The Order of Business is No. 1, Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2007, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business, and No. 2, all-party motion on Burma, to be taken at the conclusion of the debate on No. 1. It is proposed that spokespersons will speak for 15 minutes and all other Senators for ten. Senators may share time with the agreement of the Cathaoirleach.
Order of Business.
I ask the Deputy Leader his views on the comments made by Mr. Justice Paul Carney in a lecture he delivered in Cork yesterday evening on victim impact statements. He referred in all but name to the trial of Wayne O'Donoghue for the murder of young Robert Holohan and his comments clearly raise painful memories of that trial. Will the Deputy Leader arrange for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to clarify whether he has any intention to reform the method by which victim impact statements are made and to outline what he sees as the role of such statements in future cases?
I have raised the issue of cutbacks in the HSE on a number of occasions. I remind the House that the Minister for Health and Children stated the cutbacks were having no impact on patients. However, given that they appear to be causing untold harm to patients, we need to revisit the issue. In The Irish Times today it is reported that not only is the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH, unable to discharge patients because community care packages have been, it is also unable to accept patients because it has insufficient beds. A Dublin man who requires intensive rehabilitation after suffering a stroke is in a different hospital because he cannot gain admission to the NRH. That, clearly, has a significant impact on the individual concerned. The chairperson of the hospital’s board has spoken about the implications for patients.
I am sure many Senators listened to "Morning Ireland", on which a dentist spoke about the impact of the cuts in dental services on schoolchildren and children with special needs. A number of Ministers have spoken in this House as if everything is rosy but we would like to hear more realistic speeches and replies to the points we raise. Real debate is needed on real issues and if they are making choices on cutbacks and priority areas, let us hear about them in order that we can have a proper discussion about what is happening in the real world of hospitals and patients. I ask the Deputy Leader to take that point on board and ensure we will have a real debate on these important topics when Ministers attend the Seanad.
On victim impact statements, an issue I raised previously, their standing in law has never been explained to us. We recognise that certain judges regularly allow or facilitate such statements but we are not sure how they fit into legislation. It would be helpful, therefore, if we had a debate in a non-confrontational manner on where the issue stands. I have a lot of time for Mr. Justice Carney and admire what he says. However, while I find myself in agreement with many of his comments, I also have a number of questions to ask about the reason he raised the issue in the manner he did. It did not seem the appropriate setting for such an important debate. Some of the issues he raised were within his control. He could, for example, have intervened on the addendum to the agreed victim impact statement but chose not to do so. I would like to have a debate in a political context in order that we could hear the views of each side in a non-confrontational manner. While I am in favour of victim impact statements, I am unclear on how a judge is supposed to take them into consideration in coming to his or her conclusions.
I ask the Deputy Leader to examine the issue of climate change and carbon emissions because it is appropriate to his party. Most uninterested people say Ireland is only a small country that can achieve little in this regard. The matter should be localised. I would like the Minister to consider having a carbon audit per county with each county producing an annual report on carbon emissions and how they have changed from year to year. This would localise the matter and make it something people feel they would be better equipped to tackle. I would like to hear the deputy leader's response.
Last week we restored to the Order Paper some of the Government's legislation. With the agreement of the deputy leader, I propose an amendment to the Order of Business. Nos. 23 and 24 refer to the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill, in my name and that of Senator Paul Coghlan, and the Civil Partnership Bill, in the names of Senator David Norris and others. I ask that as the first two items of business the proposal that they be restored to the Order Paper be taken without debate.
Is the Senator referring to No. 9, motions Nos. 23 and 24?
Yes.
Before I call Senator Alex White, I again remind Senators of the need to turn off mobile phones when entering the Chamber. Switching them to silent mode is not enough as the Debates Office has informed my office that they interfere with the quality of recordings. They also affect the quality of televised material. I urge Members to turn them off completely.
I felt like I was sitting in the middle of an orchestra pit for a few moments, with all of the sounds to be heard.
While I support my colleagues' call for a debate on victim impact statements, the judge in question has performed an important service for the community in making his remarks for which he has been criticised and for the context in which they were made but the legal profession, particularly the Judiciary, is often criticised for living in a cocoon and not engaging in public debate. There are certain restrictions on those involved in the legal profession but in this case the judge is also an adjunct professor of law at University College Cork and he took the opportunity to raise this issue. He should be commended for doing so. I agree there should be a debate in this House but when a judge steps off the bench to make such an observation as part of a public debate, it should be welcomed, as it does not happen often enough.
I want to raise with the Deputy Leader the publication yesterday of a report by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, on the placement of children under 12 years in residential care, as reported in the newspapers today. It is remarkable that in this day and age, according to the chief inspector, some 5,000 children are in care. While it may seem relatively low, the figure is significant. The chief inspector acknowledges that the number is low but says it is disproportionately large when compared with best practice internationally. This matter should be of concern to Members of the House and the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with responsibility for children, Deputy Brendan Smith. There have been other calls to have him come before the House. I ask the Deputy Leader to add this matter to the list of issues he will address.
I was one of the Members who did not get to speak yesterday. Therefore, I ask for patience while I briefly address the matter I sought to raise then. Regarding world health day, I welcome the debate on world health. There is an onus on each Member of the House to get rid of the terrible, unfortunate stigma attached to mental illness, one of the biggest factors affecting those suffering from mental illness or even mild depression. Last term I heard Members seek debates on issues such as those raised yesterday and today only to fail to attend and speak when the debate occurred. I ask that when debates take place in the House Senators attend and try to make a change for the unfortunate persons who suffer from mental illness.
Hear, hear.
I support Senator O'Reilly's call for a debate on the lack of beds for adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa. This was one of the last issues I addressed on the Order of Business last term. Teenagers are not the only ones to suffer from anorexia nervosa; it can also affect children as young as nine years of age.
I wish to raise the tragic murder of 17 year old Manuela Riedo in Galway. I always worried late at night about my two daughters who were students in Galway. It is said "out of sight, out of mind" but this was never the case when I was in Dublin and they were in Galway. My daughters informed me that a system was put in place in the National University of Ireland, NUI, Galway, whereby students were taken home by taxi if they did not have enough money to pay the fare. The student concerned would hand over his or her student card, worth between €10 and €15, in lieu of the fare and return to the taxi rank the next day to retrieve it in exchange for the fare. This ensured students were delivered home safely. I call for a debate on youth safety in the light of this terrible murder. I heard a report on "Morning Ireland" from the murdered girl's rural home town. Her parents are so traumatised that they are sedated and cannot give interviews. It is not enough for Members of the House to merely sympathise with them. We should try to do more. Towns and cities with institutes of technology and third level institutions such as Waterford, Tralee, Sligo and Galway could make the aforementioned system workable, although perhaps it would not be possible in Dublin.
My colleagues have referred to the comments of Mr. Justice Carney before the Law Society in University College Cork yesterday. It is important that we soon have a debate in the House on the direction the criminal justice system is taking. We heard yesterday about the climate of fear and intimidation in some prisons because we take a short-sighted, punishment only attitude to criminal justice that will not protect the community in the long term. Mr. Justice Carney has, rightly, pointed to the other side of the coin in how the abuse of the victim impact statement can damage the delicate balance that must be preserved in the presumption of innocence. In debating this issue we must also debate the need for officialdom, specifically the Courts Service, to be proactive in dealing with victims and their families in a humane way. The event that led to Mr. Justice Carney's comments may not have happened had we a system in place under which victims and families were fully informed of court proceedings. They should be kept up to date regarding when cases will come before court and informed of the rules of court. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions should explain proceedings in order that shock can be avoided, as well as events such as those referred to by the judge.
These issues can all be covered if there is a debate on the matter.
It is important that we have that debate.
Yesterday many colleagues raised the issue of abortion. It is time we had a debate on the subject. There are worrying reports that a reputable agency which has been doing good work for many years, CURA, will not receive funding from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. We need to debate whether the Crisis Pregnancy Agency is fulfilling its remit to reduce the number of abortions taking place and whether the action of refusing funding to CURA is consistent with our constitutional provisions, which are to defend and vindicate the lives of both the mother and the unborn child. It is only by vindicating the rights of both parties that we will have a truly humane response to this sensitive issue.
With regard to what Bishop Burrows said on abortion, politicians are not spineless. We have had a commission on assisted human reproduction and the Joint Committee on Health and Children held four public sessions on the issue. Both I and Senator Feeney attended those meetings. The situation in Ireland is quite clear. Irish courts give full protection to the foetus as soon as it is implanted into the uterus. However, it is the status of the embryo between fertilisation and implantation which remains in legal limbo. The fact that the morning-after pill is legally prescribed here implies the embryo has no protection before implantation into the uterus. This was the legal perspective in the High Court case dealing with the frozen embryos of a couple whose marriage had broken down and in the discussions that took place in the committee.
The impression has been given that politicians have not discussed this issue or that there is no position on it. My interpretation of the position, based on what was said at committee and what has happened in our courts, is that as soon as an embryo is implanted into the uterus, it has the full protection of the Irish courts, which technically makes abortion illegal. It is what happens before implantation that is not tied up legally. The important issue this House must discuss is the fact there is no legislation on the issue of in vitro fertilisation. Some 1,000 babies are born here every year by this method and neither mother nor baby have any legal protection in that regard. We should seek legislation on that issue.
The issues of human rights and vested interests have been mentioned often in the House in the context of our health services. I feel strongly on these issues and believe we should have a patient safety authority to protect patients within our heath care service. We have significant vested interests in our health care service, whether consultants, nurses unions, the administrators of the Health Service Executive or Ministers. Some of these advocate on behalf of patients, but it is not their main remit. We need a patient safety authority to change the health service dramatically. Senators who have spoken on the issue of human rights this morning appear to be considering this kind of advocacy for people who are vulnerable. Whether we are talking about people dealing with the courts or the health service, we need a statutory organisation that will look after the interests of people dealing with our public services. We should push for debate on these issues so we can make a difference to people's lives.
I wish to reinforce the comments made by Senators White and O'Toole on the address made by Mr. Justice Paul Carney. It was important that he made this address to the law society in UCC, which is a group of serious, young law students. I attended a packed meeting at the society a few weeks ago. As Senator White said, it is good he spoke at this democratic forum. Far too often judges keep their minds opaque to themselves and just talk to their peers over port. It is good he spoke at this democratic forum and I hope the House commends him on his courage in speaking out and letting us know how his mind works on this important subject. The danger of manipulation of victim impact statements in collusion with some sections of the media is very real. We need to know how these statements fit into the business of judging.
I support the remarks made by Senator Feeney on mental illness. It is 20 years since I made a programme entitled "Darkness Visible" for RTE, after which the switchboard was jammed for three days simply because nobody had spoken out about mental illness previously. I would love to be able to say things have changed, but the stigma attached to mental illness is as great as ever. If people in the private sector let their employers know they suffer from chronic depression, they soon find out how little the stigma has changed. I have seen people discriminated against because, genuinely believing the stigma was gone, they told their employers they were suffering from depression. They were squeezed out and dealt with badly. We need debate on the issue. It is not that we need to put the Minister or anyone else under pressure, but an open debate would do good and help destigmatise the issue.
The centre for global development has just released its report and index on the performance of the richest countries of the world on overseas development aid. Ireland comes halfway up the list which, while not a bad result, leaves room for improvement. One of the criteria used in assessing performance is aid. We are committed to providing 0.7% of gross national product by 2012, three years ahead of the UN deadline. Other countries are doing better than that. Luxembourg provides 0.87% of its gross national income and Sweden gives 0.9%. I suggest we try to increase our contribution. Trócaire made the point in its September report that public opinion would probably support a rise and now would be the opportune time to make that increase. I support such an increase and feel it would help other countries to increase their contributions. Will the Deputy Leader ask the Minister with responsibility for overseas development to come to the House for a discussion on overseas development aid?
I call on the Deputy Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, to the House to discuss the major crisis in housing, particularly in Dublin where significant price issues do not facilitate access to housing for the average working person. We need discussion on this important issue. We also need the Minister to discuss the downturn in the market with regard to social and affordable housing. The downturn will reduce the ability of local authorities to deliver the number of units required to reduce waiting lists.
The Minister should also require an audit of empty dwellings from all local authorities. It is a shame that we have so many empty houses when we have such a number of homeless people or people on waiting lists for more than ten years. This issue must be addressed. Our local authorities need a complete overhaul and review. We need an audit of all managers and programmes in local authorities to examine how the service is being delivered. The Department is probably one of the largest Departments after the Department of Health and Children. We need joined-up thinking with other Departments on the issue. It is very important we have this debate.
People on all sides of the House have raised problems, but nobody seems to mention solutions. We have the opportunity to talk about solutions. The Minister for Education and Science was in the House yesterday, but there does not appear to me to be joined-up thinking between that Department, local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Is the Senator seeking a debate with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government?
Yes, but I want to raise various issues that need to be discussed in that debate. There is no point in asking the Minister to the House specifically on the issue of local authorities. We need to address certain issues within local authorities, such as the fire disaster in Bray. The local authorities are the frontline people. We also have the Civil Defence. The Minister is a reforming Minister and that is the reason I raise the issue. He was also a councillor in Dublin City Council and he understands what is required to reform local government. I ask for that debate.
I second the non-contentious proposal by my colleague, Senator O'Toole, for a change to the Order of Business. I commend Mr. Justice Carney. I listened to the broadcast this morning and read the text of his speech. I thought it was sensitive, measured and judicious. It raised a number of extremely important points that we should debate. It was the right forum. It was a lecture and he held off on speaking last year because of the sensitive nature of the case. It took courage to do that because of the public sympathy for the suffering of the families involved but he made the point that because of the unscripted nature of the remarks at the end of that statement, it had a serious negative impact on the intention of his judgment which was to permit the other young man, Wayne O'Donoghue, to look towards the reconstruction of a shattered life.
He also made points, which were well made, about the intervention of the media, particularly about the its sensational elements. The Government appears to wish to reintroduce the Defamation Bill and the Privacy Bill is on the Order Paper. A press ombudsman has been appointed. We have a press council, even though the Bill was discarded. Would the existence of the press ombudsman or the press council have stopped that? I do not believe so.
I agree with Senator Fitzgerald about the situation regarding the health service and ask for a debate on that. I, too, am aware of the case of the stroke victim she mentioned. Another case of a stroke victim, who has been reduced from a full regime of physiotherapy to three hours, been drawn to my attention. On the morning this man was to be transferred to a nursing home, the family were told, just as they were expecting the ambulance to take him, that it would not happen because the funding had been withdrawn. It is unconscionable that Government spokespersons maintain there is no impact on patients. I cannot think of a more catastrophic impact than that.
I seek your guidance, a Chathaoirligh, or that of your office or the Clerk of the Seanad's office on issues that warrant address. I listened this morning, as I have done for the past few weeks, to a number of issues being raised by Members which are valid and worthy of response and find that a system falls into place in that regard. I am not sure, however, if any Member is satisfied with the manner in which this House responds to the issues raised. I support the call by the Leader of the Opposition's main party in the House, Senator Frances Fitzgerald, concerning the health services and the budgets allocated to those services but there is no point in bringing the Minister for Health and Children into the House to talk about the Health Service Executive budget because that is a matter for the HSE. It was decided by successive political parties over many years to abolish the system in place and replace it with the HSE, giving it its own autonomy.
I support the call made by a number of speakers regarding the victim impact statement but let us wind back the clock. The victim impact statement of Majella Holohan had a huge impact and Mr. Justice Carney is probably right to address the issue. I am not sure, however, I would agree with everything he said. I disagree that Wayne O'Donoghue has no future in this country but do I take up that issue with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform or the Courts Service? With whom do I take up that issue? Most of us want to raise issues about traffic. Do I take up such issues with the Minister for Transport or with the National Roads Authority? Other Members raised issues including the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, another separate agency, and there was even a call this morning to set up a new authority. I am aware we will be advised that, under Standing Orders, we cannot do this or that. All these issues involving the HSE, the NRA, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, the——
We cannot have a debate on that, if that is what the Senator seeks. Requests are made by Members for Ministers to come into the House or for statements to be made on certain issues and the Leader or the Deputy Leader do their best to arrange for Ministers to come to the House for such debates. Two weeks ago there was a call for a debate on Burma. The Leader and the Deputy Leader sought that and the debate will take place today following the taking of the Bill. It is difficult for me to influence that. It is a matter for the Leader of the House to do his best to deal with the requests made by Members. Senator Callely's points are valid but a public representative who wishes to call on the door of any Minister with a request will not find that door closed. The Leader has ensured in the past, and will in the future, that as many debates as possible on the relevant issues are held in the House.
Hear, hear.
There is not much point having a debate on a particular issue unless the relevant Minister can come into the House to deal with it. I hope Members will bear with the Leader in these first few weeks to allow him arrange for Ministers to come into the House for debates.
I appreciate your comments, a Chathaoirligh, and support all you said. My point is that we are guided by Standing Orders. We can invite a Minister here but he may not be in a position to respond, for example, to a measure taken by a separate agency with its own autonomy.
That is very convenient.
The issues the Senator raises are the responsibility of the Leader.
In light of the manner in which the leaders work, whatever about the Committee on Procedure and Privileges and the Standing Orders which are the ground rules for the House, and in light of the changes in the systems in place, can we ask the leaders, if not the Cathaoirleach's office or the Clerk's office, to work out a programme to allow us to have real debate, as Senator Fitzgerald said, if not in this House in a plenary session or a committee, where we will be able to invite, as Senator Butler referred to, the Minister for Education and Science, the local authorities and so on——
The Senator sounds like a civil servant.
He is talking about his own Government.
It would not necessarily be just one Minister; it might be a group of people such as representatives of the HSE, the NRA, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency or whoever, but let us have a system that will work.
The Senator should talk to his Government.
It is not a Government issue.
My understanding is that the leaders of the different groups meet weekly. I am sure the Senator's views will be taken on board for the future but it is a matter for the Leader.
Will somebody come back to me on the issue? I would like to receive something in writing to let us know the system that should work.
I suggest that if any Senator from any party or group speaks to the Leader of the House, their requests will be dealt with.
On a point of order, those are issues which should be raised internally at group meetings. The debate on Burma today arose from the meeting of the representative of the different groups. Similarly, we have already decided there will be a meeting on economic issues next Thursday afternoon. The system works.
I would like to be associated with the comments on mental health of Senators White and Harris. It is a worthy debate, there is an element of stigma associated with this topic that must be addressed.
As a result of the way in which the HSE is managing its business, there will be knock-on effects in other areas that the House should know about. Given the management style of the HSE, where it manages by budget instead of demand, the knock-on effect will be felt by the emergency services. We are all conscious of what has happened to firefighters recently but another arm of the emergency services faces an impending crisis, the ambulance service.
I have been contacted by ambulance personnel in the mid-west who are in dire straits. As a result of the decision of the HSE to manage by budget instead of demand, and the consequent cap on recruitment that resulted in closures of wards in hospitals such as Nenagh General Hospital——
Is the Senator seeking a debate? Time is running out.
With all due respect, I would like some latitude. As a result of this cap, the ambulance service will ferry people between hospitals instead of doing their normal work. Within Nenagh there are 75 beds so if a 76th person arrives, he must be ferried to Limerick. I got a phone call from an ambulance driver asking what will happen if the control room gets an emergency call while a person is being taken to Limerick.
The Senator can take that up in the debate. The Order of Business is not a forum for detailed discussion, it exists so Senators can raise issues with the Leader of the House.
As a result of the significant investment in the ambulance service in coming years, 80 ambulances will be bought that will only have one stretcher, instead of two, and there will be capacity problems. I would like the Minister for Health and Children to explain how this will be dealt with given that ambulances will now be used for areas they were not used in the past.
I support Senator Mullen's call for a debate on the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and its refusal to fund Cura. This is entirely inappropriate, particularly as Cura was established with a particular ethos and mandate. It is expected to give out details of Positive Options, abortion referral agencies in other words, which is entirely inappropriate. There is nothing positive about that at all. It is entirely wrong that State funding is being refused to a group that cares for women and their children. This should be addressed immediately.
It has been suggested in this House that we should not grandstand on issues of foreign affairs. I agree but that does not mean we should not discuss foreign affairs, this is no mean country with no mean people. Currently, the Irish Embassy in Russia handles business with Ukraine, a potential accession state and the second largest country in Europe, with a population of 60 million. It would be entirely appropriate, at a time when the second most common spoken language in this country is Polish, that we establish an embassy in the Ukraine to reflect what is happening. Poland is the centre of Europe and for the future we must look east.
Time has now concluded and, regrettably, I must leave other Senators who wished to contribute to the Order of Business. I call on the Deputy Leader of the House to reply.
Several Senators raised the remarks made by Mr. Justice Carney on victim impact statements. While there are necessary constraints between the Judiciary and the Government, it is obvious that the judge was referring to the impact of victims' statements and the issue should be widely debated. We should be grateful to the judge for raising the issue. It was raised in a precise and rational manner and, as a result, the cold nature of the language may have affected some of those involved in this case. That does not deny the need for the debate and a response from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the demands made in the House today on the issue. As part of that debate, Senator Mullen's request about a review of the lack of information given to victims as cases progress can be put to the Minister.
Many Senators spoke about the impact of the budget cutbacks by the Health Service Executive, with references to Ministers talking about the lack of impact the freeze will have. It is legitimate to debate this regularly under the accountability brief we hold in this House. If the Minister or a Minister of State in the Department of Health and Children is available, the issues raised can be addressed.
Senator O'Toole asked about a county by county carbon footprint to see where the impact of climate change is most felt in Ireland. Under the programme for Government, as part of this year's budgetary process there will be a carbon budget. We can find out how that information is made available.
Senator White asked about the number of children in care and how that compares to other states. There have been requests for the Minister of State with responsibility for children to come to the House and this could be another issue that would be part of the debate when he is available.
There was a return to an issue raised yesterday, World Mental Health Day, with questions on anorexia and mental illness. Senator Harris spoke of the continuing, unchanging stigma attached to mental illness. Not only is there a need for such a debate but it should focus on those who have experience of mental illness and the mental health services because such people are rarely heard when discussing the matter.
Senator Hannigan asked about overseas development aid. The Government is committed to achieving the 0.7% of GNP target by 2012 and while there is no immediate plan to increase to that figure, offsetting of carbon emissions from Government travel will be undertaken through projects in areas where Irish development aid is in place. That will increase the amount going to development aid and should increase the figure the Senator has in mind.
Senator Butler called for a debate on housing and asked that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government come into the House. I will make that request of both the Minister and the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. The Senator also mentioned empty houses. The All-Party Committee on the Constitution tried to address this when dealing with questions on property in a recent report. There are constitutional issues related to taking empty properties into public ownership but the legislation dealing with dormant accounts demonstrates there is scope for provision for dormant estates to cover intestate property that is unused and which could be used for socially advantageous purposes.
Senator Callely spoke about procedures, but the point should be made that this is the seventh sitting of the 23rd Seanad, which is still relatively early into our term. It is a very new Seanad in so far as 35 of its 60 Members are new to this House, while 25 are new to the Oireachtas. Therefore, there is still a feeling around process as to what the procedures are and how to follow them. Some of this will become much clearer, however, when in the next month joint Oireachtas committees will be formed. The focus of those committees will be to invite people not only from Departments but also agencies such as the HSE to ask the type of questions that are being posed regularly here.
The final point raised concerned diplomatic services in large countries where Ireland is not represented by an embassy. A request can be made to the Department of Foreign Affairs on that matter.
I have skipped the contributions of several Members who revisited the call for a debate on abortion, which was raised yesterday. To reiterate what I said then, if leaders of groups in the House feel there is a consensus for such a debate there is nothing stopping us from doing so. However, I would be dubious if such a consensus could be reached.
Particular concerns have been expressed about how the Crisis Pregnancy Agency deals with certain organisations. There is scope under our Standing Orders for people to raise such matters either on the Adjournment or by framing a particular question as a motion for Private Members' business. Outside a wider agreement between leaders of groups in the House as to how the issue can be approached in a more substantial manner, I cannot see a more imminent debate taking place. I thank Senators for their contributions.
Senator O'Toole has moved an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 9, motions 23 and 24 be moved".
The amendment will not be opposed.
Amendment put and agreed to.
Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.