I move:
That, notwithstanding anything contained in Standing Orders and unless the Seanad shall otherwise order, if the Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities lays before the Seanad a report containing a request for a debate thereon in the Seanad, one hour and a half shall be set aside for debate on a motion: that the Seanad take note of such report, on the first day on which the Seanad shall sit after
(a) six clear days have elapsed since the report was laid before the Seanad, and
(b) due notice of the motion has been received by the Clerk from a Member nominated by the Joint Committee.
This motion is in regard to the manner in which the House would discuss some, if not all, of the reports from the Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities. This is similar to a motion which was passed by the last Seanad. This committee is different from other committees in that it is considering matters which can become binding on us without further review by the Oireachtas. It may well be that from time to time the reports of this committee would need to be urgently debated. Probably the best judge of this urgency is the committee itself which has examined the matter. Accordingly, when the committee do specifically in their report request it, there is here a mechanism for the debate to be taken within a week of the lodging of the report. I emphasise that it will be necessary for the committee to be quite specific and unambiguous in the request. Otherwise the motion does not become effective.