It is proposed to take Items Nos. 1, 2 and 3. If Item No. 1 is not concluded by 12.30 p.m. we will adjourn the debate in order to take Item No. 2 from 12.30 p.m. to 2 p.m. We hope to come back to Item No. 1 at 2 p.m. to try to complete it by 3 p.m., and then to conclude on the motion. The Department of Agriculture are anxious to get this Bill passed as soon as possible and that is why I am trying to fit it in today.
Order of Business.
Motion No. 30, in the names of myself, Senator Ferris and Senator Harte, concerns an omission from the Local Government Act whereby employees of local authorities can lose part of their pension and part of their lump sums. At present the local authorities are negotiating with the unions and this matter would have a bearing on it. This is an urgent matter and I ask the Government Whip when is it likely that we can take this motion?
In supporting Senator O'Shea on this item I would like the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to discuss when the Labour Members of this House may have a motion in our names discussed. We have a motion on the Order Paper but unfortunately because of all the other problems of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges we have not had an opportunity to raise the matter. Although we are not a group as such, because we do not have sufficient numbers, I would like a formal structure set up. On fair play alone, we should get some opportunity of having our motions discussed. I ask the Government Whip to remember that when the roles were reversed we always had a procedure where the Government of the day did their own business but the Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fáil and Independent Members were always treated in rotation to give everybody an opportunity of having a motion which could be subscribed to by other Members.
I formally put it on the record that I request the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to consider giving the Labour Members of the House an opportunity to allow their motions to be discussed in Private Members' time. Many of these are relevant, such as the one mentioned by Senator O'Shea, a matter which is coming up currently in some local authorities because of a lack of funding by the Department and which creates problems for the employees, their unions and the county managers.
I take this opportunity to thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for your assistance with the problem which I raised yesterday. What you said this morning is most reassuring.
Thank you.
In reply to Senators Ferris and O'Shea, we certainly will not cut them out. They will get their turn. However, it will not be exactly the same as it was in the past. It is all right to say that everybody was dealt with fairly the last time — which they were — but everyone entitled to put down motions had a group here. You must have five Members to have a group. I feel it would be wrong to exclude the Labour Party simply because they have only three Members in this House. Definitely we will try to accommodate them but they would not be entitled to the same time as Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents who have much larger numbers. The next motion coming up has been put down by the Fianna Fáil Party. We may consider giving the Labour Party the next one.
I thank the Whip for that assurance.
Order of Business agreed to.