It is proposed to take No. 1. Agreement has been reached that the debate will adjourn at 5 o'clock this evening and the House will resume at 12 noon next Wednesday to continue the Second Stage and take all other Stages of the Bill, so it will be completed next Wednesday. We will not break for lunch today, the reason being that many people are offering to speak on the Bill and it is my intention to facilitate them. The Minister will make himself available also. We will adjourn at 5 o'clock until 12 o'clock on Wednesday, 6 March 1985.
Order of Business.
The Deputy Leader of the House informs us that we will sit on Wednesday next at 12 o'clock to complete the Bill. If there are still people who want to make a contribution on Wednesday evening can he inform us whether we will continue on Thursday morning?
I should think so.
That is fine.
I want to reiterate the point made by Senator Killilea and to ask the Deputy Leader of the House what will be the arrangements in the event of a number of speakers wishing to speak today, going beyond 5 o'clock and going right through next Wednesday? I would anticipate, from the number of people I spoke to who want to speak on this measure, that it might go right through next Wednesday as well. I am talking about people who genuinely want to speak. I am not talking about anybody speaking just for the sake of speaking. Most people in the House want to contribute to this Bill. Are the arrangements which the Deputy Leader is proposing now in respect of today's business, and the information he is giving us with regard to next week's business, intended to bind the House to complete the consideration of this measure by next Wednesday or can we, as suggested by Senator Killilea, continue on Thursday or Friday if that is necessary?
I have been trying to reach agreement on the discussion of this Bill. There is no desire for us to curtail debate from any side of the House. I have been trying to reach agreement with the Leader of the Opposition and the Whip. I have not had any consultations with Senator Killilea. I would like to put it on the record that it was agreed that we would adjourn at 5 o'clock today. There was not a desire on the part of the Opposition to sit after 5 o'clock. The Minister was prepared to stay until 10.30 p.m. but the Opposition wanted to complete their contributions at 5 o'clock and still reserve the right to resume Second Stage next week. I reached agreement that we would sit at 12 noon on Wednesday next.
That is all right.
A Chathaoirligh, would you ask the Deputy Leader of the House to define "the Opposition"?
Are there two Oppositions?
There most certainly are.
It was also agreed with the majority Opposition in the House that we would get all Stages of the Bill next Wednesday, the remainder of Second Stage and the Committee Stage. If that means sitting late on Wednesday, the Opposition also communicated to me that that was in order. It was on that basis that I announced agreement in the House so we would sit from 12 o'clock next Wednesday to 12 o'clock on Wednesday night, if that is necessary to facilitate the Members of the House. I put it on the basis of the agreement we reached and I hope that will meet with the agreement of the House. If something else happens next Wednesday then we can accommodate the problems that have been raised by Senators Killilea and O'Leary.
I am in agreement with most of what Senator Ferris said. It is a matter of ensuring that nobody will be prevented from speaking, that as long as there are speakers here who wish to speak on Second Stage that they will be allowed to do so.
That is agreed.
The reason I asked the question was because I was speaking to a person this morning who told me that the Taoiseach wishes to bring in his Bill next Wednesday. If the Taoiseach's Bill on the Archives comes in on Wednesday it will reduce some of the time and all I am suggesting is that if we are not finished on Wednesday night we can continue on Thursday morning.
Would Senator O'Leary explain the difference between speaking for speaking's sake and contributing to the Bill?
(Interruptions.)
Order of Business agreed to.