Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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It is proposed to take No. 16, County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill 2013 - Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; No.13, Health Identifiers Bill 2013 [Seanad] - Second Stage (resumed); and No. 17, Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013 - Second Stage (resumed). It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday and Leaders' Questions shall be taken at that time, and there shall be no oral questions, questions to the Taoiseach, topical issues or Order of Business within the meaning of Standing Order 26; statements on the Government priorities for the year ahead shall be taken on that day on the conclusion of leaders' questions and the following arrangements shall apply: the opening statement of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and of the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes. Wednesday's business after oral questions shall be statements on the Government priorities for the year ahead (resumed).

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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There are two proposals to be put the House. Is the proposal for dealing with the sitting and business of the Dáil on Tuesday, 4 March 2014 agreed to?

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is not agreed. It is proposed that next week we will have a debate on the Government's priorities for the year ahead. I suspect this is happening because Members opposite may not have enough time to praise themselves at the Fine Gael Ard-Fheis, so they want the debate to continue in the House next week.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot get into political matters. This is a reason as to why the business-----

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The reason I am opposing this is because next Tuesday, Leaders' Questions shall be taken and there shall be no oral questions, questions to the Taoiseach, topical issues or Order of Business within the meaning of Standing Order 26. No legislation is being proposed next week, so we will be talking about the Government's priorities instead. The priorities were outlined in the programme for Government in 2011 and we could have a lot of debates on it, but there will be no legislation and no accountability of the Government next Tuesday, which is a farce. I have no difficulty in holding this Government to account, but when we cannot have questions and we cannot raise issues, and we have this back slapping next week to allow the Labour Party Members to come in and praise Fine Gael because they could not do it over the weekend, then that is simply farcical.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Every day on leaders' questions and on the Order of Business, questions are put by the Opposition on the Government's priorities in respect of legislation and in respect of this, that and the other. As part of the reform of the Dáil that we proposed earlier this year, we said that we would provide an opportunity where the Taoiseach and I and other Ministers would come in and set out our priorities for the year, which could be debated in full in this House. I think that is a reasonable and sensible thing to do, which is what we are doing.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Why do we not start at 10 a.m. next Tuesday?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please allow the Tánaiste to speak. You can decide on the proposal later.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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That is what we are doing. It will give the Opposition an opportunity to criticise the 61,000 jobs that were created last year, the fact that unemployment fell by 14% last year, that long-term unemployment is now down to 7.2% and that we have priorities to continue.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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On the Order of Business, the complaint is that we are not allowing for questions to the Taoiseach, oral questions or topical issues next Tuesday. We are doing that so that each of the Opposition leaders will have the opportunity of contributing to the debate on Tuesday.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Why can we not start at 10 a.m.?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Otherwise, in all probability the Taoiseach and I would get the opportunity to speak on this but the Opposition leaders would not get the opportunity on Tuesday and they would be shoved into Wednesday.

I would like to make an offer to Deputy Kelleher. I will agree to oral questions, questions to the Taoiseach and topical issues on Tuesday if he wishes, but he should remember the consequence of that. It may well be that the leaders of the Opposition will then not get to make their contribution on this debate until Wednesday. It is Deputy Kelleher's call. If he wants questions to the Taoiseach and topical issues on the Order of Business, I will agree to it.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I was born for moments like this, to make decisions. We will agree to that provided-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Sit down. I would like to put a revised Order of Business to the House. Is there a revised proposal to be put to the House?

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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We would like to start at 10 a.m.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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There is no debate here. This is about the Order of Business and I am putting it to the House. This is not between a party and the Government; there are other Deputies here. Deputy O'Brien has not indicated on behalf of Sinn Féin that he has a problem, so we have to put this matter properly to the House. Is there a proposal? I am now going to put the proposal before us, because there is no counter proposal. Is the proposal for dealing with the sitting and business of the Dáil on Tuesday, 4 March agreed to?

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As proposed by the Tánaiste.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am sorry Tánaiste, this is a matter for the House. You cannot make proposals off the top of our head in the middle of proposals being put to the House.

We either agree to the proposal or we do not. The reason we have the Whip system is to allow the Whips to discuss these matters.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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They are not worth the money.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I ask Deputies to be silent. It is bad enough that I have to deal with this issue. If, during the day, the Whips decide on a different arrangement, they can come to the House and change the Order of Business. That is the reason we have Whips and discussions among the parties. I will formally put the question.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Is it being put as is?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal for dealing with statements on the Government's priorities for the year ahead on Tuesday, 4 March agreed?

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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No.