Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

It is true. I would ask the Minister to allow for a further hour for questions tonight on the matter. It is wholly unsatisfactory to move from committee to plenary session on such an important issue within 55 minutes and this is the difficulty. I am not casting any aspersions on the office of the Government Whip but I would ask, in the circumstances and with a view towards reaching a form of consensus in the House, that there would be a facility for questions and answers and if the debate has to resume tomorrow, then so be it.

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