Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is pathetic that today we will have statements on the general scheme of the Seanad electoral (university Members) (amendment) Bill 2014, with no discussion of the Bill and no Bill having been published. Tomorrow we are scheduled only to discuss Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-2030 and a Private Members' motion, and there is no business on Thursday. The blame for this situation should not be laid at the Leader's door.

With regard to the level of business in the Oireachtas, which comprises the Dáil and the Seanad, I remind Members that since January - the turn of the year - only one Bill has been published and introduced by Government. Last week in the Dáil there were three days of statements, which will be continued this week, and no legislation, which is no way to run the Oireachtas and Parliament. I put the Leader on notice now that I know what is going to happen later in this term. We will have a glut of legislation and we will have Ministers acting like the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, who published and introduced six Bills in the last two weeks of the last term, and it was only with the Leader's intervention that we were able to ensure that there was proper debate and scrutiny of the legislation. I am not making a party political point.

This is a political point about the operation of the Oireachtas. I understand from officials that no further legislation will come to either the Dáil or the Seanad until the end of March. It is a joke. We will have a situation in which the Leader will be under pressure in this House, the Taoiseach, the Chief Whip and other Ministers will be under pressure in the Dáil, and we will have the most prevalent use of the guillotine to shut down debates in the Dáil. I thank the Leader for not allowing that to happen to the same degree here in the Seanad. I will conclude on this because this is a matter for the Cathaoirleach's office too.

Neither House sits next week due to the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. I understand that and it is fine. Our Taoiseach and Ministers have an important role to play abroad. What have we got the following week and the week after that? It is a joke, and we have been saying this. Last week we endeavoured to seek debates on some important ministerial orders. We in the Seanad will have to stand up for ourselves with regard to moving the legislation that is on the Order Paper, which Members from all parties here have produced.