Dáil debates
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Business of Dáil
8:15 pm
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in the order of the Dáil today, that Second Stage of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) (Amendment) Bill 2016 shall not be taken tomorrow.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed?
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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Will questions to the Minister proceed?
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, at 10 a.m.
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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May I comment on that? There is no way that this Bill will be passed tomorrow because the Minister made a huge mistake of putting a whole load of planning measures in with rental measures. We will be here until 3 a.m. on Saturday if we want to give this Bill serious consideration. He should not have done that. There should have been two separate Bills.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We can only deal with what we have now. Is that agreed?
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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The Minister should take the rental aspect out of the Bill.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Can I suggest that we need to have the maximum possible time? I do not know if the Minister will have time between now and whatever time we start tomorrow to have a debate with his officials but the sooner we begin the debate in the morning, the better. If not 10 a.m., can we agree to sit at 11 a.m to give us time to make as much progress on the Bill as possible?
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We would have to agree to drop the Topical Issue debate.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Let that happen. If there is a consensus that because there is a fear that landlords might avail of a vacuum and that we need to have this done before the Dáil rises, then we need to use every available minute we have. Can we agree to put other business aside to do this tomorrow?
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the Chief Whip, tomorrow morning we will meet at 10 o'clock. From 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. we will have questions to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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We can drop those.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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From 11.30 a.m. to 12.18 p.m. we will have the Topical Issue debate.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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We can drop that too.
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Why are they more important?
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is not that they are more important than what we are discussing now. It was agreed at the Business Committee that we would keep parliamentary questions to the Tánaiste and the Topical Issue debate. Members are within their rights to change the Order of Business now. If they want to propose that we drop the questions to the Tánaiste and postpone Topical Issues they can do that-----
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Can we explore that?
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----but only with the support of the House, and we did not have that support at the Business Committee.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is that a proposal?
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Can I comment briefly on that?
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Strictly on that.
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The problem, and I am sympathetic of the proposal, is that it is a little unfair to the people who may not be here who have tabled either a Topical Issue or questions to the Minister because neither of those will be taken before the Christmas break.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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This is really urgent.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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On this, because we are out of time.
Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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As someone who has tabled a Topical Issue matter for tomorrow, I believe we should consider this legislation in a more comprehensive way. We cannot squeeze it in tomorrow morning. We need more time.
I also want to ask about the Members who are on the list. Is that the rotation we will follow from here?
8:25 pm
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My proposal is that when we go back to Report Stage whoever is in the Chair will have this list and will be starting with Deputy Pat Casey. We have completed the list down to Deputy Bríd Smith. We have to decide now.
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Will we be taking Committee Stage first?
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We will be completing the recommittal. We are still in recommittal. There is a proposal-----
Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I have a Topical Issue tomorrow and in the interests of the House, I have no problem having it postponed.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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There are two with Topical Issues.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Has the Chief Whip an amendment?
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I have a Topical Issue and I think we are willing to agree as well.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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So there is-----
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputies, please.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is quite helpful.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on, Deputies. It has now been suggested that Topical Issues be withdrawn.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is a matter for the Chief Whip to make a proposal and put it to the House. Is it also being suggested that there should be no questions to the Minister tomorrow?
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I have a question down.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on, Deputy Coppinger. I call the Chief Whip.
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I was only going to say I am at the mercy of the House. If the House wants to postpone the Minister's questions to the first day that we come back and everything else then just gets moved back a day, that is game ball by me.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is the proposal-----
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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No, one second. I am trying to interpret what everyone is saying.
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose that we leave the questions to the Minister for Justice and Equality. They will be done by 11.30 a.m., we will let the Topical Issues fall and they can be taken on 17 January. We will start the legislation at that stage.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is that a compromise? Is that agreed? Agreed.