Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

We will not oppose the proposal, but it is a bad way to do business. For the first few weeks of this session the Dáil has had practically no business with which to deal. This Bill, which is before the House today and which must be voted on tonight, has been known about since the budget was introduced in the first week of December. Therefore, there was plenty of time to prepare and debate it. It is a bad way to manage the business of the House for it, first, to have no legislation with which to deal but only endless debates and not even motions and now for it to sit until 10 o'clock tonight to debate a Bill that was known about since the first week of December. That is a poor way to organise the business of the House.

See this speech in context