Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

It was at your initiative, as I understand it, as a result of the antics of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. We now have, in the area of health, a position where major changes are being proposed to a Bill on Report Stage, yet it is being guillotined tonight. We are opposed to such antics by the Minister for Health and Children where amendments are coming forward which we would like to support in regard to the Freedom of Information Act and in regard to protection of whisteblowers, but we are not being given the chance to scrutinise them properly and to do our job to protect the public interest.

Extraordinarily, an item relating to the right to get married in one's own home has been tagged on to the Health Bill, the purpose of which is to set up HIQA. The only reason it is being tagged on is that the Government took that right away in 2004 when it introduced new legislation. This is not the way to produce legislation that is robust and serves a public interest. We are opposed to the guillotining of this Bill and urge the Government to understand the importance of the work of this House. We have just listened to the Taoiseach tell us fairytales. We are in a position where we are preparing to guillotine legislation even though we have not had a chance to ensure that legislation is constitutional and will deliver what it promises. We are opposed to guillotining the Health Bill 2006.

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