Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I intend to call for a division on this amendment. This is not because I disagree with it, but to express my annoyance at the manner in which the Seanad is being treated. This is a major amendment under discussion today, and while Members were promised a briefing note, we were not briefed properly. I am concerned because this is a quite substantive amendment. The explanation provided last week by the Minister was laughable and no Member understood it. I am sure the Minister would not have done so either, had he been listening to it rather than reading it from a script. I am sure he also found it confusing.

This is not the way to pass legislation. There is an onus on Members to scrutinise proposed legislation to the best of our ability. It is virtually impossible to do so in respect of this Bill. Its amendments are longer than the Bill itself. When one considers the typographical errors in the Bill, one is struck that it was published first and written afterwards. The habit of publishing legislation and then making substantive changes afterwards appears to have become a trait of the Government. I understand the Criminal Justice Bill has more than 200 pages of amendments. I am grateful that I am not justice spokesperson, as I thought that health was bad enough.

This is not the way to do business in a democracy. In principle, Fine Gael have no problem with the idea of nurses being allowed to prescribe. We welcome it and have suggested it in the past. However, on a point of principle, I intend to call a division on this amendment. Had I so wished, I could have called divisions in respect of all the amendments proposed today. I did not do so, as I did not wish to waste the House's time. However, I am putting this down as a marker. If this ever happens again while I am spokesperson on health, I will call divisions for all amendments. Moreover, I will call for walk-through divisions. The Seanad should not be treated with the contempt shown to it today. It is regrettable that the Government has acted in this way, by producing such substantive amendments after the publication of the Bill. It makes the job of Opposition Members to scrutinise legislation virtually impossible. That scrutiny is not in our interest but in the interest of the general public. There is also growing commercialisation of the pharmacy sector so it is vital that we do all in our power to ensure the public gets the product it deserves and which is appropriate.