Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I am aware they will be grouped, and that is the normal procedure. However, irrespective of the grouping, very substantial matters must be discussed, and this House has a very proud history of doing a job that the other House, for one reason or another, sometimes cannot do. I want to be assured that the Government will not apply a guillotine in this House.

On another issue to do with business scheduled for later this week, No. 15 is a report from the Committee on Health and Children on the risk equalisation scheme 2005. Perhaps time might be allocated with the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, on Thursday morning to debate the issue, given what is currently in the public domain. It would be appropriate for us to have a debate for an hour or two, since we are set to approve reports from the Committee on Health and Children. Perhaps the Government might concede that.

Last week the Government issued two very important public statements, one on child care and the other on housing. It was a disgrace that two such significant Government announcements were not debated in either House of the Oireachtas. There was room for them in press conferences and in spinning to the media, but no discussion in either House. There has been no opportunity for the Opposition to question the statements' significance. No other Parliament in the world would tolerate that, and it is very important that, where the Government makes a major public statement, it ensures the Houses of the Oireachtas have an opportunity to test it and that it is made in plenary session of one or other House. It is a disgrace that that did not occur. The Taoiseach has time on a Thursday to open chip shops all over the city but not to attend either House of the Oireachtas. That is an example of the continual dumbing down ofParliament for which the Government has been responsible for the past nine years.