Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

Standing Orders were established over a long period of time to ensure the Executive would be kept accountable by the House in matters of legislation. We are witnessing panic on the part of the Government to rush legislation. On many occasions in the last term there was no legislation available to debate. The need for the required accountability and scrutiny that Standing Orders must ensure is set aside by the Government on a regular basis to pass legislation on a rubber stamp basis. Standing Orders were not designed to do this and we are opposed to such an approach. This week the debate on eight Bills will be guillotined by setting aside Standing Orders. It was the intention that Standing Orders would be set aside only in exceptional circumstances, yet there are eight cases involving non-exceptional circumstances where Standing Orders are to be set aside to allow legislation brought forward by the Executive to be rubber stamped. We oppose this proposal.

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