Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I put a formal request to the Chairman to get legal advice. I would like a ruling on that. I think it would be prudent to get legal advice before we proceed. I think we should get the Office of the Parliamentary Legal Adviser to give us legal advice. It would be irresponsible of us not to.

If we go ahead as several members have said, why can we not do it once the presidential election is over? If we want to do it, if we feel it is legal and if we get advice to that point, why do we take the risk of having an impact, possibly an unintentional one, when we could do it a few weeks' time when this is over? By God, we have enough of other priorities on the table.