Maurice Hayes (Independent)

Regarding Senator Henry's point, it is a pity that we could not have arrived at this stage a couple of weeks ago without creating tremendous fear and hoo-ha. Since the Special Olympics are organised on an all-island basis, what consultation has taken place with public health authorities in the North?

Senator Quinn referred to the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill and I was one of the extremely select band who remained until 9.30 p.m. last night, when Committee Stage concluded. I took a slightly different view of the Minister of State's body language. He was very receptive and patient and my impression was that he took on board much of what was said and that he would bear those comments in mind when seeking formulations that would meet the concerns expressed by Senator Quinn and me. The difficulty is that one could not really expect him to do that overnight. The Minister of State may have been putting this on hold by saying that he would not be able to consider the various amendments by today but that, before the Bill is introduced in the Dáil, he and his officials will have done so.

That introduces the question of the standing of the House, which in many ways is the more important matter of concern to us. The Minister of State did not seem to be in an appalling hurry to get the Bill through. Will the Leader consider whether it is necessary to complete Report Stage today? We could do it in two stages, which would give the Minister of State time – which he may want and which he would use productively – to reflect the concerns of the House. That would meet the requirements of those who contributed and it would also be more conducive to the dignity of the House.