Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For the record of the Dáil, there were two sittings at which this Bill was considered on Committee Stage. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, presided over the first sitting. The Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, presided over the second sitting which was unfortunately and disappointingly scheduled at a time and date when it could not be attended by any of the Opposition justice spokespeople who take questions. The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, did not attend either meeting and she is absent again today. It is outrageous that the Minister for Justice and Equality has missed two separate Committee Stage sittings and today's Report Stage debate. It shows a complete disrespect for the Opposition. I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, when I say that. I appreciate that he is doing his job. This is supposedly a major Bill for the Government. It certainly should be a major Bill for the people. We did not have the Minister for Justice and Equality for Committee Stage and now we do not have her for Report Stage. I want to put it on the record that it is outrageous that this has happened.

I am very disappointed that our amendments have been ruled out of order. I do not tend to get into quarrels with the Bills Office which is very professional. I am disappointed because all the Opposition spokespeople attended the first day of Committee Stage debate and tabled many amendments. When the Committee Stage proceedings went into a second day, the meeting was scheduled at a time and date that did not suit any of the Opposition Deputies for what I hope are very understandable reasons. Deputy Wallace and I were led to believe that because we had discussed our interlinked amendments in such detail on the day, there was an understanding that the amendments we could not discuss during the second half of the Committee Stage debate would be accepted. As Opposition Deputies, we are having to deal with the failure of the Minister for Justice and Equality to show up for two separate days of Committee Stage debate and for today's Report Stage debate. We are now being asked to accept the decision to rule half of our amendments out of order as a result of the scheduling of one of the days of Committee Stage debate at a time and date when we could not be present.

The Opposition has been treated pretty badly here. I would like the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to facilitate me by ensuring every word I have just said and every word the two other Deputies have said is taken on board by the Ceann Comhairle's office and considered as a complaint about what has taken place here.

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