It is proposed to take items No. 1 and 2. It is hoped, by agreement of the House, to take all Stages of the Foreshore (Amendment) Bill between now and 4 p.m. and the Second Stage of the Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Being Bastille Day, the Leader will not impose any guillotine today.
Order of Business.
Perhaps he might have had the Order of Business in French today.
On the Order of Business I would ask the Leader of the House if the programme which came from the Whip's Office last week is the programme for this week. There is no mention in that programme of item 16, motion 47, which, I learned from the back page of the Sunday Independent, will be taken this week. So much for the enthusiasm of the Leader's party for the open government, greater communication and greater glasnost all round. Could he confirm if it is “Backchat” or the Government Whip who is to be believed as to how business will be ordered?
Secondly, Item 6, the Milk (Regulation of Supply) (No. 2) Bill, has been on the Order Paper for months. If the Leader of the House thinks it is important and wants to have it passed, we will facilitate him. It does not look good to have it there all those months.
Finally, will there be legislation this week other than that already indicated?
With regard to this guillotine I do not think it matters very much because it is lamentable that we are getting the family planning bill now when it appears that everybody knows there is not the slightest chance of the Government introducing or accepting amendments with the Dáil gone into recess. This is very important legislation.
Does the Leader of the House have any plans over the next couple of days, before we disappear for the summer, to discuss the interpretative centres? It is notable that we had discussions in this House and statements were made by various Ministers which appeared to be contradicted by professional evidence entered during this week.
It is not relevant to the Order of Business. You have other means to raise that but it is not relevant to what we are doing.
Indeed, a Chathaoirligh, it is precisely the point that I am raising because I raised the question of Mullaghmore, for example, and got statements from the Minister which were contradicted subsequently by expert opinions.
What is the situation in relation to the Milk (Regulation of Supply) (No. 2) Bill? More specifically, has the dispute involving the people who were employed by the Dublin and Cork Milk Marketing Boards been resolved in order to allow this Bill to go ahead? In relation to his abstinence from the use of the guillotine today, is it simply being put aside and honed for use tomorrow and Thursday?
Because the Dáil is not sitting, I would like the Leader of the House to convey to the Minister for Industry and Commerce my concern and the concern of all of us in the mid-West regarding recent developments at Shannon. I will be asking for a public inquiry, particularly in relation to fraud and embezzlement.
That has not the slightest of relevance to the Order of Business.
The Leader of the House said that he would not be imposing a guillotine because it is Bastille Day. He stated that item 1 would be discussed until 4 p.m. and item 2 from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. He does not have a guarantee that item 1 will conclude at 4 p.m. In the event of it not being finished at 4 p.m, I am presuming the discussion will continue beyound 4 p.m. I would like the Leader to clarify that point.
There is another point I feel very strongly about. For about eight months I have been calling for a debate on the west stemming from the series of meetings attended by vast numbers of people in the west.
It is not relevant to today's Order of Business and there are other means to raise it.
I take your point but I want to put it to the Leader who gave an undertaking that this debate would take place. This is the last week before the recess. Will there be a debate this week or, are we not going to have one this session? If not, I hope there will be one when the House resumes after the recess.
I join with my colleague, Senator Norris, in protesting that all these Bills are being taken in the last couple of weeks of this session. It is making a mockery of this House. It is playing into the hands of the Progressive Democrats who say that——
(Interruptions.)
——that this House is a waste of time. He is confirming that by putting us in a position——
Senator Hederman, it is not relevant——
There is no point——
Senator Hederman, what you are talking about is not appropriate. You are also making a speech. Would you please put a query to the Leader of the House.
You allowed Senators on the other side to make speeches, so I do not understand why you will not allow me do the same. What is the point of studying Bills and putting down amendments when it is clear that there is not——
Senator Hederman, you are out of order. Please put a query to the Leader of the House on the Order of Business for today.
They are making speeches——
You are inviting trouble.
They are inviting me to protest even louder. What is the point of putting down amendments——
I have not called anybody from that side of the House; you are out of order.
I am asking a question of the Leader. It is his job to order the business, and I want——
It is certainly not your job, and you know that.
I know that because it is his job. I am asking him why he is allowing this House to be brought into disrepute. It was not worth a Senator's time coming in here last week——
Your query is out of order.
My query is not out of order.
You have asked nothing relevant on the Order of Business, and you have been speaking for the last five minutes.
I am asking the Leader why he is ordering the business in such a way that he is making a mockery out of this House.
The Leader of the House and the Government side are being very provocative towards Senator Hederman and Senators on this side of the House. The Leader said he had refrained from using the guillotine, yet it is being imposed on the two Bills ordered for today: all stages of the Foreshore (Amendment) Bill are to be taken and the Second Stage of the Health (Family Planning) Bill also has to be completed. Can the Leader clarify whether the Second Stage of the Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill will be continued tomorrow or the next day if it is not completed by 9 p.m.?
Senator Costello, do you have a query on the Order of Business?
We cannot amend the Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill because the Dáil has risen. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate or give clarification in relation to the postponement of the deliberations of the beef tribunal.
Senator Costello this matter is not appropriate to today's Order of Business, it is sub judice. I am not allowing any discussion on it. I ask you to put another query to the Leader of the House.
I am not referring to the contents——
I have ruled that the matter is not relevant to today's Order of Business.
I am seeking clarification about the way in which the Government have handled this matter.
I have ruled that this matter is not relevant to today's Order of Business. I have further ruled that, in my opinion, the matter is sub judice. I ask you to put another question to the Leader of the House.
I will move on to my third query. In view of the disclosure in relation to the direction of Kremlin gold——
This is not relevant to the Order of Business.
We debated it last week——
We introduced reforms into the House. Even though we have extra Adjournment debates and the two minutes grievance time every day you ask questions which are not relevant to the Order of Business.
It is relevant.
It is not relevant to today's Order of Business.
With all respect to you, a Chathaoirligh, it is relevant.
It may well be relevant in your opinion, but in my opinion it is not.
I am asking the Leader of the House a question.
It is relevant to today's Order of Business?
It relates to an item we discussed last week, I am asking him whether we might have a chance of discussing the disclosure of contributions to political parties.
I hate to criticise other Senators but when I hear Senator Hederman talk about the "irrelevance of this House——
I have to be consistent and say that is not relevant.
If there are certain irrelevancies here, they relate to the Members and not the House. On the Order of Business when will item No. 6 Milk (Regulation of Supply) (No. 2) Bill be taken? Many people are experiencing problems in terms of their employment due to this regulation. I should like to know when items Nos. 6, 7 and 8 will be taken. The longer these items are left on the Order Paper the less relevant they become. The 32nd Report of the European Communities goes back almost four years. I do not think we should wait that length of time before discussing reports or developments in the EC. Equally, we should have an early discussion on item No. 8. It may be somewhat irrelevant, but I should like to ask the Leader of the House to provide time for an early debate on the progress of the talks in the Middle East. We should send our best wishes to the new Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Rabin, on his efforts——
This is not relevant.
——to initiate consultations on the problems in the Middle East.
Senator Hederman raised a fair point. I am not raising an extraneous matter here, but during the course of a debate last week a Minister said he could not accept an amendment because the Dáil was going into recess. Implicit in that remark was the belief that discussion was totally irrelevant in terms of making changes to legislation. With regard to the other issue raised, it is important for Members on both sides of the House to recognise that people who have an interest in certain Bills may also have an interest in other legislation. Those are fair points which should be taken on board.
She had put down amendments.
The Senator had put down amendments to that Bill.
There is a long-standing rule in the House that one does not refer to the absence of Members——
The Senator knows all about the rules.
(Interruptions.)
Senator O'Toole, without interruption.
Fianna Fáil are trying to close down rural Ireland but we will keep the schools and airports open. The Leader said we will conclude item No. 1 at 4 p.m. As the House will be aware, Senator Fitzgerald and I have to explain the effects of the Foreshore Bill on the Dingle marina and both sides of that argument could take from now until 4 p.m. We have not talked about any time constraints and I would not like Senator Fitzgerald——
Senator O'Toole put a query to the Leader.
——to be deprived of the opportunity of putting forward his views as to why the public foreshore should be grabbed——
Leave the argument about the Dingle Peninsula to me.
Senator O'Toole, the point you are making is more appropriate to a Second Stage speech on item No. 1.
It has to do with whether we will have an opportunity to deal with the Dingle marina before 4 p.m. I ask the Leader of the House to say whether we can continue the Second Stage debate on the Foreshore Bill some other time if it is not completed by 4 p.m.
I should like to ask the Leader of the House if he will make arrangements for a debate on item No. 7 in early September. As Senator Lanigan rightly pointed out, it is nonsensical that we have not yet discussed these half yearly reports on developments in the EC. This House has not had a proper debate on the Maastricht Treaty and the implications of the new policies——
Senator McDonald, you are making a speech.
I ask the Leader of the House to provide time for a debate on item No. 7 at an early opportunity. I very much regret that time has not been provided for a discussion on the famine in a number of African countries. I hope we will soon have an opportunity of discussing item No. 1 on the supplement to the Order Paper in the names of Senator Doyle, Senator Raftery and myself; similarly, item No. 38 which deals with the necessity to revamp or improve the Irish railway system. During the year we had demonstrations outside the House, yet there has been no response. I ask that the House might sit early in September to deal with the Order Paper and not have items there for years.
I should like to draw the attention of the Leader of the House to the major drug finds this week and particularly to the fact that the drug problem permeates society——
It is not relevant.
It is relevant to the extent that the problem is permeating our society and has dark consequences for many of our young people. I raised this issue previously and I understood the Leader was willing to allow statements on this topic in this House. Given that we are in the final week of this session, could I ask him when he proposes to take this very important item for discussion in this House?
I wonder if the Leader of the House would consider sending a message to the Holy Father wishing him a speedy recovery from his illness.
That is not relevant.
On item 1, I am well aware of the importance of this Bill but I did take note of the fact that it had all party agreement in the Dáil for one hour. I asked on the Order of Business for agreement to finish the debate by 4 p.m. It is very important legislation. I have no doubt that it will have the agreement of the House. If the House is asking for an extra half hour, so be it. If we can restrict the spokespersons to ten minutes per speech I am sure the Bill can be dealt with. I thought we had agreement. I emphasise again the importance of this legislation. It is something we would all like to see enacted straightaway, and I hope that this House, like the Dáil, would give all party agreement to a one hour debate. I am asking again that we finish all Stages today and that we allow ten minutes per person speaking on the Bill. That is the agreement I am looking for.
With regard to item 16, motion 47 which Senator Manning raised, I am surprised that he would pay heed to columnists in any paper. As he contributes himself on a regular basis for the papers, he should understand we would never take on board what might be said in "Backchat" or otherwise. It is because of the very extensive programme of legislation that we have not Private Members time this week. I assure him that as soon as we come back in the new session, item 16, motion 47, will be the first item in Private Members time.
With regard to item 6, the Milk (Regulation of Supply) (No. 2) Bill, there are ongoing negotiations which hopefully will lead to the type of solution we all want. We hope the workforce will be satisfied with the new regulations and with the new criteria that will be laid down. As soon as that is available, this House will deal with the Milk regulations.
I have told Senator Staunton on several occasions that we will deal with the debate on the west as soon as we come back. It would be ideal for topical debate.
Regarding the matters raised by Senators Lanigan and McDonnell, these will be dealt with in the new session. Senator O'Keeffe raised the drugs problems on several occasions. When we come back in the new session we will have time to deal with the very important problem.
Order of Business agreed to.