Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Minister said he became aware of this difficulty on 11 October. Does any question arise in the matter of a person authorised to take recognisance between 1 July and 11 October? Do any issues arise in this regard in terms of the lacuna identified in this legislation?

I welcome the Minister's undertaking in respect of his Department to observe good practice in this House in terms of the taking of legislation in the months and years ahead. However, I am not entirely sure I see the world as he does in terms of the other remarks he made. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to comment on the quality of legislative commentary in the Upper House. However, I have brought legislation to that House and noted the contributions of Members. I occasionally take the opportunity to read the transcript of a debate. I would not say it is an equal success in terms of the depth to which legislation is probed. There is undoubtedly the occasional shaft of sunlight but it is not the generality of the case.

The Minister suggested that the 20-minute speaking slots ought not to be exhausted in the case of every minor Bill. However, when I first became a Member of this House, there was no stricture in terms of the length of time allowed for Deputies' contributions on Second Stage. The time slots are a more recent innovation. I am not sure the Minister is on solid ground on this issue. Before the development of the committee system, a far greater amount of legislation was dealt with in this Chamber, where Deputies who might not be spokespersons for their parties could nevertheless contribute on legislation of interest to them. That opportunity no longer obtains. While observing all due respect for the Upper House, I am not sure the Minister's vision of how it deals with legislation with dispatch is something on which I would confer approval. The restricted number of sitting days in this House should be reviewed rather than the suggestion that time is wasted on the Second Stage of legislation.

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