Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The Chief Whip is saying that basically it is up to the person bringing forward legislation or a motion, or his or her party, to provide a quorum. My question is based on this. I suggest that is not correct and that it should be up to both sides of the House to provide a quorum. What could happen otherwise is that a party could come in some Friday morning and if there was nobody on the Government side and some smart Alec wanted to call a quorum, it would be up to the Opposition side to produce the ten people. The reason for allowing this is that the Government side wants to abscond and to allow Deputies be in their constituencies. We all know that.

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