Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I will make sure he gets some form of break - I know there was a disagreement over that.

Deputy Higgins mentioned longer sitting times and days. The Taoiseach referred in the programme for Government to the Dáil sitting on Fridays. If the Dáil sits on Fridays, I want to ensure they are meaningful sittings where Members do not come to the House to give glib statements on any issue, although statements can be important at times. I want to ensure sittings mean something, that there is some form of debate and interaction between the Opposition and the Government and that legislation will be discussed, whether through committee sittings in the House or otherwise. We want meaningful debate on those issues.

The Deputy referred to the raising of matters of urgent importance. The only way a Member can raise matters of urgent importance at present is through the Adjournment debate, which is the last business on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I would prefer if Members could raise matters earlier in the day in order to be able to have the issues highlighted on local or national radio or in their constituencies. There would be an opportunity to raise the issue with the aligned Minister, who would need to have some form of notice of that issue, and there would also be supplementary questions. This can be done in a meaningful way. I want to revamp the Adjournment debate so topical issues can be raised with the Government. Whether this will take place in the morning or early in the day can be worked out by the Whips.

With regard to longer sitting days and shorter recesses, the Dáil resumed one week after the Taoiseach was elected, we sat in St. Patrick's week, we will have a shorter recess for Easter and a shorter summer recess, with the Dáil coming back in the second week of September. There will be a totally different regime than under the outgoing Government. We will increase Dáil sittings by 50% and the Dáil will sit four days in the week, the summer recess will be just six weeks, there will be reduced breaks at Christmas and Easter and no mid-term break at St. Patrick's day or at Hallowe'en.

The outgoing Government used the guillotine too often and I want to stop that practice. We want to give Members the opportunity to speak on legislation and I want to see progress in that area. I would also like to see the overhaul of the committee system. I have been a Member of the House for nine years and I had never witnessed a debate similar to that for the release of the Moriarty tribunal report, when one and a half days was given over to statements. The Taoiseach and the line Minister came to the House to answer questions, which I have never seen happen before.

We are not running away. I have listened to some on the Opposition benches claim in recent days that the Government is running scared. If we were running scared, we would not have given one and a half days to statements in the House or given Members the opportunity to speak, with the Government openly and frankly answering any questions raised.

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