Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The only thing that will stop me coming to the debate on the next Stage is that it will not be in plenary session. It will be held at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Some of the Minister of State's colleagues are less than forthcoming with giving people time, if they are not members of committees, notwithstanding Standing Orders. I must say that Deputy Matthews is not among them. I appreciate the fact that he does give people time. If the Government is going to change the law, there is a way to do it, which is to bring legislation through the Houses so that everybody can debate everything fully in plenary, before going to Committee Stage, and coming back to the Houses for Report and Final Stages before the legislation is passed. Invariably, legislation is passed because, as Deputy Matthews discussed in an entirely different context, it is all about having the numbers. If the numbers are there, legislation can be bulldozed through, whether it is good, bad or indifferent. It is a case of territorial pissing sometimes, the idea being that we will do what we want to do because we have the numbers to do it, and screw everyone else. That is a little bit of what this Government does on occasion with legislation. I am not saying that the Minister of State agrees with it. I am certainly not saying that Deputy Leddin agrees with it. However, there is a tendency to do that sometimes, and to ram legislation through at the end of term. This is one example of that. Why are we debating this legislation now, at the very end of term, when pre-legislative scrutiny was completed, as Deputy Matthews pointed out, months ago? We have had months of sitting around and discussing statements instead of debating legislation, praising our wonderful Government for this, that and the other and for what it is doing, or criticising our Government because it is an abomination and the worst Government ever. Either way, it is pretty short-lived stuff. I cannot even remember what it is about. The Minister of State cannot remember either. The excuse frequently given is that legislation is not ready to go.

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