Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I am delighted with the election of Senator Barack Obama as President. It is wonderfully exciting and hopeful for the world to see a change of regime in the White House. Given that Senator Obama has made it clear that one of his key priorities will be the challenge of climate change, I renew my call on the Leader to allocate time for the debate on the Climate Protection Bill which I introduced last year. The Second Stage debate on the Bill is due to be resumed. Previously, I was given a commitment by the Deputy Leader of the House that time would be allocated to resume that debate. I asked him about it again yesterday but he did not give a clear indication of when that would happen. I ask the Leader to indicate when the Second Stage debate on the Bill can be resumed. In the words of Senator Obama, "Yes we can" pass a Bill on climate change that sets binding targets for reductions in emissions. The UK did it last week and we can do it in this country. The time is ripe, with a new regime due to take over in the White House.

What does the Leader propose to do about the inappropriate and extraordinary intervention yesterday in the legislative process by the leader of one of the churches by expressing concern about the civil partnership Bill? Cardinal Sean Brady's comments were most ill-considered given that we live in a republic where there is separation of church and state. He is entitled to express his views but he over-stated views that stray into the legislative domain. I ask the Leader for a commitment that the civil partnership Bill will be introduced early in the next session and that the content will not be altered by this inappropriate intervention.