Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I object to the Government blocking the Opposition from progressing legislation. It talks about climate but does not do anything. It does not have a legislative programme but blocks Opposition Bills. That Bill was blocked from going to Committee Stage in a way that is fundamentally unconstitutional and against the rights of this House. I ask that the Business Committee look at it as a specific example of how the Government is blocking Opposition legislation that deserves to go to Committee Stage for a hearing. We should not progress any further legislation until the powers of the Opposition are recognised in this Parliament, because we have the numbers. The Government does not have the right to block Bills, not just that Bill but a whole swathe of Bills, of which that is the worst example. I have asked for the Clerk of the Dáil to provide a response on the specifics of what happened on that occasion in the committee when the Bill was blocked. I believe it is not constitutional and I ask that the Business Committee meet to get it put back on the agenda and to allow it to progress to Committee Stage.

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