It is intended to take Items Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is intended to take all Stages of the Data Protection Bill today but we will have a break between Second Stage and Committee and Report Stages and take Item No. 2. It is intended to take Item No. 4 to a conclusion at 5.30 p.m. On the conclusion of Item No. 4 it is intended to take Second Stage of the Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Bill and to sit until 11 o'clock tonight.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, I welcome the announcement by the Minister for the Environment that the EC Directive on environmental impact is to be implemented here but I ask the House to note——
What has that to do with the Order of Business?
If you could wait one moment, a Chathaoirligh, you will see that I am in order. I ask the House to note that the objections raised by An Taisce are realistic and I ask the Minister to extend the time available for the making of objections. Also on the Order of Business, I would like to ask the Leader of the House the status of Item No. 8 on today's Order Paper. Since we will be sitting next week I ask the Leader of the House to honour the commitment he made on a number of occasions that there will be a debate on this item before the end of this session and to fix a date for this item next week.
I must refer once again to Item No. 7 on the Order Paper, the Companies (No. 2) Bill, and I want to put clearly on the record of the House that I believe it should be taken as a matter of priority. We discussed this matter at some length yesterday but because the Government Whip told me that he intends to take this item next week I do not intend to push an amendment on the Order of Business on that issue today. I would also like to put on record the fact that the points I made yesterday arose from different advice I got from the Leader of the House last week but, now that I have got a commitment from the Government Whip, I am prepared to accept that it will be dealt with some day next week. I ask the Leader of the House to confirm this.
I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that Item No. 8 be taken today. I will withdraw this amendment if the Leader of the House gives us an assurance that a debate will take place on Anglo-Irish relations before the end of this session. I am doing it this way simply because of the chronological order of things. I would like to congratulate you, a Chathaoirligh, and the Leader of the House for allowing us to have debates on matters of urgent and topical public interest yesterday. It did the Seanad good and was a credit to us that we could debate those matters. It is a pity that the Leader of the House has broken solemn assurances made to this House about debating Anglo-Irish relations.
Senator Ross, you have made your point.
This is a very serious point on the Order of Business and it relates to Item No. 8 on the Order Paper. On 3 March the Leader of the House said — and this is on the record — that we would discuss Anglo-Irish affairs on the Thursday of the following week. It was a solid assurance given to the House and accepted in good faith by the House. That assurance has been broken. It is very important both for the Opposition and the Government that we should have such a debate. In the light of what we did yesterday and the responsible and topical debates that took place, I ask the Leader of the House to assure us that such a debate will be given adequate time before the end of this session. If that is the case I will withdraw my amendment; otherwise I shall press it.
I would like to ask the Leader of the House if it is correct, as now seems to be the case, that no Private Member's motion from the Fianna Fáil side will be taken today and, if this is the case, whether the Government will consider replacing it with some of the business on the Order Paper. Specifically I would ask the Leader of the House to consider replacing this, if they do not intend to use their time, with the motion about planning legislation which I had down and which in the words of the Leader of the Fianna Fáil Government, Deputy Haughey——
Senator Norris, I appreciate that you are a new Senator but when the Leader of the House orders six Bills I think that is sufficient. If we get through those by 12 midnight we will be doing well.
I was simply trying to elucidate whether what has become a statutory item of the week's business is being taken, as it appears, by default of the Leader of the House, that Fianna Fáil are not going to use their time this is an adequate opportunity to take some of the other business that has not been fulfilled by the House. My item, which was regarded as important by the Taoiseach, has been so long on the Order Paper that it has actually fallen off. It has been there for over a year and I intend to put it back on.
With respect, a Chathaoirligh, it is for the Members of the House to discuss the business they are transacting.
I appreciate that, but they should not make speeches about it.
I am not going to make a speech. I am simply going to support the general point made by Senator Manning and Senator Ross about Item No. 8. I see no reason why we cannot devote one and a half hours to a motion today or tomorrow and another one and a half hours next week. It is very urgent that we should discuss this matter before the summer recess.
When we debated the events in the Persian Gulf last night there was a widespread view held by many Members of this House that the conditions in Iran were a fit topic for discussion. May I then request any of the groups who felt obliged to say all the things they said about conditions in Iran to facilitate the House by allowing Item No. 27 — which is actually a motion which includes my name about conditions in Iran — to be discussed. If people feel as strongly as they did last night about the regime in Iran, this House ought to have the right to discuss it as a separate item entirely from the unfortunate incident in the Gulf. Either this week or next week, perhaps one or other of the Members of the House representing the various groups in this House would get together and agree that that motion should be discussed if people feel as strongly as they indicated last night as they do about conditions in Iran.
A number of questions have been asked about items which are not of a legislative content. The onus is on this House to ensure that legislation is got through and that there is adequate time devoted to it. I accept remarks that have been passed about the need to have various items, other than legislative ones, taken. May I say that, at this stage, it is my intention that legislation be given top priority in this House. There is an enormous amount of legislation on the Order Paper which has to be got through in this session. For that reason no other items will be taken until that legislation has been dealt with. I can give no other commitment. Everybody in this House is seeking a debate on the Data Protection Bill, the Bankruptcy Bill, the Forestry Bill, the Housing Bill and the Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Bill. It does not matter in which order they are taken; they are all very urgent in their own right. When we get that legislation cleared, we can discuss any other matter remaining on the Order Paper.
Is the Order of Business agreed?
No, it is not.
Senator Ross, have you moved an amendment?
I have moved an amendment.
The amendment is "That Item No. 8 be inserted after Item No. 6." Is the amendment being pressed?
Yes.
I second that.
Since I have had no assurance from the Leader of the House, I regret I have to press it.
The question is "That the amendment be made."
Amendment put.
The Seanad divided: Tá, 15; Níl, 22.
Tá
- Bradford, Paul.
- Bulbulia, Katharine.
- Connor, John.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Murphy, John A.
- Norris, David.
- O'Shea, Brian.
- O'Toole, Joe.
- Kennedy, Patrick.
- McCormack, Padraic.
- McDonald, Charlie.
- Manning, Maurice.
- Reynolds, Gerry.
- Ross, Shane P.N.
- Ryan, Brendan.
Níl
- Byrne, Seán.
- Cassidy, Donie.
- Doherty, Michael.
- Eogan, George.
- Fallon, Sean.
- Farrell, Willie.
- Fitzsimons, Jack.
- Haughey, Seán F.
- Kiely, Rory.
- Lanigan, Mick.
- Lydon, Donal.
- McEllistrim, Tom.
- McGowan, Patrick.
- McKenna, Tony.
- Mooney, Paschal.
- Mullooly, Brian.
- Mulroy, Jimmy.
- O'Callaghan, Vivian.
- ÓConchubhair, Nioclás.
- O'Toole, Martin J.
- Ryan, William.
- Wallace, Mary.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Ross and Murphy; Níl, Senators W. Ryan and S. Haughey.
Amendment declared lost.
Order of Business agreed to.