I propose: "That Deputy Séamus Kirk be elected Chairman of the Committee."
Election of Chairman
Election of Chairman.
Question put and agreed to.
Procedure Generally.
Chairman
I thank the Members for electing me Chairman for the Committee Stage debate on the Finance Bill.
(1) Standing Orders provide that rules as to procedure in the Dáil shall apply to procedure in Special Committees except that as in Committee of the whole Dáil a Member may speak more than once on the same subject.
(2) Divisions shall be taken by the Clerk of the Committee calling the names of the Members and in the event of there being an equality of votes, the question shall be decided in the negative. The Chairman shall have only one vote and shall not have a casting vote. Divisions can only be taken at the times appointed by the order of the Dáil of 6 May.
(3) There is provision for substitutes. In the event of a Member being unable to attend, he or she can nominate a substitute to attend and that substitute will have the same voting rights as the Member would have had.
(4) In relation to the press and visitors, meetings of the Committee are held in public unless the Committee decide otherwise. Private meetings may be held for discussion purposes. That is a matter for the Committee to decide.
We now move to item 3 of the agenda, which is the consideration of the Bill. We move to section 1 of the Bill.
Finance Bill 1992: Committee Stage.