Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I respect the ruling, as I always do. It is unfortunate and I am very disappointed in it. I am, therefore, proposing an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that, directly after the Order of Business, not at 5 p.m., a debate take place in the Seanad for one or two hours - I will leave that open to my colleagues - in which we can address issues and the Seanad can have a voice in rejecting the below-cost offer which, if accepted by the Government, will do extreme damage to Aer Lingus and the State and copperfasten the savage cuts the Government has introduced to the 15,000 members of the IASS.

I want to be clear. I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that the debate should happen straight after the Order of Business. We can discuss the two motions I tabled, which the Government, unfortunately, has not accepted. One deals with rejecting the sale and the other with what should happen if the Government proceeds with it, namely, that the proceeds be used to defray the cuts in the pension scheme.