Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

The Leader is proposing that the House deal with No. 3, the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2003 which was published and circulated to colleagues in the House this morning. The Government is attempting to ram it through the House today and tomorrow. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has had 12 months to get his act together on this issue and now in the late stages of this parliamentary session he and his Government colleagues are attempting to bring the Bill before this and the other House within a matter of two weeks. This is unacceptable. The Minister has used the argument that this is a complicated matter which needs to be thought out and considered, yet the Leader is proposing that the House deal with Committee and Report Stages in a period of three hours, even though the Bill contains a significant number of sections. This is a radical departure from existing practice. We need more time to debate the Bill, which should not be dealt with in this manner this week. I have no difficulty dealing with Second Stage today but tomorrow's Committee Stage debate should continue next week.

Justice spokespersons on this side of the House will be in the House from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will deal with the European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001 and the Intoxicating Liquor Bill. It is not fair that they should be in the House for that length of time and not get the chance to consider their amendments to the Bill published this morning. The Leader is, presumably, under pressure from the Government to get this Bill through the House. However, this is not the way to do business. We do not normally have Committee and Report Stages together. I ask her to seriously reconsider this in advance of tomorrow's sitting.