Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

Last Thursday on the Order of Business I raised the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 and the time that would be allocated to it in the House this week. At that stage the draft schedule for this week's business was in place and the Bill was due to be debated this evening and tomorrow. However, the final schedule allocates four hours for debate before the guillotine comes down. There are 149 proposed amendments to the Bill to be discussed over four hours. By my reckoning, that means one amendment to be read, debated and voted on in one minute and 20 seconds. I have heard of "speed dating" but not of "speed debating", which will happen in this House tomorrow afternoon according to this schedule.

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