Vol. 439 No. 3
I move:
That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Legislation and Security pursuant to Standing Order 94 (1), and paragraph 1 (iii) of that Committee's Terms of Reference and that the Committee shall conclude its consideration of Committee Stage of the Bill not later than Thursday, 24 February 1994.
On a point of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, we have been under pressure from the Bills Office to submit our amendments before this evening — we will do so — but I might enlist your co-operation and that of the Ceann Comhairle's office in allowing us flexibility as I will be drafting the amendments on behalf of my party and must be present in the House for the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Bill, 1993. We will have our amendments submitted this evening but they may be late.
We will convey that point to the Ceann Comhairle's Office.
I wanted the Minister to hear me because they are very technical amendments.
My amendments were submitted last Friday. I should like to see any amendments we may have to debate tomorrow in good time. I do not want to arrive at the committee tomorrow and find amendments I have not seen on the table. I understand Deputy O'Donnell's point but I was subjected to the same pressure and submitted my amendment on Friday last. I have one or two other technical amendments. If I am expected to take a decision on these amendments I should like to see them in time. Perhaps it would be possible for the party spokesperson to have those amendments circulated this evening when we would have an opportunity to examine them.
I will arrange for the spokespersons to be furnished with copies of the amendments. We wanted to hear the Minister's response on Second Stage before finalising amendments for Committee Stage.
One factor probably contibuting to our present difficulty is that the Second Stage debate concluded earlier then we had anticipated, which is surprising. Given the amount of expressions of concern in the past on the subject of extradition I would have expected that some of the more vocal backbench Members of both Government parties, who have been loud in expressing concern about extradition in the past, might have been here to express that concern.
At one time the "stop extradition" slogan was to be seen everywhere. I am surprised that Members who were so concerned about this issue in the past have allowed the debate to collapse.
