Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Labour Party opposes this proposal. The Dáil should not adjourn today until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 November. The Dáil should meet in normal plenary session tomorrow, with an Order of Business, Questions and normal business. We should also be back here next Tuesday in plenary session, with all of the business we would normally have - Leaders' Questions, Taoiseach's Questions, Oral Questions to Ministers and Dáil business. The Dáil should sit a full normal week next week. For the past two or three years, it has been the practice that the Dáil sits normally the week after the October bank holiday. This should remain the case.

The Government is attempting to pretend that the Dáil is in session next week by having the select committee dealing with the NAMA legislation meet tomorrow and next week in the Chamber. The Labour Party had proposed that Committee Stage of that Bill should be dealt with on the floor of the House, but by the entire Dáil, as Committee Stages used to be dealt with on major legislation. What is happening in this case is that the NAMA Bill has been referred to the select committee and it is, effectively, hiring the Dáil Chamber for the business to be conducted tomorrow and next week. That is not an acceptable arrangement. We want the Dáil to meet in normal plenary session tomorrow and next week. I agree it should, if necessary, deal with the NAMA legislation by way of Committee Stage in the full House, but not the kind of arrangement put forward in this proposal.

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