I have received notice from Senator Jillian van Turnhout of a motion she wishes to raise under Standing Order 30. I call on her to state the motion of which she has given notice before I give my ruling.
Request to move Adjournment of Seanad under Standing Order 30
The issue I am raising, which we debated on the Order of Business, is contemplated under Standing Order 30 because it is an important matter of public interest which has arisen suddenly. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs should come before the House to address the concerns raised by many Members about the child protection issues that arise as a result of-----
Just move it.
Senator van Turnhout should state her case briefly.
This is about the restoration of public confidence. I do not often call on the Minister to come to the House, but she has to come today.
I have given very careful consideration to the motion the Senator has put before me. However, the restrictive nature of Standing Order 30 means that it is confined to a matter of public interest that has arisen suddenly. I cannot deem this issue to have arisen suddenly as it has been in the public domain for a number of weeks. It was flagged by RTE, has been the subject of parliamentary questions and raised in this House on numerous occasions.
We did not know the extent of the problem until the footage was seen last night.
This issue can be raised effectively in numerous other ways. An all-party motion could be tabled, for example, or an amendment to the Order of Business could be proposed. Therefore, I am ruling the motion out of order under Standing Order 30.
With respect, I do not agree and would like to call a vote.
There can be no vote.
I strongly disagree with the Chair's ruling. The footage was exposed on television last night.
We could agree to a cross-party motion.
It is an issue which has arisen suddenly.
Will the Senator please resume her seat?
I read the Standing Order very carefully before I tabled my request.
The Cathaoirleach has said we could move a cross-party motion. Will he clarify the position?
The issue can be raised in several ways other than by way of Standing Order 30.
While the ruling is disappointing, we can move forward with a cross-party motion.