Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I may be able to assist the House in this matter. I am anxious to have a discussion on it on the floor of the House because there are certain matters that should be put on the record before I assist the House.

First, I welcome the fact Deputy Stagg indicated - I take it he was speaking for his party in this regard - that it was an inadvertent mistake on my part that I did not say "í" at the end of the debate. I accept his suggestion to that effect, which is most helpful.

In regard to the position of the Taoiseach, he did not move anything in this House by sleight of hand this morning. As soon as the Taoiseach received the relevant procedural advice, he brought it to the House, and it is a matter that can be brought without written notice. It is the Standing Order of the House, subject to your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle, that an amendment of this character in the written Order of Business can be submitted by the Taoiseach. Therefore, the Taoiseach was not acting in any sense with a sleight of hand in this matter.

Leaving aside that issue, however, I accept that the Opposition parties were taken by surprise in that sense because they saw a written notice and then they saw a different proposal. It is for that reason I have proposed we should vacate this morning's order and that it should not stand. The Opposition Members' case, essentially, is that they were taken by surprise by it. They also have a wider constitutional complaint which they have laid vent to but the procedure under the Constitution is that we regulate our own arrangements by Standing Order. There is ample scope in the Standing Order to proceed in this way if we wish, again, subject to your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle. My understanding is that we can proceed in this way.

Incidentally, I say to Deputy Gilmore that we have not arrived at section 6 because sections 4 and 5 were ruled out of order.

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