The Workers' Party have been excluded from the sub-committee dealing with the particular issue under the Committee of Procedure and Privileges. Any documentation relating to the submissions has been withheld from our group with the result that we are the only group in the House on the Committee on Procedure and Privileges who are not allowed to consider, discuss or be made aware of what exactly is going on within the sub-committee. It makes us wonder if there is something amiss and for that reason——
The motion before us is proposed to be taken without debate. The House heard the amendment proposed by Deputy McCartan.
The motion is about televising the proceedings and reform of Dáil procedures. The question is, on the amendment of Deputy McCartan: "That the date proposed to be deleted stand."
