Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

The issue of the approval by Dáil Éireann of important developments in ministerial orders has been raised several times today and in the previous debate. I appreciate the Minister of State's portfolio is the Department of Education and Science. Ministerial orders and regulations are laid before the Houses. We receive them or they are left in the Dáil Library for 21 days, but it is difficult for us to keep track of them. Yesterday, for example, we got an extraordinary note from Mr. Toibín, Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, stating that a ministerial order was made transferring a chunk of the Department of the Marine to the Department of Transport but that the transfer was a mistake.

All the fishery harbours, lock, stock and barrel, were transferred to the Department of Transport when that Department took over the great national ports from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Labour Party opposed the break-up of the Department of the Marine in that fashion. The Minister of State who is present and who was a former Minister for the Marine will be heartened to know the Labour Party is dedicated to bringing the Department of the Marine back together again. Those regulations were laid before the Dáil but did not come before the Dáil, which is what Deputy Durkan has been asking for all day.

In the case of the break-up of the marine section of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, we got a new order stating that the fishery harbours are being taken back from the Department of Transport. Deputy Durkan's amendment in which he seeks to insert the words "such classes to be determined and approved by Dáil Éireann" is reasonable and is consistent with the issue raised by him throughout this Bill. I support the amendment.

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