Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know it is not the Chairman. It is whoever is pulling his strings. A number of amendments were ruled out of order. One of them was ruled out of order for reasons beyond my understanding. The official response as to why it was ruled out of order was that it would impose a charge on the State. This was to specify that motor insurance or public liability insurance would be subject to this database. We all know here that the intention is that motor insurers would be subject to this database but it does not say that in the Bill. That is what the amendment sought to do. It sought to ensure that the Central Bank does do that because it is not in the legislation. It was ruled out of order because it would be a charge on the State. How the hell could it be a charge on the State unless it was not intended to do it in the Bill in the first place? If this is what the Bill is all about, let us state the obvious and say that under no circumstances can motor insurance not be included in respect of this database. The amendment has been ruled out of order because that could be a charge on the State. It cannot be a charge on the State if it is going to happen. When this legislation passes through the Houses of the Oireachtas and signed into law by the President, it goes to the Central Bank. No harm to it but we cannot go in and go through this again. This is our opportunity to be tight and to make sure that what we want is there. I will talk to those responsible for ruling these amendments out of order and get a better understanding of the reasons for doing so but I make those points to say that the Minister of State should look at clarifying these issues by looking at some of the amendments that have been ruled out of order. I ask the Minister of State to look at them before Report Stage.