Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I move:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 27E(8), No. 10a, motion re referral of the Eighth Report of the Convention on the Constitution to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, be taken immediately without debate.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is the proposal agreed to?

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed. I think the debate should be had before the-----

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may make a short contribution.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Yes. I am only speaking about the motion, not the content of the report or anything else. This only appeared yesterday. There should be a debate as to whether, given the passage of time, it is appropriate for this to be debated by a committee and not the Dáil first.

It is three and a half years since the report of the Constitutional Convention on this aspect. It is questionable whether the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform is the appropriate committee to refer it to, given a report from the Constitutional Convention recommended a constitutional provision to realise economic, social and cultural rights and greater protection for those. What we are dealing with is not necessarily a finance issue and it is probably more appropriate - similar to the report that came from the Citizens' Assembly, the successor to the Constitutional Convention - that we set up a separate committee or, at the very least, that the report be referred to committees that have the expertise, such as the housing committee. The report from the convention dealt with specific areas of rights that should be enumerated in the Constitution, and it listed those - disabilities, health care, social services, housing and language were the areas it asked us to deal with. What is being suggested here is that, rather than have us discuss which committee is, or which committees are, appropriate, we would send it to the finance committee. That is wholly inappropriate and it is also inappropriate that we are dealing with it in such a rushed manner at this stage, given it is three and a half years since that report was laid before the House.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There is an opportunity for the Government to respond before I put the question.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I do not think this is a rushed matter and I do not think we need to delay it any further. The committee we propose sending this to needs to deal with the totality of issues that have been recommended in the Constitutional Convention's eighth report. That committee deals with finance, expenditure and reform issues and with the Department of the Taoiseach. Given the scope of the committee, but also the scope of the eighth report of the Constitutional Convention, we feel it is the most appropriate committee to discuss this issue.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Is the proposal agreed to?

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed.