Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

A number of issues have been raised by Senator Maurice Hayes. Under the Constitution, the Houses of the Oireachtas cannot declare acts to be infringements of the law retrospectively. That is very clear. Therefore, between the time of the Supreme Court judgment and this evening — I am assuming the President will accede to our request to sign the Bill into law but I do not want to be disrespectful to her — everything has to be dealt with under the statute law valid during that period. That is the strict legal position. We are legislating here for what happens henceforth.