Vol. 92 No. 10
I move:
That the amendments and additions to the Standing Orders of the Seanad relative to Public Business recommended in the Report of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges (T. 261) dated 3 July, 1979 be adopted with effect from the first day on which the Seanad sits subsequent to the adjournment for the Summer recess.
I second this motion. I was a member of the sub-committee which was authorised by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to look into the matter of possible review of existing Standing Orders. The other members of the committee were the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senators Cranitch, Harte and Hussey. We met on 13 occasions and went into various quite detailed Standing Orders which we felt could be amended in the light of the passage of time and, indeed, of experience from the operation of our present Standing Orders. The Schedules and Report which have been circulated outline the different amendments that have been recommended by the sub-committee. If there is any clarification needed on any aspect of them we shall be only too pleased to give that clarification.
The amendments are of a substantive and also a technical nature. There is nothing of controversial aspect about our recommendations and we accordingly propose to the Seanad that our recommendations be adopted.
I should like to pay tribute to the sub-committee who did most of the work which has been incorporation in these amendments. They did a great deal of work and produced extremely useful amendments. They certainly deserve the thanks of the House.
