Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle) | Oireachtas source

I do not liaise with the Government on these matters. What happened was quite clearly this. Under Standing Order 29, the Government's prerogative is to determine the business of the week and how it will be taken. This is what the Government has done. I considered carefully the two requests from Deputies Naughten and Pringle under Standing Order 42 for a special notice question on this matter. Since the Government had at that stage already agreed to have a debate, it was not in order or appropriate to have Standing Order 42 special questions accommodated also. There is no need to have two debates on one issue. We are trying to make the best use we can of very scarce time.

I call Deputy Tóibín and I ask him to be very brief.

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