Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

Before the Acting Chairman, Deputy Charlie O'Connor, took the Chair, I raised a point of order about whether a Second Stage debate was warranted because a perusal of the proposals regarding the various sections, including section 3, which is under discussion at present shows that by and large, sections are being opposed but very few amendments of substance have been tabled. Deputy Ring was reported in the media last night as stating that he intended to table amendments to reverse the cuts proposed in this Bill. I cannot discern any such amendments.

In my earlier speech on Second Stage, I mentioned to the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, that I disagreed with the impact on the vulnerable in the Social Welfare Bill and asked him to table his own amendments and to ascertain whether the money could be found from elsewhere in the Department. I will not go back into that long debate, but I believe there could be a little bit of tweaking. I had stated that if Deputy Ring-----

See this speech in context