David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I seek the permission of the Leader of the House to take First Stage of the Corporate Manslaughter Bill 2013, which is item No. 15 on the Order Paper, before item No. 1.

I concur with the remarks of Fianna Fáil Members on the Order of Business. Senator Ó Clochartaigh and I have also raised the issue in recent days and weeks. Opposition Members have a genuine concern about the very light Order of Business the House has had in recent weeks. Government and Opposition Members are all here to do serious business and I suspect our concern is shared by Members opposite. While we accept this is a busy time for Ministers who have an EU Presidency role, I do not accept the impact it is having on the House. We are not in a position to introduce and discuss legislation or to have debates on important issues like those which have taken place in the House in previous years.

I remind the Leader of a number of debates for which my party has called in the past number of months. These include debates on mortgage distress, increased poverty, the rental accommodation scheme and the private rented sector, which has been raised already today, youth unemployment, the jobs situation, all-Ireland co-operation and agriculture and the potential of Harvest 2020. The 1,600 jobs which have been announced for the south-east include 80 jobs to be created by Glanbia. The balance of 1,500 ancillary jobs will be created only if we maximise the potential of Harvest 2020, which is why we must have that debate with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Croke Park II has been rejected but we have not had a debate in the House on the implications of that rejection and what will happen next. The revised stability programme has been published. Growth projections have been revised downwards and unemployment projections have been revised upwards, which shows clearly that the austerity policies of the Government are not working. We have also had calls for debates on workers' rights and the arts, including by Senators Mac Conghail and Norris.

We have had any amount of calls for debates in the House, which have not occurred. It is an embarrassment to travel up from our constituencies to the House without being able to contribute in the way we should simply because Ministers do not want to come into the Seanad. There is a perception and a fear on our side, which it is for the Government to allay, that the Government is winding down the Seanad. That is why Ministers will not attend. The evidence is there to prove it. People may laugh or pass remarks opposite, but the proof is in the pudding when one looks back on the Orders of Business over the past number of weeks. It has been appalling. While I do not blame the Leader of the House specifically, I ask him to respond. Hopefully, we will improve the Order of Business for the benefit of all Members in the weeks and months ahead.