I would like to start with a procedural request to the House that we extend the time limit of the debate from the normally agreed three hours to five hours without altering the length of the speeches, keeping to the allotted 15 minutes, in order to give the large number of speakers an opportunity to participate.
Business of Seanad.
I agree that this motion is one of exceptional importance. I would hope that no attempt would be made to use it as a precedent but on this occasion we should extend the time to either four or possibly five hours. I am open to the views of the House in regard to that.
I am very grateful that the Leader of the House should agree to the extension of the debate. Five hours would be preferable because as it stands at three hours it would only involve 12 Senators at a quarter-of-an-hour each. In this case many Senators would be excluded from the debate. With four hours there would still be a danger that at the end of the day people with very important views to contribute to the debate would not get in. In the normal procedure of the House, for instance, in a three-hour span, only three Independent Senators would get in; in a four-hour span it would be only four. I am not suggesting that the Independent Senators have more to say than anyone else but it would be a pity if people like Senators Hussey, Murphy and Cruise-O'Brien were denied an opportunity to air their present thinking on this subject, to say nothing of the Senators on the other side of the House.
On behalf of the Labour group I would like to support Senator West's request for an extension of the time to five hours. It is a very important debate and there will be a number of Senators who will want to contribute. Since it is the first debate on the North of Ireland for a very long time I would like to support the request.
Would it be helpful if we decided now whether or not we will break for lunch? We should have a clear view of the day's proceedings. It might be helpful if we had a break for lunch.
If the House wishes to sit for five hours I think we should sit from 10.30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Agreed. The Chair now takes it that the time limit on speeches will remain the same.