Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I agree with Deputy Shortall. The Bill was originally published in 2001 and withdrawn in 2003. We received Report Stage amendments to this Bill in October 2004. Those amendments were published again on 30 September 2005 and we received them earlier this week. This morning we received 17 pages of amendments to amendments. I was not spokesperson on transport when the original Bill was taken and, therefore, this Bill is new to me. I went to considerable trouble to understand the groupings of amendments. I was furnished last week with a list of the groupings of amendments and, on that basis, I prepared to deal with the Bill. I have now been handed another list of groupings of amendments which is different from and bears no relationship to the first list of such groupings. I am, therefore, not equipped to deal with this Bill. This treatment of the Oireachtas is unfair to the Opposition and to members of public because it makes the job of Opposition members, which is to analyse legislation, impossible.

My colleague, Deputy Naughten, who originally dealt with the Bill on Second Stage, suggested when the first 52 pages of amendments were brought before the House that a new Bill should be published. I am of the view that this is the way to deal with the Bill.

I appreciate that everybody concerned is anxious that the Bill be passed but what has been presented to us is unsatisfactory. I speak for all Members on this side of the House when I say that we are ill-prepared to deal with these amendments. We have been handed a list of groupings of amendments that is different from the list we were given earlier in the week. We have two books of amendments, a green book and a white book and it is impossible to deal with both of them. Some day the Minister will be on this side of the Chamber——

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