Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

Contrary to what the Minister of State says, this Bill has not been introduced at short notice; we had to wait a couple of months for it. There are no explanatory memoranda with it, which is a new departure. While it is crucial we read the exact text of Bills, the explanatory memoranda are a help to legislators to give them an overview. We are indebted to the Oireachtas Library and Research Service for its work but this is an unwelcome departure.