Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Naughten for giving me three minutes of his time. Having sat in this House listening to him, I am sure he could have spoken for another three hours, let alone three minutes. This brings me to the kernel of the point I wish to make on this legislation. I was not going to speak until tomorrow but, due to work pressures, I may not be able to do so then. Normally when people speak on legislation in this House, they have a good knowledge of the area. However, there is very little expertise in this House with respect to this Bill. I do not doubt that the legislation seeks to create a framework for the complexities and changes in the family unit and to ensure certainty, security and equality in that family unit. The Bill was published last Thursday. It is some 100 pages long and has 172 sections. It would, in its own right, fill a module in a third level course.

Will the Minister consider having Committee Stage held in this Chamber rather than in the committee rooms? The kernel of this legislation will arise from various amendments put forward or proposals made. While the legislation seeks to put a framework on the complexities which exist at the moment, legislation can also facilitate, enhance, increase or stymie social changes. This may or may not be good for society. Just before I came into the Chamber, I saw that I had received an e-mail from the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on the issue of donor assisted human reproduction, DAHR. The institute may have had a legitimate point. I do not know. It expressed concern, however, about a submission it made during the pre-legislative scrutiny period last November. It urged that certain issues should be taken on board. I do not know the merits or otherwise of the arguments it made. However, it is important that we take our time with this legislation. It is too important to rush. As politicians in this House, many of us have become cowards. We are a house of cowards because we do not deal with the issues. In the past, we were in the shadow of the church. People may have been afraid to say certain things. Now we have the commentariat and we appear not to have the courage of our convictions.

I may be quite supportive of everything in this legislation. From a glance, I am in support of most of it. However, I would like an opportunity to go through it in detail to ensure, if I am supporting it, that it is for the common good and the security of the child and the family unit. I do not doubt that every politician in this House wants to make things better for society. We should, therefore, not be afraid to come into this House and to articulate various views. I lost the Fine Gael Whip over a social issue. I am now in the Reform Alliance group. One day I heard a renowned commentator say that we must be against same-sex marriage because we follow the teachings of the Catholic Church on the abortion issue. This is complete and utter rubbish. We should not allow things such as this to stymie us if we have concerns or if we want to give approval to things.

I commend the Minister on bringing forward the legislation. I do not envy anyone the task of having to sit down and put this together. It is very complex. There are many views in this area. It is important, however, that we get it right. We should come into this House as mature politicians, irrespective of who is banging on our door or otherwise - I would like to say that no one is banging on my door - and go through the minutiae of it on Committee Stage in this Chamber. We should not do it down in the dungeon in the hope that it will not cut across the marriage equality referendum. This legislation has to be taken on its own merits and dealt with separately.

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