Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Like Senator McDowell, the reason the debate is proceeding slowly is the Minister seems to be incapable of accepting that the Opposition might have a decent idea about this issue which is actually different from his. He seems to have a need to use words like "realism,""vacuity" and so on with great enthusiasm. There are more ways than one of being vacuous and unhelpful. Producing complicated amendments out of a Department at the last possible moment and causing considerable inconvenience to members of the Opposition is a fine way to make life slow and difficult. It was not our fault that a whole set of amendments was produced late in the House. If the Minister wants to become involved in that sort of activity, let him begin by having the grace to acknowledge that one of the reasons the issue has become complicated is the Bill was left on the Order Paper untouched for the past four months and, out of the blue, without any advance warning to the Opposition, listed for this week. Having been listed for this week, amendments arrived yesterday evening—