Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

That is why I will be proposing, in line with what two of the Deputies have already said, to extend the sitting times of the three days we are in this House to approximately 30 hours per week. I am conscious of the fact that the work of a Deputy does not start and end in this Chamber. All Deputies, particularly those who have constituencies outside Dublin, experience real problems in trying to balance parliamentary and constituency obligations. It is not just a matter of holding a constituency clinic, and I know the media deride that. It should also be noted that in the same way lawyers have their case law and doctors have their medical practices and their laws, we, as representatives of the people, have to know what those people are interested in, what they want and what are their concerns. This demands of us that we be involved in community issues, attend meetings, receive deputations and engage with our constituents on a wide range of issues. Any changes in sitting times would have to take account of that.

I would propose, for example, that those extra hours could mean the House sitting from 12 noon until 9.30 p.m. on Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. until 9.30 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

By substantially increasing the sitting hours, there would be more time for consideration of legislation, fewer guillotines, which I accept are not good practice to be used regularly, and more flexibility for special debates.

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