Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

There are no covert conspiracies on my part. I read what the Senators said in the debate on the Bill. This is a technical area, we are updating legislation and re-enacting law. Nobody is shivering in his or her boots waiting for the results of our deliberations. We are trying to deal with this in an honest, transparent way. As Chief Whip I assure the Senators that whenever this legislation can be passed in this House I will do my utmost to get it on the agenda of the Dáil. It will proceed to Report Stage and will then become law.

I accept that the Bill has been in gestation for some time. We propose that the Act comes into operation six months after the date of its passing. I ask the Senators to accept my bona fides that I will try to ensure the Bill progresses as quickly as possible. This will be in the next session and perhaps we could meet to discuss when we would like to see it enacted.

The reason for the amendment is that interested parties, such as the courts and the Judiciary, have the chance to be appraised of the Act. I cannot see what is the big deal. We are trying to modernise the law in this area. If we do not enact this legislation I do not think anyone would be knocking on our doors. This is a practical suggestion and I can assure the Senators that I will do my utmost to speed the Bill through the Houses. Hopefully it will be enacted close to the date suggested by Senator Ryan. I cannot give commitments but I will do my utmost to get it through the other House, once it is passed by this House.