Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

The Government wishes to make important changes to the business of the Seanad for today and tomorrow. With the permission of the Cathaoirleach, I would like to announce these changes.

The Order of Business is No. 1, a referral motion whereby the subject matter of motion No. 22 on today's Order Paper is being referred to the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights for discussion — there is an explanation of it on the Order Paper — and it will be taken without debate; No. 2, a referral motion whereby the subject matter of motion No. 21 on today's Order Paper is being referred to the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights for discussion, to be taken without debate; No. 3, the Health (Amendment) Bill 2004 — Second Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude not later than 1 p.m., with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed 12 minutes, those of other Senators not to exceed eight minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply not later than five minutes before the conclusion of Second Stage; No. 4, the Adoptive Leave Bill 2004 — Committee Stage, to be taken at 2.30 p.m. until 3.30 p.m.; No. 5, statements on the current situation in the Middle East, to be taken at 3.30 p.m. until 5 p.m., with the contributions of spokespersons not to exceed 12 minutes and those of other Senators not to exceed eight minutes; and No. 24, motion 19, to be taken from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. There will be a sos from 1 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.

I will now outline the changes which I assure the House are not being made on the basis of caprice or fickleness. They concern important matters which have been conveyed to me by the Government. First, the Interpretation Bill will not be debated today; Committee Stage will be taken next week. Second, an amendment to the Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability, Privileges and Immunity of Witnesses) Act 1997 will be debated in the Dáil tomorrow and will be taken here subsequently. I wanted to tell Members about it today so it would not be sprung on them tomorrow. That amendment will be taken in the Dáil in the afternoon and depending on the way the time factor operates in the Dáil, we expect to debate it in the Seanad at 4 p.m. Third, a copy of the Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2004 was put in Members' pigeonholes this morning. That Bill will be taken tomorrow between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. It is an urgent matter related to a James Joyce exhibition and his family's copyright.