Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

No. 7 is a motion re orders of reference of committee. It concerns an expansion of the number of members of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. No. 8 deals with the appointment of two extra members to the committee. This could have been avoided if we had had clarity from the Government Chief Whip. Last week we expanded the membership of two or three committees and today are expanding the membership of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 13 to 15. Because I respect the fact that any party in the Dáil is entitled to be represented, my party facilitated the appointment of Sinn Féin Members to three committees, although not, admittedly, to the ones they wanted to be appointed to. Now the Government wishes to expand the membership of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to accommodate Deputy Martin Ferris, to which I do not object. However, it would have made things clearer if the Government Whip had said at the beginning that there would be 15 members, rather than 11 or 13, on certain committees in order to accommodate the appointment of every Deputy in the House to a committee.

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