Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Today's business shall be No. 19, motion re Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures Order 2018 and Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Republic of Ghana) Order 2018 - referral to committee; No. 19a, Financial Resolution re Home Building Finance Ireland Bill 2018; No. 7, Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018 - all Stages; and No. 20, motion re Statement for the Information of Voters in relation to the Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018. Private Members' business shall be No. 207, motion re future of the post office network, selected by Sinn Féin.

An gnó fá choinne an Céadaoin seo, business shall be No. 38, statements on a scoping inquiry into the CervicalCheck screening programme; No. 20a, motion to instruct the committee on the Home Building Finance Ireland Bill 2018; and No. 8, Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2018 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. Private Members' business shall be No. 208, motion re BusConnects, selected by Fianna Fáil.

An gnó fá choinne an Déardaoin seo, business shall be No. 21, motion re European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere; No. 9, Central Bank (National Claims Information Database) Bill 2018 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage; and No. 8, Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2018 - Second Stage (resumed). Second Stage of No. 58, National Monuments (The Moore Street Battlefield) Bill 2018 in the name of Deputy Peadar Tóibín, shall be debated in the evening slot.

Regarding Tuesday's business, it is proposed that Nos. 19 and 19ashall be taken without debate and any division demanded shall be taken immediately. Second Stage of No. 7 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 85 minutes and any division demanded on the conclusion of Second Stage shall be taken immediately. Speeches shall be confined to a single round for a Minister or a Minister of State and the main spokespersons for parties or groups, or a Member nominated in their stead, which shall not exceed ten minutes each, with a five-minute response from the Minister or the Minister of State and all Members may share time. Proceedings on Committee and Remaining Stages shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 15 minutes by one question which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice and Equality. No. 20 shall be taken without debate at the conclusion of all Stages of the Bill and any division demanded shall be taken immediately. Immediately on conclusion of proceedings on the motion, Private Members' business will be taken for two hours and the Dáil shall adjourn at the conclusion of Private Members' business.

Regarding Wednesday's business, it is proposed that there shall be no questions to the Taoiseach and the sos, in accordance with Standing Order 25(1), shall be taken at the conclusion of questions on promised legislation. No. 38 shall be brought to a conclusion after 80 minutes and confined to a single round of statements by a Minister or a Minister of State and the main spokespersons for parties or groups, or a Member nominated in their stead. Speeches shall not exceed ten minutes each and all Members may share time. No. 20ashall conclude within 60 minutes and speeches shall be confined to a single round for a Minister or a Minister of State and the main spokespersons for parties or groups, or a Member nominated in their stead, which shall not exceed seven and a half minutes each and any division demanded shall be taken immediately.

Regarding Thursday's business, it is proposed that No. 21 shall be taken without debate.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I presume they are live when-----

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Fianna Fáil will get-----

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Apologise now.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I can only imagine what Deputy John Brassil might have said.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Or the Healy-Raes.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It would take up twice the tape.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is a backup system.

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

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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No.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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No.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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It is not agreed to on two counts. I understand on the time allowed for statements on the Scally scoping inquiry that there will be eight ten-minute slots.

The standard practice for statements is that time is allowed for a Minister to respond. Given the seriousness of the issue, one would expect that half an hour would be provided for questions and answers. However, there is no opportunity to come back on it, which is a mistake.

The second issue with which I have difficulty relates to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. The Bill has been under discussion for 1,000 days. That is six and a half years after the first recommendations were made on this legislation. A large number of spurious reasons have been given for delaying the Bill. Many tactics have been used by various Members here and in the Seanad as a result of the massive lobby put on by the alcohol industry. Time had been allowed to discuss the Bill tomorrow night and there is no reason we cannot deal with that. There are 14 Members of this House who are continuing to engage in these kinds of delaying tactics and have tabled all sorts of spurious amendments on the Order Paper. They come from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and, in one case, the Labour Party. I strongly appeal to the Taoiseach and Deputies Micheál Martin and Brendan Howlin to ask their party members to withdraw those amendments. Let us stop the game playing on this and get this important legislation through as quickly as possible.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot get into to a very detailed discussion on the matter.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to say something on the same matter.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I will call Deputy Stephen Donnelly first and then the Deputy.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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People have been waiting for a very long time for the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. Our understanding as of around 10 a.m. this morning was that it would be heard and hopefully would pass Report Stage in the House tomorrow night. At about 11.30 a.m., we received word that it had been pulled from the schedule.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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By the Government.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. While I hope this is merely a scheduling issue, my concern is that this has also happened several times in the Seanad. Senators were told it was an administrative issue and that the Government would return with the Bill the following week, but then the legislation disappeared for months. The Bill will, I hope, will save many lives. The Government pulled it from the schedule this morning. Will the Minister of State tell us why and assure the House that it will be back in the time necessary to get through Report Stage by next week at the latest?

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill has been subject to disgraceful delays. The people who are doing it know who they are, and we know who is pushing this agenda. Will the Taoiseach give us an explanation? I join Deputy Donnelly in hoping that it is a scheduling error. However, the experience in the Seanad is that the Bill has disappeared from the agenda on several occasions. Will the Taoiseach explain why we cannot discuss it tomorrow when there seems to be consensus in the House that we should do so?

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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On the first matter raised by Deputy Shortall-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That was the Scally report.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Yes. A circular was issued on the Scally report on Wednesday. In fairness, Deputy Shortall was alone in requesting time for questions and answers at the end of the discussion. We have a tight schedule but if Deputies agree, the Government side has no problem with having 15 or 20 minutes of questions and answers at the end.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is it agreed to facilitate a question and answer period, as set out by the Minister of State?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is agreed.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. On the second issue raised by Deputy Róisín Shortall and also Deputies Stephen Donnelly and Louise O'Reilly, we have received messages that new amendments are being considered. There are no delaying tactics. The Bill was on the schedule because it is also one of the Taoiseach's priorities. The Deputy asked for an assurance that it would be on the schedule next week. As far as I am concerned, it will be. I am also happy to check to see if there is any possibility of getting it on the schedule this evening, with the amendments that need to be considered.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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To clarify, if party leaders secure the agreement of their Members to withdraw the delaying amendments, can we take the Bill tomorrow night? I do not see any reason the legislation would not go through in the hour that was allocated for it, or in ten minutes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I do not ever recall a Deputy arguing that amendments were delaying legislation. Members are entitled to table whatever amendments they wish.

The Deputy's point about starting the debate tonight or tomorrow on whatever it was originally proposed to deal with is very relevant.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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To provide absolute clarity, it was the Government that withdrew the Bill. It was nothing to do with the Opposition or anybody else. Deputy Shortall might be implying that we had some involvement in withdrawing the Bill but we had none whatsoever. We want the Bill to go ahead as it is going on for too long.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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In the interests of the House we must respect the process by which people can table amendments.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Of course.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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All Members are entitled to table amendments and we should be very careful about imputing ill intent to anyone who tables an amendment.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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For the record, as the Head of Government and the Minister who published the Bill, I want to see it enacted too, but I do not think we can play out the Business Committee here. I will speak to the Whip about it afterwards, and if there is a way to get it back on the schedule this week, we will do that.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Okay. Can we accept that from the Taoiseach?

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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Yes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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He was very positive. Therefore, is Wednesday's business agreed to? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with Thursday's business agreed to? Agreed. We will move on quickly then to Deputy Micheál Martin and questions on promised legislation.