Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I welcome the decision of the Leader of the House and thank her for it. It reflects a correct assessment of the need for proper participation in the democratic process. I found the debate on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill this week excruciating due to the manner in which it exposed contradictions in the Government's approach. This move will give the House an opportunity to consider the proposals of the Information Commissioner the next time it meets. I hope we will assist him, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with them. A large measure of consensus could emerge across the House when we consider the various issues. This would allow the required changes to be made.

I look forward to the debate and thank the Leader for responding to the difficulties we had on the issue. While committee meetings often clash with sittings of the House, on this occasion the fact that a joint committee was scheduled to deal with exactly the same business as the House made it impossible for us to proceed as planned.