Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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It is proposed to take No. 12a, motion re leave to introduce Supplementary Estimate - Vote 38, and No 12b, motion re referral of Supplementary Estimate - Vote 38 to the select sub-committee. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that No. 12ashall be decided without debate, and subject to the agreement of No. 12a, No. 12b, motion re referral to select sub-committee, shall be decided without debate and any divisions demanded thereon shall be taken forthwith.

It is also proposed that as all other business listed for today has already been brought to a conclusion, the sitting shall be suspended on the conclusion of No. 12b until 2 p.m. and Topical Issue matters shall be taken at that time.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is the proposal for dealing with Nos. 12a, motion re leave to introduce Supplementary Estimate - Vote 38, and 12b, motion re referral of Supplementary Estimate Vote 38 to select sub-committee agreed to? Agreed. It is the proposal for dealing suspension of the sitting agreed to?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is it the Deputy who is going to speak on behalf of his party?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Yes.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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We were here until 11 p.m. last night.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Surely the Whip has other legislation that can be introduced today. It is not acceptable that the business for today will be collapsed because we finished it yesterday. Is there no other pressing legislation that the Government can introduce today?

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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It is a joke.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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We will probably be sitting until all hours next week.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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There is the legislation providing for a one-year term for bankruptcy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The House is sitting late next week and additional days have been added to schedule, yet the business for today will be collapsed at 2 p.m. because the Whip could not be bothered finding a Minister to come into the Chamber to discuss some pressing legislation. We have had guillotine after guillotine imposed and now today we have no business.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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We were here until 11 p.m. last night.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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There must be something be legislation on the priority list that the Government can bring in today.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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We need a new Whip.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. I call Deputy Troy.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the previous speaker. It is unbelievable to think that we are closing the House early today due to the absence of legislation to be debated. Where is the bankruptcy legislation that was published earlier this week and agreed by Cabinet? Where is the schools admissions policy legislation that was published a number of weeks ago, legislation which has direct and real consequences on the lives of the people who we represent here on a daily basis. The previous speaker is right, this is because of the ineptitude and the lack of co-ordination by the Government Chief Whip-----

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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And lack of respect.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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-----who does not want to organise in conjunction with the other Whips of this House.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Chief Whip that if his office wants to telephone our Whip's office that we would be more than willing to come in here and debate some of the serious issues which need to be debated here today.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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It is unbelievable to think that we are going to close this House due to the lack of debate and lack of legislation coming to the House.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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You were not even in the House to debate-----

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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It is an another sign of spin over substance.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will now reply.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is great on spin but very poor on delivery and very poor on substance.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Donie will not be disappointed. Did he give the Deputy that script this morning?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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We will now hear the Minister's reply.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Deputies are well aware that there was legislation ordered for this House this morning. When the climate change legislation finished earlier than expected, presumably because there were no speakers. Deputy Troy was not here to make his big points about climate change on that occasion.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Perhaps he was leaving that to somebody else to do but he was not here. There were some colleagues here for that debate and it finished before it was expected that it would.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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We know it finished before it was expected that it would.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Then there was the Dublin Docklands legislation debated before the House and there was nobody here form the Opposition in respect of it.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Where were they?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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There was nobody.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister did not see me on the monitor. I was sitting right here.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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This is legislation that the Deputy claims-----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Withdraw that remark.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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-----has direct and real consequences-----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Where are the Bills to which the Minister referred?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Cowen, resume your seat.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Deputy's performance is not persuading anybody.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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The Minister should withdraw that lie.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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This is the legislation, the docklands legislation, that the Deputy tells us is of direct and real consequences.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I was here; is the Minister trying to say I was not here?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I am not talking to you; I am talking to the-----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Do not make an allegation that you cannot stand over.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputies, please.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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This is legislation that Deputy Troy claims is of direct and real consequences to the people he represents, but neither he nor any of his colleagues could be bothered to be here to debate it.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Members of my party were here.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Let him not say that the Government is not ready to debate this legislation. Child care legislation was debated here as well.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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A Leas-Cheann Comhairle------

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Government stands ready to debate these issues with the Opposition but if there is nobody on that side of the House, there is not much we can do.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I was here.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, on a point of order-----

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is it a point of order? I will call the Deputy in a moment.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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If it is a point of order, I will the Deputy to brief and to be in order.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order, I attended a committee meeting this morning with the Minister's colleague at which we dealt with an Estimate. That is the reason I was not here, but my party was represented here. It is a matter of fact that my party was represented here. The Minister should withdraw the remark he made from the record of the House, and the Whip would need to withdraw the remark. Our party was represented here. We are not discussing the debate on the legislation, the legislation has been dealt with. That is acceptable, Minister-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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More excuses.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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-----but there is further legislation that could be dealt with.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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There is no reason the House should adjourn early today when there is so much more legislation that could be dealt with.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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We have got that point. I must call another Deputy. Deputy McLellhan has a point of order.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I want to point out to the Minister that I was here to debate the Child Care (Amendment) Bill with the Minister and I want him to withdraw that remark.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy O'Brien has a point of order.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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On a point of order, the fact that the legislation went through goes to prove that there was no need to guillotine the debate on the legislation yesterday.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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That is another issue.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Which was a proposal.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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That was a proposal.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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You were not even here to debate it.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Our party was represented.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I do not know if your Christmas night out is tonight and you want to have early of a half day.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Let us not get into that.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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You were not even here to debate it.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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There is serious legislation to come before this House and you want to go home.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy O'Brien, please, I have to put the question.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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My party colleagues were here for the debate. The Minister of State should have been in here this morning and organising a revised Order of Business, instead of taking a half day.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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You were not here.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy please.