It is proposed to take items Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 today. Item No. 3 will be taken at 8 p.m.
Order of Business.
Is the Order of Business agreed?
On the Order of Business, first may I say that in reference to my notice requesting a debate on the Adjournment on the release of Nelson Mandela, I have discussed this with some other colleagues in the House and it is a feeling that may be shared by representatives of all groups that it may be possible to put down an all-party motion on the matter and allow representatives from each of the groupings to speak for, perhaps, ten minutes. I would like the Leaders of the groups and the Whips to discuss this. If this is agreed, I will forego putting my Adjournment Matter.
Also, on the Order of Business I would like to ask the Leader of the House if he could indicate if it is proposed to take the Bankruptcy Bill this session and, if so, when. I have learned that it is likely that this Bill will be ordered in the Dáil on Wednesday. This is a Bill dating back to 1982. It has over 200 sections and, if there is any question of introducing it this week, it would be quite unacceptable to this group. I would like to have very precise clarification from the Leader of the House on his attitude towards the tabling of this particular Bill.
I just want to note, for the record of the House, that atrocities, obscenities and outrages have reached a new level this morning with the planting of a bomb on a bus for schoolchildren who were going to school between Lisnaskea and Enniskillen. I think it should be noted. Workers going to work, people on the street and now schoolchildren are the fodder of people who do not care about human life. I raise the matter only in reference to item No. 11 on the Order Paper which is the motion on Anglo-Irish affairs. Every single week this question has been raised and the need for it to be discussed considered. I certainly ask the Leader of the House to give time to it at this stage and consider taking it today. We should now give real consideration to what is happening in the northern part of this country. It should be dealt with as such outrages should be. It occurred only a number of miles from Enniskillen which we debated at length not so long ago. This is just as bad. There could have been two busloads of children; it could have been a factory full of workers; it could have been a main street shoppers' area. It has the same potential. I recognise that I should not make a speech at this time. I will leave it there and request the Leader of the House to deal with the matter today. I would urge him to take item No. 11 today.
I am not clear on the Order of Business for today in terms of what happens and when. I see that we are taking Item No. 3 at 8 p.m. Do I take it then that Item No. 2 will conclude for today at 8 p.m.? I would like to know at what time tonight we will adjourn, just to get a clear outline of the day's work. I stress that I am asking the Leader of the House to take Item No. 11 today.
I would like to endorse what my colleague, Sentor O'Toole, said about the situation in Northern Ireland. I do not really want to expand on that in particular. Could the Leader of the House give us a detailed account of what we are going to discuss before the recess? We are entitled to that. There is a certain amount of vagueness attached to it. What legislation will come before the House? What legislation will come before the Dáil that it is anticipated will be coming here?
Finally, in regard to Item No. 11, which was raised by Senator O'Toole, if we are not going to discuss it, would the Leader of the House consider taking it off the Order Paper? It is quite ridiculous to have it there. We have had several commitments for a discussion on Anglo-Irish relations. It is crazy to have the Leader of the House putting down a motion, the rest of the House wanting to debate it and the Leader of the House refusing to debate it. The Fianna Fáil Party do not want to discuss Anglo-Irish relations——
We must decide whether we are taking Item No. 11 before you can make a speech on it.
I am not making a speech. I am making a point of order.
If you are not making a speech, I do not know what it is.
It is an anomaly, on the Order of Business, to have the Opposition in this House in favour of discussing something in the name of the Leader of the House which the Leader of the House — for some reason which he might explain to us — is very reluctant to discuss. He has given us several commitments — and I am not out of order in saying this — about this which he has now withdrawn. If he cannot control his own party on Anglo-Irish relations, then let him say so. Let him then withdraw this from the Order Paper because everybody else in the House except Fianna Fáil wants to discuss this.
I would like, first of all, to welcome the move by Senator Bulbulia to broaden her motion from a motion on the Adjournment in order to allow Members from all over the House to express what I think is a universal feeling that Nelson Mandela should be released, if at all possible in advance of his 70th birthday. I would like also to support what my colleagues have said about the debate on Northern Ireland. I would welcome that particularly in the light of the serious developments this morning.
I would like to finish by asking the Leader of the House if he will give any indication whether it is merely intended to rush through Government legislation or whether there will be provision before the recess for some of the very many items which have been conscientiously placed on the Order Paper but which show no great sign of being reached. It would be an enhancement of the democratic process if we were able before we went on our holidays, particularly in the light of our 15 per cent increase, if we increased our work a little bit ——
Senator Ross——
—— and finished our work before we took our holidays.
The one thing I resent today is that you are all assuming you are going on holidays. Well, you may not be.
I am asking for reassurance.
We will stay here until we get the legislation through, so stop talking about holidays.
The Order of Business for today is Items Nos. 1 and 2, we are taking Item No. 3 at 8 o'clock and we are also taking Item No. 4. I am not going to give any further indications as to the Order of Business. I have been asked for the Order of Business for today and that is the Order of Business for today.
I asked a simple question. It is intended to conclude at 8 o'clock today on Second Stage of the Forestry Bill or is it intended——
No.
I also asked at what time we intended concluding business tonight or if we were going to conclude business tonight?
I will answer that later.
I think it is unreasonable of the Leader of the House not to give an indication as to whether the Bankruptcy Bill will be taken in the remainder of this session or if it will be entered today. I think in the case of a highly technical Bill with 200 sections, one which involved a special Committee of the House on Committee Stage, it is quite reasonable to seek guidance from the Leader of the House as to whether or not this measure will be coming before the House in the remainder of this session. I would also like to express the deep regret of the Fine Gael group at the occurrence in Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh, this morning. We regret it deeply and we offer our sympathy to all concerned.
The Leader of the House has not answered one single question he was asked on the Order of Business. I will have to ask again the questions I asked, as well as Senator O'Toole, Senator Bulbulia and other Members. It would help if we did not have to go through this ritual every week of asking the Leader of the House questions, getting no answers and having to ask them again. I would like to ask the following questions: maybe the House could be given some indication of what we intend to discuss for the rest of the week and what legislation is coming up? I have already asked these questions: I am sorry to have to ask again whether he ever intends to discuss Anglo-Irish relations or whether he will take this silly motion off the Order Paper in his own name because I do not want to have to go through the ritual every week of voting to discuss something in the name of the Government and the Government voting against it.
I have an amendment from Senator O'Toole to the Order of Business: "That Item No. 11 be inserted after Item No. 4".
Amendment put.
The Seanad divided: Tá, 12; Níl, 20.
Tá
- Bradford, Paul.
- Bulbulia, Katharine.
- Connor, John.
- Doyle, Joe.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Kelleher, Peter.
- Norris, David.
- O'Shea, Brian.
- O'Toole, Joe.
- Reynolds, Gerry.
- Robinson, Mary T.W.
- Ross, Shane P.N.
Níl
- Bohan, Edward Joseph.
- Cassidy, Donie.
- Cullimore, Seamus.
- Eogan, George.
- Fallon, Sean.
- Farrell, Willie.
- Fitzsimons, Jack.
- Haughey, Seán F.
- Hillery, Brian.
- Kiely, Dan.
- Lanigan, Mick.
- Lydon, Donal.
- McEllistrim, Tom.
- Mooney, Pascal.
- Mullooly, Brian.
- Mulroy, Jimmy.
- O'Callaghan, Vivian.
- O'Connell, John.
- Ryan, William.
- Wallace, Mary.
Tellers: Tá, Senators J. O'Toole and Ross; Níl, Senators W.Ryan and S.Haughey.
Amendment declared lost.
Order of Business agreed to.