Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)

My first experience of a miscellaneous provisions Bill was something of an eye-opener. The Bill refers to an extensive range of content, incorporating more than 40 Acts. While many of the provisions are straightforward and some serve merely to bring clarity to existing legislation, the Bill nevertheless presented a significant amount work to get through it in a short timeframe. The Bill was passed by the Seanad only last Thursday, was printed on Friday and we are debating Second Stage today and Committee Stage on Thursday. That presented time pressures in analysing the proposals and drafting amendments. Having said that, I understand why legislation is presented in this way. It is a good idea to deal with so many legislative provisions at once and to tidy up where necessary.

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