Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I have given some information for which the Deputy is welcome. There is merely a bit of political point scoring going on now. The relevant point is that at the end of the day all Ministers are proceeding as quickly as they can with the legislation. The Minister is committed to this legislation and the Government is anxious to ensure that we proceed correctly and get this legislation done. As I stated, it is an unprecedented piece of legislation in an Irish context. It is not a question of merely drafting up sections 1, 2 and 3, as Deputy McManus will appreciate based on the work in which the committee of which she is a member has been involved.

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