It is proposed to take item No. 1. For the information of the House, I suggest that next week we take item No. 2, all Stages. I suggest we take the Marine Institute Bill which is a Seanad Bill and that we also order the Derelict Sites Bill and the Údarás na Gaeltachta Bill.
Order of Business.
Could the Leader of the House give us some indication of the business for the rest of the session so that we do not run into a bottleneck coming up to Christmas and have to rush Bills through, so that we can plan the business in an ordered way?
I would like to give notice also that I intend to have restored to the Order Paper a motion which stood in my name and the name of the Fine Gael group in the last session dealing with the report on the freedom of the press. I do this because of the series of what I regard as being excessive libel awards in recent times and which I believe have created a climate of uncertainty and have posed serious dangers for the freedom of the press here. I would like to have this matter debated in the House so I will be restoring that item to the Order Paper. I would ask for all-party support for that.
It is traditional to extend the sympathies of the House to the relatives of victims of particular atrocities in the North and I would like to go on record this morning asking that the sympathies of the House be extended to the relatives of the victims of senseless sectarian violence at the Battery Bar in Moortown last night.
Would the Leader of the House facilitate the Independent group? Next week we will be taking, in Private Members' Time, the Criminal Justice (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Bill in the name of Senator Shane Ross. To facilitate the taking of that, would the Leader please allow the introduction of it today, before item No. 1, so that the Bill can be printed and discussed next week?
Would the Leader of the House make time available for a debate on poverty? This is an important issue, over one million people in this country are reckoned to be poor. Secondly, could I ask the Leader of the House if he has any information for us in relation to accommodation? We are still stateless and wandering.
I understand the Fianna Fáil Party Whip has certain arrangements in mind and if the Senator would like to discuss them with me after the session, I will be glad to give him the details. I believe there is a prospect of an improvement.
I would like to refer to item No. 7 and to place on record my thanks to the Leader of the House for facilitating us in this matter. The only reason I refer to it is to seek further assistance from the Leader because of reports appearing in the newspapers, indicating that the Taoiseach is anxious to resolve this matter. In light of the fact that during the last session a considerable body of legislation was initiated in the Seanad would the Leader use his good offices to ensure that this Bill is initiated in the Seanad and is carried through from this House?
In support of what Senator O'Toole said on item No. 9, I would like a little guidance on procedure. If the Leader of the House is about to agree to that being introduced today, for a First Reading, it will not be necessary for me to put down an amendment to the Order of Business. Otherwise I will have to put down an amendment to the Order of Business. Perhaps you can give me an indication now as to whether that is all right. Otherwise I will have to put down an amendment to the Order of Business that item No. 9 be taken. The amendment will be that item No. 9 be introduced today and Second Stage ordered for next week.
Senator Ross, speak to the Chair, not to the——
That is exactly to whom I am speaking.
Well, you are looking this way.
Senator Honan, you are not Cathaoirleach. The Cathaoirleach can look after himself. Could I have some guidance on whether I have to introduce an amendment now or not?
If you want to move an amendment do so now.
I move an amendment to the Order of Business:
That item No. 9 be taken before item No. 1.
Would the Leader of the House give us an indication of the December sittings at the earlist possible opportunity, particularly how near to Christmas he intends to sit? It is a very difficult time in the city, particularly with all the gas work holes and other works in the centre of the city. It is a particularly busy time and I would like the Leader of the House to indicate to Senators how near to Christmas he intends sitting.
I am not too sure what Senator McMahon was referring to when he talked about gas works holes in the city. Business from now until Christmas would seem to be reasonably ordered. We have the Trustee Savings Banks Bill to be resumed and concluded. We have the Derelict Sites Bill.
A question was asked about the introduction of business. The Marine Institute Bill will be introduced first to this House. We have the Údarás na Gaeltachta Bill. We have requests for a debate on the Estimates. We have the Appropriation Bill. We have requests for a debate on Ethiopia, on overseas development, on Anglo-Irish relations. I am not sure if there are other demands, apart from requests which will not be met between now and Christmas.
Next week it is intended that we take the Trustee Savings Banks Bill to a conclusion, the First and Second Stages of the Maritime Institute Bill and the Údarás na Gaeltachta Bill. For Members who are new to the House the Údarás na Gaeltachta Bill is a Certified Money Bill so, therefore, it will be debated in a limited manner in the House. By agreement between the Whips, there will be a limited discussion on Anglo-Irish relations and we will also have a limited discussion on the Estimates. We will take the Appropriation Bill before Christmas. There is enough business before us and if it is necessary we will sit three days on the two weeks prior to Christmas. I suggest that if we sit for three days it will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Item No. 9 will be taken as a Government Bill during this session. I do not suggest that we order item No. 9 because there is a Government commitment that a Government Bill will come before the House on that particular matter.
It is not the same Bill.
I am not allowing item No. 9 to be raised on First Stage.
With regard to the question raised by Senator Upton, the Labour Party have a huge number of items on the Order Paper. There is no way that this Seanad will take the number of items that party have on the Order Paper. The Committee on Procedure and Privileges should meet and the Labour Party should decide what motions they want discussed. They should not continue to put down motions which look well on the Order Paper but which have no relevance to what will happen in the House. I would ask them to set out their demands in the order of priority and we can then possibly accommodate them. There is no point in the Labour Party making an increasing number of demands because they will not be met.
On accommodation, the Cathaoirleach has made certain suggestions that I hope will deal with the Labour Party's accommodation problems. If they are not dealt with this week they should raise them again next week and we will try to ensure that members of the Labour Party will be accommodated in as good or as bad a manner as the rest of the House.
With regard to the question of the report on the freedom of the press, whether people get an excessive amount in compensation is a matter for the courts to decide. I would not agree with Senator Manning that people get too much for being libelled by the press but we will try to accommodate a debate on what constitutes excessive demands by people.
Senator Ross has moved an amendment to the Order of Business, "That item No. 9 be taken before item No. 1." The amendment has not been seconded.
I second the amendment.
Question put: "That item No. 9 be taken before item No. 1."
The Seanad divided: Tá, 17; Níl, 21.
Tá
- Costello, Joe.
- Hederman, Carmencita.
- Hourigan, Richard V.
- Howard, Michael.
- Murphy, John A.
- Neville, Daniel.
- Norris, David.
- Ó Foighil, Pól.
- O'Toole, Joe.
- Jackman, Mary.
- Kennedy, Patrick.
- McMahon,Larry.
- Manning, Maurice.
- Raftery, Tom.
- Ross, Shane P.N.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Upton, Pat.
Níl
- Bohan, Eddie.
- Byrne, Sean.
- Cassidy, Donie.
- Conroy, Richard.
- Dardis, John.
- Finneran, Michael.
- Fitzgerald, Tom.
- Foley, Denis.
- Honan, Tras.
- Keogh, Helen.
- Kiely, Dan.
- Kiely, Rory.
- Lanigan, Michael.
- McGowan, Paddy.
- McKenna, Tony.
- Mullooly, Brian.
- O'Brien, Francis.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- O'Donovan, Denis A.
- O'Keeffe, Batt.
- Ryan, Eoin David.
Tellers: Tá, Senators Ross and O'Toole; Níl, Senators McGowan and Foley.
Order of Business agreed to.
Amended declared lost.