The first matter we want to dispose of is to get the agreement of the committee on the schedule for today and tomorrow of the times we will sit. I am in your hands as to what suits members.
Business of Select Committee.
It has been suggested in view of an important occasion in the afternoon that we might finish today's session at 1.30 p.m. and reconvene tomorrow; we could meet earlier than 11 a.m. and add whatever extra time would be required as we go along.
I have a problem with that. We are here to do some very serious business and the fact that an international soccer match will be played today should not detract from the business of this House. We have all prepared our work for today and tomorrow and have scheduled our arrangements around that.
My members are quite content with the arrangements which have been announced. We have a reasonable amount of time to make progress today. We have already done some work on this Bill and we should get quite an amount done today and tomorrow. I support the arrangements suggested by Deputy Bell.
Any other views on the matter?
I support what Deputy O'Donnell has said. A number of us have travelled and made arrangements to be here today to do a full day's work. This should be taken into consideration. This suggestion highlights our priorities in this country. We are discussing something here today which is of fundamental importance to women and families. If the timetable must be scheduled to enable members to attend a soccer match, we should have scheduled this day's work for a day on which an international soccer match was not held. This will send out all the wrong signals to people. I would not like to guess what percentage of the population will be at the match today — those who attend are perfectly entitled to be there — but I do not see why the committee cannot proceed as scheduled. In view of previous experience in this House it might have been wiser, having known that this international match was on today, to schedule today's business for another day. However, as it has been scheduled and all the apparatus is put in place, with the cost that involves, and as members have turned up here, we should proceed with today's business as set out. I support my colleague Deputy O'Donnell in this matter.
On a point of clarification it is not suggested we reduce the amount of time but that we make the additional time required tomorrow or any other day. If it takes another four or five days we are quite happy with that. It is not a matter of reducing the time; it is a matter of facilitating some members who had made arrangements.
I take it we will go ahead with the meeting. There is no point using up valuable time with this discussion.
Some of our views have been misrepresented here. I do not like this sanctimonious poppycock that goes on sometimes, saying one thing and meaning another. We will be putting in the same number of hours over the next number of days. All we are doing is accommodating people. The whole nation will be looking at this match today. It has grabbed the nation's attention and the sanctimonious talk from the Progressive Democrats will not wash. We will be putting in the same hours and all they are doing is playing to the gallery. We have done our preparatory work and will deal with the work over the same number of hours. All we are doing is rescheduling the hours.
Deputy Shatter to speak next.
With respect, I was on my feet first.
I am calling on Deputy Shatter, I am chairman of the Committee.
I regret this sort of row is taking place which I have no doubt will be misrepresented. I gave a commitment in the House and in this Committee on behalf of the Fine Gael Party. The Committee Stage of this Bill, as the Minister wished, will be completed by the end of this month. It appears some members have made arrangements for today. I would take the Progressive Democrats' comments a good deal more seriously if the work done on this Bill by the Progressive Democrats gave evidence of the level of interest that is now being portrayed.
I simply refer to all of the amendments that are tabled today in relation to this Bill. A number of the Government amendments are the result of comments made by members of Fine Gael on this Bill in July last. I welcome many of them because they deal with aspects of the Bill we showed to have defects.
I said last July if the Minister came forward with relevant amendments it would improve the Bill. We now have a substantial number of amendments from the Minister tabled as a result of difficulties the Fine Gael Party expressed with the Bill and they are welcome. If the amendments are examined by you, Chairman, or by the members of the media it will be seen that many of them are tabled by the Fine Gael Party. This indicates our commitment to getting good legislation through the House.
I have no doubt what has been said is designed to ensure tomorrow's story will not be about the detail and substance of what we are to discuss. Instead it will ensure we will see a crass headline about TDs leaving their work early to go to a match. Some members of this Committee have no interest in the match, others may have. Some may have committed themselves to it many months before the date for this meeting was fixed. It was originally suggested the date for this meeting would be the first Wednesday and Thursday of this month. That did not suit some members and it was switched to this week.
Despite all the protestations from the Progressive Democrats behind me I notice — I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong — one of their members of this committee who made a substantial contribution last day to this Bill, Deputy Harney, is not present this morning. I am sure there is a good reason why she is not here. There are occasions when members may not be able to be here and are substituted by other members of their party who are equally competent. Members of the Progressive Democrats who are here this morning are competent Deputies and I am sure they will make a worthwhile contribution on this Bill. Indeed, some of them have already done so I had no intention of drawing anyone's attention to the fact that Deputy Harney is not here. I do not know why she is not here, it is none of my business. If people try to score foolish political points in a self-righteous way, preventing us doing real work, they should be more careful. People in glasshouses should not throw stones.
To put the record straight, I had no notice before I came into this Chamber today that it would be proposed that we adjourn at 1.30 p.m. to facilitate Members to go to a football match. My instinctive reaction was as I expressed it. It is outrageous that we be asked to arrange the business of this important Committee which is addressing an important Bill to fit in with recreational activities elsewhere in the city. That is genuinely the way I feel. I am not trying to score political points. It is disingenuous ——
The Deputy is trying to score points and, is wasting the Committee's time. It is 11.15 a.m., Chairman. This is outrageous.
We are being bullied.
I have a right as a Member of this Committee.
You have delayed the proceedings of the Committee for 20 minutes.
Have I the right to speak without being heckled? I expressed my opinion. Obviously, it is not the opinion of the majority of this Committee. In my opinion we should adhere to the schedule arranged and not allow the business of this Committee to be regulated by a football match.
It was said we were being sanctimonious in mentioning this. It is my reaction. I am not looking for publicity or anything like it. It is ridiculous and disingenuous of Fine Gael Members to say the PDs are being sanctimonious again. It seems if people stand up for TDs working hard and getting on with their schedule they are called sanctimonious. What kind of country is this?
In relation to the other matter, two appointed Members of this Committee are present. Deputy Harney was substituting for Deputy Quill on the last occasion and she is not here today.
Deputy Harney's name is on all the PDs amendments tabled as well as that of Deputy O'Donnell.
That is correct, because she is the spokesperson for Equality and Law Reform.
This is equality and law reform legislation.
Our two appointed members of the Committee are here and we will have Deputy McDowell later. Our members have arranged to be here and have made substantial changes to our other business and family arrangement, to be here for the two full days. That is my honest opinion. I am not trying to score points. We have been misrepresented and it is beneath contempt for other members to call us sanctimonious because I raised an objection to the proposal to reschedule the business of this House to suit football matches.
I do not want to waste any more time. This is an extremely time-wasting procedure that has been initiated by Deputy O'Donnell. This is a historic occasion and the Daily Star correspondent might notice this Government has changed the procedures of this House. In early September we are embarking on a full month’s work. Tomorrow at least two committees of this House will meet. This Committee is meeting today.
We are looking for a half day so that people can watch a football match.
Yes, but we are meeting to debate legislation in September. The proposal made by the convener is a fair one to suit all members.
We were scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. today and 11 a.m. tomorrow and we are going ahead with those arrangements. Everybody here is interested in having this Bill pursued vigorously and we will meet as many days as necessary, be that two days, four days, ten days or whatever. It is important that the Bill be debated. We are starting at 11 a.m. today and 11 a.m. tomorrow, as arranged.
Whether it is a question of three or six hours today, it is important that the Bill be teased out in detail. All of us are committed to that. We should proceed with the work we were scheduled to do at 11 a.m. We need a spirit of goodwill. There is important work to be done.
I have a constructive suggestion to make. It is important we make as much progress as possible. Since Deputies present will be staying overnight for tomorrow I suggest we start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I and my colleagues, were all in the House at 9.30 today.
I do not want to get involved in this row but members have arrangements made. I have to attend an important meeting from 9.30 a.m. to 11 o'clock tomorrow. It certainly would not suit me to come here and break that commitment. I do not wish to get into an argument about the football match; these things happen and I understand that we have to be flexible but I ask that we do not meet at 10 a.m. because I would find it impossible to attend.
That is reasonable and I withdraw the suggestion.
The arrangement was for 11 o'clock on both days.
At what time will we adjourn today? Can we continue until 2 p.m.?
I would have difficulty being here after 1.30 p.m.
We will adjourn at 1.30 p.m. today until 11 o'clock tomorrow. At what time will we adjourn tomorrow?
We will discuss that in the morning. I will put a proposal in the course of the day.
In future, it would be important that matters be agreed between the parties and the Whips in advance and any revision of schedule be communicated to all members. Members who arrive in the morning ready to do a day's work should not have a revision of schedule foisted upon them without prior consultation or notification. That is not the correct way to proceed if we intend to do serious business in this House and in this committee. I ask that that procedure be adopted.
On a point of order, I telephoned 15 Members this morning from 9 o'clock until 10 o'clock and there was no reply from 12 offices. I tried to telephone every Member from 9 o'clock this morning.