Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

That procedure is designed to minimise the opportunities for amendments to be proposed to the legislation and to minimise the number of times Government TDs will have to vote on the specific provisions of the Bill. It is clearly concluded on the Government side that it is politically easier to sell a general vote on the Bill with a wrapped up motion that the Bill pass with all amendments acceptable to the Minister than to have Government Deputies voting specifically on each section. Otherwise they would have to vote this week, for example, on the section dealing specifically with the cuts applying to carers and the blind and next week the cuts to the low paid.

These arrangements are designed to provide as much cover as possible to a cowardly Government that wants to rush this through with a guillotine instead of standing over the votes they are casting to make cuts to those who cannot afford them.

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