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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Jul 2011

Vol. 739 No. 3

Order of Business

It is proposed to take No. 11, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011 (back from committee); No. 10, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of a directive of the European Parliament and the Council establishing minimum standards for the rights, support and protection of victims of crime (back from committee); No. 20a — statements in advance of the eurozone Heads of State and Government meeting; No. 11a, motion re commission of investigation report on the Catholic diocese of Cloyne, December 2010; No. 20, Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010 [Seanad] — Report Stage (resumed) and Final Stage; No. 20b, Defence (Amendment) Bill 2011 [Seanad] — Committee and Remaining Stages; and No. 21, statements on Common Fisheries Policy reform, opportunities and challenges.

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that (1) the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. and business shall be interrupted not later than 11.05 p.m.; (2) Nos. 11 and 10 shall be decided without debate; (3) the proceedings on No. 20a shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 45 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements shall be confined to the Taoiseach and the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group who shall be called upon in that order and who may share their time, and their statements shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, with the Taoiseach to be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; (4) the proceedings in relation to No. 11a shall, if not previously concluded, adjourn after 2 hours 30 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the opening speech of the Taoiseach and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, the speech of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, Members may share time, and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes; (5) the suspension of sitting under Standing Order 23(1) shall take place at 1.30 p.m., or on the conclusion of the opening speeches of No. 11a, whichever is the later, until 2.30 p.m.; (6) the resumed Report and Final Stages of No. 20 shall be taken today and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 7 p.m. by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; (7) in the event a division is in progress at the time fixed for taking Private Members’ Business, which shall be No. 3 — Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2011 — Second Stage (resumed), Standing Order 121(3) shall not apply and Private Members’ Business shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes tonight; (8) the proceedings on the Committee and Remaining Stages of No. 20b, shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 10 p.m. today by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Defence; and (9) the proceedings in relation to No. 21 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 65 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements shall be confined to a Minister or Minister of State and to the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order and who may share their time, and shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes.

There are nine proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal that the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. today agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with Nos. 11 and 10, motions re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011 and for an EU directive on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, without debate, agreed to?

It is not agreed.

Question, "That Nos. 11 and 10 be decided without debate", put and agreed to.

Is the proposal for dealing with No. 20a, statements in advance of eurozone Heads of State and Government meeting, agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 11a, motion re commission of investigation report into the Catholic diocese of Cloyne, agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal relating to the suspension of sitting under Standing Order 23(1) agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 20, Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010 [Seanad] — Report and Final Stages (resumed) agreed to?

I object again to a guillotine being imposed on the discussion on substantial legislation which is aimed at undermining the postal services and opening up An Post to privatisation in the long term. Without going into the content of the Bill, enough time has not been given to discuss this. Yesterday, after a number of hours of Report Stage, the House only managed to reach the fifth amendment of 40, which means that there are another 35 amendments on quite detailed legislation which has major implications. A guillotine should not be imposed. More time should be allotted to ensure the passage of this legislation is allowed at the very least a full debate. I suggest that, rather than imposing a guillotine on this and on No. 20b, the Dáil should seriously consider sitting next week to allow time for both pieces of legislation to be discussed as well as other legislation and the outcome of the eurozone Heads of State and Government meeting and the situation in hospitals. There is quite a bit. Consideration should be given to lifting the guillotine to allow proper and fuller debate on these issues and, to facilitate that, to us sitting next week also.

The Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2011 is extremely serious legislation which provides for liberalisation of the postal services and is the beginning of the neoliberal agenda, dictated from Europe and elsewhere, inevitably putting massive pressure for wide-scale privatisation and deregulation in areas related to the postal services, cherry-picking by private entities and, undoubtedly, a race to the bottom in terms of wages and conditions for workers in the postal area. It is out of order that the Taoiseach would confine this to at most two hours this afternoon. There should be no limit on this. All the issues need to be brought out. There was an extensive discussion and intervention in the debate on Second Stage and the Taoiseach should lift this guillotine.

I call the Taoiseach. I regret to inform Deputy Mattie McGrath that only the leaders of parties may contribute at this stage.

(Interruptions).

It is under Standing Orders.

This relates to the transposition of an EU directive into Irish law. The Minister made it perfectly clear that there was any amount of time available for full discussion on these matters on Committee Stage. Yesterday, on Report Stage, the House sat from 6 o'clock until 10 o'clock to discuss this. It sits today from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock to discuss this matter and the Minister is in the Seanad next week with the same Bill in respect of this transposition.

We are not in the Seanad.

There has been more than enough time to raise any and all of these matters.

On a point of order, I heard what the Ceann Comhairle stated but all those who raised issues here were not party leaders.

A representative of the parties spoke.

We are representatives. We were elected by the people also.

Deputy Mattie McGrath is not a party.

We were elected.

If Deputy Mattie McGrath wants to change Standing Orders——

No, I want to clarify an issue.

Would Deputy Mattie McGrath please resume his seat?

Will Deputy Mattie McGrath resume his seat?

Will Deputy Mattie McGrath resume his seat?

Then leave the House, please.

Leave the House.

I name Deputy Mattie McGrath.

He is going tomorrow anyway.

The Ceann Comhairle is denying Deputy Mattie McGrath his democratic right.

A Cheann Comhairle——

Deputy Mattie McGrath will not treat the Chair in such a manner.

Deputy Mattie McGrath is named.

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