Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

No, I cannot agree to that proposal. We have before us an unusually large number of financial resolutions in connection with this year's budget, a total of 34 financial resolutions. To my recollection, most budgets would normally have perhaps half a dozen financial resolutions which would be dealt with in the period of time to which we refer. I do not have a particular objection to the resolutions being grouped for the purposes of debate but I object to the resolutions being grouped for the purposes of being voted upon. These resolutions are being introduced under the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1927. I am advised that this Act envisaged that Dáil resolutions in respect of measures under that Act would be decided upon individually and that a serious question would arise as to the validity of a resolution which is done on a grouped basis. I am further advised that the wrong statutory formula is used in a number of the resolutions but I am sure we can deal with this in the course of the debate. My principal objection is that in effect what is being presented to the House is a book of resolutions which really amounts to a Finance Bill, having that significance in terms of the range of measures it proposes to deal with. I do not object to having the measures grouped for the purposes of debate but it is not acceptable to the Labour Party that they would be voted upon on a group basis. The voting of the measures on a group basis will arguably cause more votes than might be necessitated. If we are voting on a grouped basis, we will be voting on groups some of whose measures we may be quite happy to agree with. If there is one proposal in a group with which we are not in agreement, it will cause us to vote against it and thereby vote against the lot. The view of the Labour Party is that we should debate the measures in groups but each of the 34 financial resolutions should be voted upon separately.

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