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Dáil Éireann debate -
Friday, 5 Jul 2013

Vol. 809 No. 5

Business of Dáil

On a point of order, Friday sittings are aimed at reforming the manner in which we do our business. The irony of the House sitting today to discuss the Brighter Evenings Bill for three hours when debate this year on 60% to 70% of Bills has been guillotined will not be lost on the public. This week alone, the legislation introducing measures enabling repossessions of family homes was guillotined.

The business of the House was ordered yesterday.

I accept that. Debate on the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013 was also guillotined.

On a point of order-----

The Minister is well aware of this.

On a point of order-----

I will call Deputy Buttimer in a moment.

Some 27 amendments were tabled to that Bill but because of the guillotine the debate concluded on amendment No. 8.

On a point of order-----

I will call Deputy Buttimer in a moment.

It is farcical that three hours of Dáil time is being wasted on a Bill such as the one before the House today-----

The Deputy has made his point. I call Deputy Buttimer.

-----when one considers the measures that this Government-----

The Deputy has made his point.

On a point of order, there is no Order of Business today.

-----is introducing to repossess family homes.

Deputies, please. Deputy Dooley has made his point. Today's business was ordered yesterday.

I have the floor and wish to make a point of order.

The Deputy has made his point and should resume his seat.

It is clear that this Government has decided that there will be no Dáil reform. It is an outrageous situation.

The sun has gone to the Deputy's head.

Deputy Dooley, resume your seat. I call Deputy Buttimer.

On a point of order, the only item for discussion this morning is the Bill in the name of Deputy Broughan.

There is no Order of Business. I suggest that Deputy Dooley stop grandstanding and playing the old Punch and Judy style politics.

There is no grandstanding. The people who are paying our wages are appalled-----

Deputy Dooley is waffling.

-----at the way in which this Government is ordering business.

It has hijacked Parliament and rammed through significant legislation this week that will lead to the repossession of family homes.

The Deputy must be under pressure elsewhere.

The purpose of today's sitting is to consider the Brighter Evenings Bill 2012 in the name of Deputy Broughan. Please allow the Deputy to make his point.

It has not allowed for the taking of amendments, including on the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013 and yet we are here today for three hours to discuss the Brighter Evenings Bill.

The Deputy has made his point and should resume his seat.

This is a sham. It is outrageous for the Government to say it has been reforming the manner in which Parliament is operated.

It is abolishing the Seanad on the basis that that is reform. It is an outrageous affront to the democracy of this State.

(Interruptions).

I call the Minister, Deputy Shatter.

On a point of order, to get over Deputy Dooley's disorder-----

It was a point of disorder.

-----the Deputy is welcome on a Friday morning to run the role of the Lone Ranger because he is the only representative of the Fianna Fáil Party.

Where are the other members of Fianna Fáil?

The Deputy appears to have missed the point that while his party leader made a major issue on Wednesday of the guillotining of the debate on the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill, the Report Stage debate, which was scheduled to conclude at 6.30 p.m., collapsed at 5.50 p.m. The Deputy's party had so little interest in that Bill it tabled only a few amendments to it and debate on it finished 40 minutes earlier than designated.

If the Deputy is suggesting to the House that that legislation was guillotined, the only people who guillotined it were members of the Fianna Fáil Party who were so uninterested in the Bill they failed to table any reasonable number of amendments to it or to speak on it, other than Deputy Niall Collins-----

That is an outrageous position.

-----who spoke on only one amendment.

(Interruptions).

If the Deputy wants to turn Friday sittings into a comedy routine, he is welcome.

I was speaking about the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013, with which the Minister is familiar. Debate on that Bill concluded on amendment No. 8.

(Interruptions).

On a point of order, the Minister has misled the House again. I never raised the issue of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill. I raised the guillotining of the debate on the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill, which despite there being 27 amendments to it concluded on amendment No. 8.

The business of the House was ordered yesterday. I call Deputy Broughan.

Deputy Dooley is digging a hole for himself and his party.

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