It is proposed to take No. 17a, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Companies Act 2014 (Section 1313) Regulations 2016; No. 17b, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Section 95(3)) (Variation of title: Optician) Regulations 2016; No. 17c, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2016; No. 17, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2016; No. 7, National Tourism Development (Authority) Bill 2015 - Second Stage (resumed); and No. 46, statements on Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. I see the Deputies have left and I thought they were listening.
Order of Business
Is the Tánaiste feeling okay?
It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that Nos. 17a, 17b and 17c shall be decided without debate; the proceedings in relation to No. 17 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 20 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the speech of a Minister or Minister of State 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 five minutes in each case and such Members may share their time; the proceedings in relation to No. 46 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after two hours and 30 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements of a Minister or Minister of State 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 and such Members may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case and such members may share their time; and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes.
There are three proposals to be put to the House today. Is the proposal for dealing with Nos. 17a, 17b and 17c agreed to? Agreed.
Is the proposal for dealing with No. 17 agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 46 agreed to?
It is not agreed. It is astonishing, although typical of the Government, to propose such an inadequate analysis and consideration of what is, perhaps, the largest proposed trade agreement in the world, and that there would be such scant consideration of the very real implications for the State, workers, regulatory standards and workers' rights. There has been some consideration at various committees. The report produced was brief, to be complimentary of it. It is astonishing that this will be the first occasion on which there will be any debate in the Dáil on these matters, although the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, has been raised in various parliamentary questions.
It is astonishing that the Government considers it adequate to give two and a half hours of debate on these matters, which will have profound and long-lasting implications for private enterprise and services, public services, environmental standards and workers' rights. It is probably reflective of the Government's general approach to guillotining debates. However, it is very instructive that it seeks to guillotine this particular debate, particularly given that there has not been the kind of cross-committee analysis and consideration that is very necessary in this case.
The report emanating from the Oireachtas is pathetically inadequate compared to the work done in other parliaments. It is not good enough. The issues have not been subject to the kind of public commentary they merit. The issues at stake are fundamental and are very serious for the country and its citizens.
A debate of two hours and 30 minutes has been ordered, during which each party will have time to put forward its position on this very important matter. If the Deputy wants to refer it to the Whips for further debating time-----
The Whips all agreed to it. Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Labour and Fine Gael all agreed.
Yes, the Whips agreed to the proposal and I assume that if the Deputy requires more time, which I am open to, and she advises her Whip, subject to the agreement to the other Whips, perhaps next week or the week after I would be perfectly prepared to do my best to facilitate further debate.
Will we be here?
I do not believe the Tánaiste.
The Deputy's Whip did not object to a two and a half hour debate on it.
He agreed to it.
We had to argue for years to get it on the agenda.
If the Deputy's Whip has a problem with the two and a half hours, I suggest he take it up with the other Whips.
The debate has been closed down in each committee.
While I am perfectly open to more debating time being provided, the Deputy needs to consult the other parties and the Whips. That is how we do our business.
Hear, hear.
Tá
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burton, Joan.
- Butler, Ray.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Catherine.
- Byrne, Eric.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Conaghan, Michael.
- Connaughton, Paul J.
- Coonan, Noel.
- Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
- Costello, Joe.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Daly, Jim.
- Deasy, John.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Dowds, Robert.
- Doyle, Andrew.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frank.
- Ferris, Anne.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Hannigan, Dominic.
- Harrington, Noel.
- Harris, Simon.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Humphreys, Kevin.
- Keating, Derek.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Kirk, Seamus.
- Lawlor, Anthony.
- Lyons, John.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGinley, Dinny.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Olivia.
- Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
- Murphy, Dara.
- Murphy, Eoghan.
- Nash, Gerald.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Mahony, John.
- O'Reilly, Joe.
- Perry, John.
- Phelan, Ann.
- Reilly, James.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Tuffy, Joanna.
- Varadkar, Leo.
- Wall, Jack.
Níl
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Collins, Joan.
- Colreavy, Michael.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ferris, Martin.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fleming, Tom.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mathews, Peter.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- O'Sullivan, Maureen.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
Next week I hope to be in Strasbourg for the Council of Europe meeting, so this is probably my last opportunity to speak in the House. I do not know anything more than anybody else about the election date but I very much appreciate the opportunity to thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the Ceann Comhairle and previous Cinn Comhairlí for their courtesy, guidance and friendship over the years I have been here.
I also thank the constituents of Dublin South who elected me on four occasions. There has not been a single day that I have been in here that I have not been conscious of the incomparable privilege and honour it is to represent them here in our national Parliament. I offer best wishes my colleagues. None, apart from the Ceann Comhairle, knows what he or she will be doing in a month's time.
I thank the Deputy and wish her well.