On the Order of Business today, we will take item No. 1 which is the Finance Bill, 1990. It is proposed to sit from 10.30 a.m. until 10 p.m. tonight. The intention is to start Committee Stage not later than 7 p.m. The Finance Bill will then continue tomorrow from 12 noon until 5.30 p.m. As agreed with the Whips, 30 minutes is allocated to spokespersons and 15 minutes to speakers thereafter.
Order of Business.
Agreed.
Yesterday there was a request that we have a debate on the current situation in the Middle East, particularly the situation in Israel and in Palestine. I would like to ask the Leader of the House if it is intended that we have a debate on this or will we have statements in the very near future on that matter which is of very grave importance at this moment?
Yesterday there was a request from me that we have a debate on the prison situation and on Northern Ireland. These are two domestic matters I have been raising for a considerable length of time and the Leader of the House has told me that if I wanted to deal with time I should do so in Private Members' time. I must remind the Leader that Private Members' time is not like confetti, and that there are quite a number of motions on the Supplementary Order Paper. There was a suggestion before that they could to some extent be consolidated and that arrangements could be made to get rid of the number of motions on the Order of Paper.
We have discussed this previously. I cannot allow a situation where we are going to be repetitive here. Every morning Senators are raising the same matters, especially you, Senator Costello. I want to point that out to the Senator.
The only reason I have raised it is that I have not got a response to it in terms of dealing with it. The matter of the Middle East was raised yesterday. Now we seem to be about to embark upon a debate, or statements on it, within the space of a couple of days. Those are external matters. They are very important but there are equally important domestic matters which do not seem to get the same urgency. That is why I am raising this matter. I have raised it before. I have every intention of raising it again until I get an adequate response.
Yesterday on the Order of Business I urged that the motion relating to the Adelaide Hospital be considered a matter of concern and urgency. I wonder has the Leader of the House any information on that matter?
I want to ask the Leader of the House if it has not been practice on Holy Days of Obligation that the Seanad would not meet until 11 a.m., and if a decision has been made to discontinue that practice?
On the first point by Senator Michael Lanigan, we hope to take statements next week rather than a debate. We will be in touch with the Whips regarding that matter. Senator Costello raised again the question of the prison matters and the Northern Ireland situation and he used the word "confetti". I would have to say to the Senator that Private Members' time is distributed on an agreed order. There is a procedure there for that. In regard to the point the Senator made that the Middle East situation was being taken next week, which is true, I would say that there was very broad support for that across the House.
Senator Conroy raised the question of the Adelaide Hospital. That matter again received broad support across the House and it is proposed to consider it next Thursday from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
On a point raised by Senator McMahon, I must confess that I am not aware of that situation, being new to the position, but I will check it and let the Senator know the outcome.
Order of Business agreed to.