Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To try to bring it back to a simple approach, a timeline might help. This Bill has been around for a while - since 2017 - and that is one of the problems. The Government made a decision subsequent to the introduction of the Bill. I like to think the decision was probably partly made because the Bill was there. My clear understanding and indication is that the Government allowed the Bill to go forward and that the Minister has absolutely no problem with my Bill. The indications are the small ones, to answer the Senator's other question, of what I want to tighten up. These issues were mentioned by the Department officials. I have no problem with moving the day. The Bill provides for the second Sunday but I have no problem with it being the third Sunday. I have no problem with an amendment to the effect that instead of saying "shall include civil and military", the text would read "can include". That would allow flexibility if the event was being hosted in a location where there would be a problem with a military involvement.

I have no problem with those types of changes but I am trying to achieve a strong, interdenominational, interfaith basis for this. I am open to looking at what wording there could be to achieve this but I want to ensure that it happens.

A committee should work out, with the community, what flexibility there should be regarding what takes place on the day. However, let us call a spade a spade. It is not acceptable to have a randomly rotated date in order, as was stated, to suit the suits. I do not believe there is a community in Ireland which could suggest to the Government that it hold St. Patrick's Day in July. That is not an acceptable point. I welcome the fact that the Government has decided to hold it on the third Sunday in May. However, in the absence of this Bill, that decision could be adjusted easily by a new Government and a new Cabinet.

I was disappointed that the Department asked if we needed this at all and suggested that we leave matters as they stand. As a result of what happened in the past, when we moved the date to suit the diaries of people who might have attended or a group which wanted to hold it, we need to underpin this by saying we will hold it on the third Sunday in May. I am absolutely open to the idea of holding it on the eve of that day but I am not open to not going ahead with the Bill or allowing it to be adjusted again at a whim. Without copper-fastening this point in the Bill, this that it exactly what can happen.

These are the small specific things I am willing to change. I believe there is cross-party support for it and support from non-party Members of the House. I hope we can progress if fairly quickly with the assistance of the committee.