Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do not intend to use all my allotted time as there are many amendments we wish to discuss on Committee Stage. As Deputy Ó Broin stated, this is not really the way we should be doing business. The Labour Party has no issue with the motion as proposed, but to present the House with the emergency-type rationale the Minister has given for the Bill is not good enough. I commented previously that it seems to be two Bills wedged into one. As a legislative body and a Parliament, we must be equipped with the time to scrutinise Bills in a proper fashion. When a Minister comes to the House and apologises for the lack of time but explains that there is an emergency nature to the legislation, the Government did not realise how important it was, and then expects Deputies to screech in here and the Bill to be passed immediately, it leads Members to believe that we are not giving the Bill the scrutiny and deference it deserves. Any Bill that comes before the Oireachtas needs to undergo such a level of scrutiny. On that basis, I do not intend to make a long-winded contribution. The Labour Party accepts the rationale behind the motion, but to deal with such complex matters on the second-last sitting day before the Christmas break leaves a lot to be desired. These issues have such significant implications for people who are in housing need, as well as for the democratic process of the development plan. I repeat that if the Minister were a member of the Opposition, he would be saying the exact same thing I am saying.

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