We will proceed to Questions on Promised Legislation. Before we start, can I point out that we have 30 Members offering on promised legislation.
Business of Dáil
May I raise a point of order?
Yes.
I objected to the Order of Business yesterday on the basis we needed some more time to reflect on the proposal to change Operation Pontus into Operation Sophia. My understanding is that an amendment was brought in at 10 o'clock this morning simply to increase the time. My intention was to raise it today and ask that the matter be deferred entirely but I was not notified that there was to be an amendment to the motion. There is a House of Lords report today that people will be informed about. It has looked in some depth at the operation and its success. We should have an opportunity to reflect on it before we make a decision to pass the motion and commit our naval service. My request to the Government is to defer this motion until the new session. Can that be considered, please?
Before calling the Government Whip to address that particular proposal, I remind all present that a revised proposal to increase the allocation of time from 40 minutes to 80 minutes was agreed by the House at 10 o'clock this morning in an attempt to take on board Members' concerns.
It is, at the end of the day, the Government's prerogative-----
I agree.
-----to decide what happens in its time.
Yesterday Deputies raised an issue about the time. The Taoiseach offered to give extra time and we agreed to that under the Standing Order this morning. Obviously, the Deputy has raised an issue we can reflect on.
Even postpone it to tomorrow or Friday.
However, we have a very heavy schedule. We have moved many items of legislation around. We are tight for time up to Friday. However, the House has agreed at least to debate it. That was agreed yesterday and was agreed here today again.
I greatly appreciate the attitude of the Government Whip. This issue arose in the media over the weekend. It was only passed by the Government on Tuesday. We only saw the actual motion yesterday. Most of us have been doing research on it since. The British House of Lords published a report on the issue. It would be nice to have a bit of time to reflect on it before we are required to make a decision. We are simply asking that it be deferred for that reason.
This is a motion, I take it.
Perhaps the solution would be to have the debate today and defer consideration of the motion until tomorrow. Would that be possible?
The issue is that people want to get things rammed in this week. That is the call of the House.
It will be in the voting bloc tomorrow anyway. The time for the debate has been allocated today. We moved a lot of other legislation around. It was agreed this morning to take the extra time. The Taoiseach offered the extra time yesterday.
Members want a chance to read these reports.
There will be possibilities during the voting bloc tomorrow if that is agreed.
Is that agreed? Agreed.