James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State but it sounds like "No" is the answer. The committee has approved the Bill and the Dáil has approved it twice, yet we are here again two years on. The Minister of State referred to the Ceann Comhairle but the Ceann Comhairle chastised the Government in a message saying it was not in keeping with the spirit or the letter of the memorandum of understanding. As an independent authority, he highlights the fact that this is a political approach by the Government to stymie a Bill it does not like, which is not a precedent he or any Member of these Houses would like. Could the committee be provided with the legal advice given to the Minister of State's predecessor that a money message will not be necessary? Could it also be supplied with the legal advice to the effect that a money message is now necessary? In the spirit of the Ceann Comhairle's directive could we get that in the next week, please?