Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Standing Order 128(1) of the Standing Orders Relative to Public Business, directs that the Garda Síochána Bill 2004 in whole be recommitted to a Committee of the whole House.

Many of the arguments for this motion have been rehearsed both on the Order of Business and in the most recent contributions in the House. However, I wish to respond briefly to what the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has just said. He said this Bill has been around for a long time and it is time to conclude it. It is true it has been around for a long time. It is two years since the heads of the Bill were presented but the Bill has been lying around for the last two years without the Minister showing any alacrity in moving it towards its conclusion.

The Minister also said that he had allowed an extraordinarily long period for the submission of amendments — 20 hours — and that this should be more than sufficient. If that is the case, why is it necessary to bring forward on Report Stage substantial amendments which could have and should have been dealt with on Committee Stage? The Minister is well aware that substantial amendments should be dealt with on that Stage. That is the only opportunity to tease out the details of amendments and to assess whether they are proper.

The Minister is proposing to put through these substantial amendments on the nod. He probably will not get to all the amendments because he has produced an 80 page green booklet of amendments which does not include the substantial ones. The substantial amendments dealing with a whistleblower's charter and the power of the Garda Commissioner to dismiss gardaí will be dealt with by guillotine and without a debate.

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