As the Opposition spokespersons are not present, we will have to suspend the sitting for a few minutes.
Business of Select Committee.
Sitting suspended at 11.15 a.m. and resumed at 11.20 a.m.
The purpose of the meeting is consideration of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008. We will suspend at 1 p.m. and reconvene at a time and date to be agreed.
I welcome the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and his officials. Before we continue consideration of the Bill, I wish to get the views and agreement of the members as to the times and dates for the future consideration of the Bill. We have a considerable amount of amendments to get through and I would like to agree a schedule with members as to when we would reconvene.
If the Minister could help us and give us some clarity, it might help expedite matters. It was brought to my attention this morning that officials within the Department who are dealing with this Bill told some of the non-governmental organisations that they are preparing a further package of amendments relating to this Bill that will not be available until September. If that is the case, I question whether we should deal with Committee Stage at this stage if we will have a further bundle of amendments from the Minister in September that might need to either go through on Report Stage or be referred back to Committee Stage on the floor of the House. Could we get some clarity in respect of the plans by the Department to bring forward further amendments and the scale of such amendments?
Does the Minister wish to comment?
We will be bringing forward amendments on Report Stage based on some of the discussions we have had here. We will bring forward some amendments later on Committee Stage based on some of the discussions we have had to date in respect of some of the earlier sections which may have implications for some points in the later sections. I can put it no further than that.
That does not preclude us from continuing with our discussion of the Bill. If we do not get on with it, we will never get through it.
Will any of the amendments relate to sections with which we have already dealt?
I could not preclude other amendments later. This is a large Bill. There are no major plans to do anything other than what I have said. There may very well be something coming up. We may in our own discussions bring forward other amendments. I do not see what the problem is. I want to get on, make progress with this Bill and pass it as quickly as possible.
The reason we are asking for clarity is that a substantial amount of amendments that have been brought forward here are on the departmental side. There has been a history within the Department of bringing forward large rafts of amendments subsequent to Committee Stage that change the entire thrust of the Bill. This is what I wanted to seek clarity on.
It is an important point because we have had the experience in the past, and as recently as the night before last in respect of the Intoxicating Liquor Bill, where the Department on second thoughts comes forward with as many amendments as comprised the Bill in the first place. I have no difficulty with the Minister saying that he stumbles across a minor error or technical change that must be put right. However, the proposition that we spend July here in the basement debating a Bill that turns out to be different in September is something we need to clarify. It might be best if we got on with the Bill and go into private session at 1 p.m. to clarify some matters that need to be cleared up.
I am anxious to get this sorted so that we know where we are going with this. It is my understanding that the sections of the Bill we have already taken on Committee Stage cannot be amended now on Committee Stage but must be amended on Report Stage, so this would cover the point made by Deputy Naughten. Obviously, it is open to him or anybody else to bring in other amendments on sections which we have not reached. I propose that we proceed with this. I want to get some sort of programme in place for the next three weeks as to when we can meet to try to progress this. What about next week? I am prepared to sit any day next week but I realise people have other constraints. Can we meet next Tuesday?
I am committed to a meeting in the House at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and have a parliamentary party meeting at 5 p.m. on the same day.
Therefore, Tuesday is out. What about Wednesday?
How about 2 p.m. or 3 p.m on Tuesday?
We could meet from 2 p.m to 5 p.m. Would that be suitable on Tuesday?
I have no problem with that.
We will meet from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. next Tuesday. Could we meet from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday as well? Is that agreed?
I am away on Wednesday but one of my Ministers of State could do it.
Fair enough.
The morning does not suit because there are Front Bench meetings and a meeting of the Cabinet.
I have a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. I am in London on Wednesday but I can get one of my Ministers of State to do it.
We will meet from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Can we do the same the following week? Can we do that for three weeks?
I do not have a diary in front of me. I suggested to the Chairman that if he wanted to deal with this, we should go into private session at 1 p.m.
We will review it at 1 p.m.
We will agree for the moment that we will meet from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. We can look at it again at 1 p.m. We will continue with the Bill.