Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like formally to object to the proposal for the Dáil to rise until 7 November. The House has only sat for six weeks since the beginning of this session.

There is a lot of legislation, as we have said to the Government mid-term and the summer. This includes the Technological Universities Bill and the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. I take it that it is not the fault of the Oireachtas but it has not yet been produced by Government. However, I think it is excessive. That is my genuine view and I have been saying it to Deputies for quite some time. The Dáil should reconvene on Wednesday, 1 November and Thursday, 2 November, which used to be a normal occurrence after bank holiday weekends. It seems to me that there is a tendency for the Dáil to sit less and less as we go on. There may be a reason for that and Government may acquiesce in it for its reasons. We have a lot of work to do and we are not going to get it all done if it is to be sandwiched in on Wednesdays and Thursdays every week.

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