Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy spoke about the guillotining of property tax legislation. His Government committed to it and we had a timeline to introduce property tax legislation which is why it was guillotined. I have been a Member of this House since 2002 and in that time we have not had a full debate on a social welfare Bill; it always has been guillotined. It was the same guillotine the Government, of which Deputy Martin was a member, applied when it cut the blind pension. It did not allow a debate on that when I was in opposition. It is not appropriate for him to come in here and start lecturing about what he is doing.

It frustrates me to have to use the guillotine, but I am happy we have not used it in this session so far.

We used it on three occasions between September and December in the previous session. This Government is committed to reducing the use of the guillotine. Parliaments will always need to have a mechanism to introduce, debate and conclude legislation, but I want to make the use of the guillotine the exception. There is not a parliament in the world that does not have to guillotine emergency legislation or other legislation, but I want to make guillotining the debate on Bills the exception. It is frustrating for both Opposition and Government Deputies that they are not able to participate in some debates on legislation but I want to make it the exception that Bills are guillotined. I hope the Deputy will understand that we had a timeline in terms of the troika commitments and that we had to bring in legislation on which the guillotine was used, but I want to make that the exception in the future. The Deputy was a Minister for a long time and he will understand the reason the guillotine has to be used. It has been used in this Parliament for decades but I want to reverse that and introduce a better system. That is the reason we have increased the number of Dáil sitting days and increased the sitting hours on a daily basis to ensure more time is given to legislative debate. We have a more streamlined legislative programme to the one previously in that we now have two schedules instead of three covering the session from January to the summer recess at the end of July and the session from September to December. I believe that will streamline legislation and curtail guillotines but I do not want to have any guillotines used in the House.

The Deputy referred to the Government setting the agenda for the week. The Government has to set the agenda but it is an open and transparent system where the Whips meet once a week and, as Government Whip, I present a schedule for the week. I accept that changes are made on occasions but the Government must get through its business and legislation, whatever that may be, but I am always open to debate on it and to alternative arrangements. That has always been my position, and I have never put down anyone for offering an alternative to that. The Opposition Members will not get their way all the time but I would like the business to be agreed before it comes to the House the following week. I understand the point. I was in opposition long enough. It is up to the Opposition Members to oppose the Government taking business on some occasions. That is their job, and I understand that. I will not say the Members opposite should not do that.

On the issue of Friday sittings, if Friday sittings were not as successful as they are, there would not be the number of Private Members' Bills being submitted on a weekly basis by both Opposition and Government Deputies. It is a great opportunity for Deputies to bring forward Private Members' Bills, regardless of the issue. It is a Member's right. They are elected to this Parliament to bring forward Private Members' Bills. We have never had that opportunity previously.

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