Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call on Deputy Ó Snodaigh to announce the Order of Business for the week ahead.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Seo tairiscint an gCoiste Gnó maidir le gnó na seachtaine seo.

Tuesday’s business shall be No. 4, motion re Committee on the Future of Healthcare to extend its deadline to report back to the Dáil; No. a9, statements on water; and No. 9, statements on Brexit, to include No. 10, motion re report of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs entitled Committee Travel to Brussels 7-8 February 2017 (resumed). Private Members' business shall be No. 98, motion re reform of An Garda Síochána selected by Fianna Fáil.

Wednesday's business shall be No. 10a, statements on the report of the Fennelly commission, and No. 9, statements on Brexit, to include No. 10, motion re report of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs entitled "Committee Travel to Brussels 7-8 February 2017", resumed. Private Members’ business shall be No. 99, motion re the Garda Commissioner, selected by Sinn Féin.

Thursday’s business shall be No. 1, Inland Fisheries Bill 2017 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, and No. 11, Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016 [Seanad] - Second Stage, resumed. Second Stage of No. 21, Prohibition of Micro-Plastics Bill 2016, will be debated in the evening slot.

With regard to the proposed arrangements for this week's business, I refer Members to the revised report of the Business Committee dated 11 April 2017.

As regards today's business, it is proposed that: the motion re the Committee on the Future of Healthcare to extend its deadline to report back to the Dáil will be taken without debate; the statements on water shall conclude within 80 minutes, with the statements confined to an opening round from a Minister or Minister of State and the main spokespersons for parties and groups, or a Member nominated in their stead, which shall not exceed ten minutes each and all Members may share time.

Regarding Wednesday’s business, it is proposed that the statements on the report of the Fennelly commission shall conclude within 90 minutes, with statements confined to the opening round and a single second round. On the opening round, statements of a Minister or Minister of State and the main spokespersons for parties and groups, or a Member nominated in their stead, shall not exceed ten minutes each. The second round of ten minutes in total shall be confined to members of the Government, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin to be divided proportionally on a 40-40-20 basis, respectively, and all Members may share time.

In the context of Thursday’s business, it is proposed that the Dáil on its rising shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 May 2017.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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There are three proposals to put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with today's business agreed to?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed. I object to the proposal of statements on water, for which 80 minutes has been allocated. I remind Members that last week, when publication of the draft report was postponed, it was understood that time for debate would be allocated for tomorrow morning and on Thursday morning. There was also an understanding that a motion would be brought forward in respect of the report. Instead, we are offered statements for 80 minutes today. I am advised that Ministers were not available to take the debate on water charges in the Dáil on Wednesday and Thursday. If true, that is astonishing. Nonetheless, we will not accept statements today. We need the report, as drafted, to come through the committee and a motion to come to the floor of the Dáil for Members to debate and on which a vote will be taken - a vote taken in line with the original findings of the committee, in line with the electoral mandate of the majority of Deputies elected to the Dáil and in line with the expectations of hundreds of thousands of people across the State.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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On a point of order, we agreed the Order of Business at the Business Committee this morning. I am getting tired of going to the Business Committee every week and having agreed the business at the Thursday meeting, seeing it changed the following week. We agreed the business at 11.15 a.m. today.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It certainly was our understanding that the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services would issue its findings today and that there would be two sessions scheduled for the debate on water. That was the understanding last week, not 80 minutes of statements. The concept of statements is becoming quite comical to the public. We continually make statements rather than decisions. People want a decision to be made in respect of this matter. With all due respect to Deputy Mattie McGrath, we want a decision. We have no wish to talk about water for ever either. We should not have to do so. It is clear that the public gave its opinion, regardless of whether people like it. There appears to be prevarication on the Taoiseach's side of the House.

Why was that cut back to 80 minutes, and why was it changed, a Cheann Comhairle?

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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To be helpful to the two Deputies, procedurally one cannot bring a motion for something that has not concluded yet. We are all aware the Oireachtas committee on water is still concluding its deliberations downstairs. Once the committee has accepted a draft report I will bring a motion to the House asking it to vote on that draft report but I cannot do it before the committee has finished its work. That was discussed at length this morning. The reason we have statements is to allow everybody to share their views on either accepting or not accepting the draft report.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Which we will not have seen.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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More time was requested this morning for the report and it was also agreed that because the legislation will be before the Houses in the next month, ample time will be given to every single Member of this House to discuss the pending legislation after the draft report has been accepted or rejected by the Dáil.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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A Cheann Comhairle-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Was that agreed by everybody at the meeting?

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I did not even object to the two weeks.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We were on a roll.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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A Cheann Comhairle-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Order, please.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I say, respectfully, that is the most arse-about-face approach I have ever heard in my life.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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A Cheann Comhairle. One cannot be disrespectful.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Chief Whip cannot bring the motion because the committee has not completed its work-----

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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But that is-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Excuse me, but we are to have statements in the absence of that report. That is absolutely farcical and a joke. We are certainly not agreeable to that. What we need is the report, a motion, a debate and a decision. I entirely agree with Deputy Coppinger.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Could I ask Deputy McDonald to clarify whether it is her proposal then that we do not have the statements if the report is not available to us?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is our proposal that we have the debate on Wednesday and Thursday, as committed to last week, and that the debate is premised on the basis of a motion on the basis of a completed report from the committee. As we know, the report has been drafted and there is a rearguard action by some now to tear it asunder but that is what needs to happen and that is the efficient way for us to go about our business.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I wish to be clear, for everyone. I am in the hands of the House on this and I cannot determine what we will or will not do but what was decided last week was that the Business Committee would meet this morning at 11.30 a.m. to consider what was the position on the report from the committee. When we met at 11.30 a.m., there was no report from the water committee and nor could we be certain that there would be but there was a feeling among the Members present at the Business Committee that the issue was so important that there should be statements today on the matter.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Yes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Most people were in favour of that and that is why we are where we are in terms of the proposal before us. If Members wish to do something else-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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A Cheann Comhairle, could I make a point?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes, of course.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It seems to me that Deputy Ó Snodaigh faithfully read out what the Business Committee had agreed this morning. We are happy to go along with that, but within a minute, Deputy McDonald disagreed with Deputy Ó Snodaigh's proposal.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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She is entitled to do that.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is just ridiculous carry-on.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Fianna Fáil did the same.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Fianna Fáil did the same last week.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We did not, actually. The point I made is that within a minute, we got conflicting propositions on the Sinn Féin Party's position. One would have thought the Sinn Féin position would have been clear at this morning's meeting. That is a reasonable expectation.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have no difficulty with the statements this evening and we have no difficulty with a debate-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am sure Deputy Martin does not.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----on Thursday and Friday-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Good Friday.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----because we did most of the heavy lifting on this work over many weeks, far more heavy lifting than Sinn Féin has ever done on the water issue since this Dáil was formed.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Martin looks traumatised.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is very noble of Deputy Martin.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will have a final comment from Deputy McDonald and then we will move on. I am sorry but I cannot call Deputy Ó Snodaigh.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The reality is that we have reached decision time on the issue and the kicking of cans down the road has to stop. To repeat, what we need is a motion, a debate and a decision on the report. Statements serve absolutely no useful purpose bar for those who perhaps wish to prevaricate and to shove the issue further down the road again. Deputy Ó Snodaigh read out the proposed business on behalf of the committee. It was not a personal statement by him and I am setting out the considered position of Sinn Féin on this matter.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Again, for the record, Deputy Ó Snodaigh is acting as a rapporteur-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Precisely.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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-----on behalf of the committee so he is quite entitled to present the position and a party is quite entitled to challenge that.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It happened before though. There is a different reaction from everybody here. Let us be honest. There is a lot of hypocrisy now.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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There may well be. I am going to put the question.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Before the Ceann Comhairle puts the question, I wish to comment in an attempt to be helpful. It is the Government's position to bring forward the motion if the committee concludes its deliberations before 6.05 p.m.. If the committee does not conclude its deliberations, I am procedurally unable to bring forward a motion or put something to the House.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Stick to the original agreement.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Therefore, the debate and statements will start at 6.05 p.m If the Joint Committee on Future Funding of Domestic Water Services has concluded its deliberations at that stage or beforehand, I will bring forward the motion. If not, the motion will be dealt with during the voting block on Thursday.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Exactly. Is the proposal for dealing with Tuesday's business agreed to?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Not agreed.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal for dealing with Wednesday's business agreed to?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can I ask a question?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is for clarity. Statements will be taken today. When the report is completed by the committee, will a motion be brought to the Dáil and will time be made available for a debate?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Will the Government bring forward a motion?

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As I said beforehand, we will endeavour to have the motion this evening.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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No. If the Government does not have the motion this evening-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy can have only one intervention.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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This is important, a Cheann Comhairle.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I know it is very important but the Deputy can have only one intervention.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Thank you, and I would like one answer to that question.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy got the answer.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is a reasonable question.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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To continue the point, as Deputy McDonald cannot come in again, if the committee report is not ready by this evening, which I would say is highly possible at this stage, if at all, and a motion flows from that, will the Government allow for a debate on that motion?

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Again, to answer the question, the intention of Government is to have the motion before the debate this evening.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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If not-----

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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If that is not possible, we will revert to the Business Committee tomorrow.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will move on. Is the proposal for dealing with Wednesday's business agreed to?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed on the basis that there is uncertainty around this matter of the debate on the motion arising from the committee report. I say respectfully to the Business Committee that this is very messy.

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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It is only yourselves who are making it messy.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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My concern is that we will have statements this evening, which is fine.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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You were paying for it and then you were not paying for it-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can we have order now, please?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I was not talking to Deputy Kehoe. I am addressing the Ceann Comhairle.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Deputy McDonald is holding everyone up. She is wasting time.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please have respect for Deputy McDonald. She has the floor.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. My concern is that in the middle of this messing-----

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is messing.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----there will be a motion but that time will not be afforded to debate it. We will be in the ridiculous position, therefore, where we will have statements in advance of the report but no substantive debate on the motion. That is a farcical way to go about our business.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I want to put on the record that normally when there is a dispute about the debate it goes back to the Business Committee. I want to make it clear that we have no objection to having a debate on a motion. We did not ask for statements this evening. My understanding is that Sinn Féin and others asked for statements this evening at the Business Committee. I might be wrong but my understanding is that is what happened, and then suddenly-----

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Martin was not there.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My understanding all along was that there was to be a debate on the report. I propose-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can we have order, please?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on a second. An attempt is being made here to imply that somebody somewhere mystically is blocking something. It is very simple. The Business Committee should be reconvened if there is such a breakdown in agreement, even though it met this morning and apparently agreed all of this. Clearly, that has broken down. I respectfully suggest that the Business Committee meet and sort this out in terms of what they want.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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As a member of the Business Committee-----

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy McGrath will bring a bit of wisdom to the debate.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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-----I resent being accused of messing. We do our business in the best manner we can and I object to the way it is being changed and undermined here, but I will not accept that we are messing. I would prefer if Deputy McDonald withdrew that comment.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal for dealing with Wednesday's business agreed to?

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I take it now that if the committee reports, a Business Committee meeting will be convened to table the motion and the time required, be it Wednesday or Thursday of this week, and hopefully there will be sufficient time proposed by that Business Committee meeting.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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If the House requires a Business Committee meeting to be held, then we will hold it and we will consider those matters.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The objective is to bring the motion to the House this evening. If that happens then the Deputy's request will not need to be acceded to.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal for dealing with Thursday's business agreed to?

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I understand that my colleague raised on the Business Committee the prospect of a debate on the Bus Éireann situation. Will the Ceann Comhairle give an assurance that such a motion could be tabled between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Thursday? I raise this issue because at that point workers will at have been on strike for more than 20 days. This is the equivalent of four week's pay for most people, four weeks multiplied by five days being 20 days. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, has been pretending that the situation has nothing to do with him.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Wait now, Deputy.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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This should be-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot have a debate on the matter.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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We-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot have a debate on the matter.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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The reason we should debate it is the 2,600 workers who depend for their livelihood on Bus Éireann. There is talk of redundancies and reducing the composite pay of the workers by a dramatic amount. We have not had a proper debate on this in the Dáil. We have had Topical Issue debate with Deputies speaking for one minute, but this is obviously the key industrial dispute of our time over recent months and we should be debating it in Dáil Éireann. I ask the Ceann Comhairle to agree that we could table something between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Thursday.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is not for me to agree. It is a matter for the Business Committee to agree. Deputy Coppinger's colleague, Deputy Mick Barry, raised this issue this morning. We are conscious of the fact that as we speak, the Labour Court is considering this particular subject. We have adopted a protocol around how to deal with industrial disputes. Members agreed today that if the Labour Court fails to reach an agreement today, the matter would again be considered by the Business Committee and time would be made available for a debate.

Is the proposal for dealing with Thursday's business agreed to? Agreed.