This section is headed "Transitional Provisions". How long is the transitional period?
SECTION 34.
Question proposed: "That section 34 stand part of the Bill."
We indirectly discussed this on an earlier amendment from Deputy O'Keeffe. It will be a matter for me by order to indicate the establishment date and a transitional period is a reasonable period after that. I do not know how precise Deputy O'Rourke wants me to be. Does she want a commitment that it will be this year or a commitment as to the month in which it will commence?
Is "Transitional provisions" a standard heading in Bills?
In the situation here, you would have to provide for a reasonable transition period. There are a number of matters to be put in place.
What is "choses-inaction"?
A lot of these questions would have been better dealt with at the briefing session. I arranged a briefing session.
I could not attend.
I know that, but the Deputy was notified accordingly. The reason I arrange a briefing session before every Bill is to allow Members to ask technical questions like this. There has been a series of them and I am not in any way trying to stop the Deputy from raising this, but I would appreciate that in future spokespersons should come to the briefing sessions and raise those questions.
I appreciate that the Chairman arranged 15 minutes of a briefing session. I will not be lectured to.
Let me correct that.
I have 15 minutes on my agenda.
That is a matter for the Deputy's convenor who is a member of her party.
I have the right as an elected Member of Dáil Éireann to come to a Committee Stage of any Bill and to choose to interpret it and ask for elucidation. It would not have been preferable because I could not have done it in time allocated to me and I have the right to raise points. It is incorrect——
I said that. Will the Deputy please continue?
What is "choses-inaction"? What does it mean? It is gobbledygook to me and I understand English quite well.
It is a French term.
Is it choisir?
The Deputy will be familiar with, for example, the French term quelque choses. It is not choisir. They are certain kinds of property rights such as rights of way and rights to traverse land. It is a French term that has a particular legal connotation.
We are Europeans now.
When I was a Minister I did not subject anybody to limitations on what they could ask or how long they could speak and I took many amendments. Why are we choosing "choses-in-action"? Is it because a draftsman said we must put it in? Why do we not put it in English? Did that come from 1961?
No, there are a number of examples in the English language where the most appropriate term is a term imported from the French language and we accept that.
Cul-de-sac. This is a cul-de-sac of a Bill.
Cul-de-sac is an excellent example and as Deputy Sheehan said "we are all Europeans."
I never saw "chosesin-action" in a Bill. Did the Minister of State ever see it?
No, I did not.
Question put and agreed to.