On the Order of Business, I want to refer Senators to the Order Paper and the supplementary Order Paper in front of them and for which I want to apologise. It is a matter outside the control of this House because of arrangements made in another House. I intend to order Nos. 1, 1 (a), 1 (b), 2, 3 and 4. No. 4 will be from 6.30 to 8 o'clock if business allows.
Order of Business.
I suppose we could agree with the Order of Business but we have not got the relevant Order Paper. On the Order Paper I have the first item relates to the Joint Committee on Building Land and the second to the Dentists Bill. The Social Welfare Bill is one of the most important Bills to come before the House every year and to get it at 2.35 p.m. is a disgrace although I am not blaming the Acting Leader of the House. I do not know exactly what to say about it as I am flabbergasted to think that items which we will be discussing today had not been given to us earlier. The Order of Business should have been before us at a much earlier stage. This happens every year at this time. We should have the full text of the Social Welfare Bill before us long before the last day on which it has to go to the President for signature.
I agree wholeheartedly for once with the leader of Fianna Fáil. I find it astonishing that a Bill that has implications for close to a million people and which needs an enormous amount of technical work, as it refers to other major legislation, should be landed in my mail this morning at very short notice. I understand the problems and I am not criticising the Acting Leader of the House as it is not his fault. I criticise the principle which forces us into a position where fundamental legislation has effectively to be rushed through in a way which is contemptuous of the legislation and even more contemptuous of this House because we are treated in a very subordinate way by having to do business in this fashion.
Does the Leader of the House envisage that all Stages of the Social Welfare Bill will be dealt with by 6.30 p.m. and, if so, does he propose to take the motion?
We dealt with criticisms last week of the problems that we, as legislators, are faced with. It was agreed last week that we would take the Social Welfare Bill this week. The fact that Senators did not have Order Papers containing it was outside my control and arose by arrangement with the Opposition in the other House. I am sorry that it happened that way.
To deal with the legislation before us, we had a supplementary Order Paper printed which includes the Social Welfare Bill. There is a copy of the Social Welfare Bill before the House as passed by Dáil Éireann at 1.30 p.m. today so it is before us properly. I propose that the Order of Business should be as I outlined. Referring to Senator Kiely's question, it does not arise in the way I have ordered business as the sitting is open-ended until we complete business.
Could the Leader of the House please repeat the Order of Business?
It is proposed to take items Nos. 1, 1 (a), 1 (b), 2, 3 and 4. Item No. 4 will only be taken at 6.30 if the business has been completed.
Order of Business agreed to.