Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for presenting the proposed Order of Business for our consideration today. I second Senator Norris's proposed national screening advisory committee Bill. I acknowledge what Senator Chambers said in respect of the minors in Lesbos. It is important. I lived in Greece for a number of years myself; they are a remarkable and resilient people. It is beholden on all of us as European citizens to play our full and active part. It is something we should consider in more detail and I thank Senator Chambers for raising it.

I thank the Government Chief Whip, Deputy Chambers, for circulating the legislative programme for the autumn session for 2020. It is particularly interesting and I advise colleagues to have a good look at it and to mark out the areas in which they may have a particular interest. I am on the agricultural panel and note that under agriculture, which is one of the first things on the list, is the agriculture appeals (amendment) Bill. The legislative programme suggests that it is the Government's commitment to have pre-legislative scrutiny. However, I learned last night that the Business Committee of the Dáil took the decision to have no pre-legislative scrutiny of it. That is something. A document that was circulated yesterday refers to pre-legislative scrutiny. Government members on the committee took a decision, as is their right and prerogative, to have no pre-legislative scrutiny. That brings me to another issue. Everyone will be aware that we had a public consultation about this Bill. We will be dealing with it next week. I do not intend to talk about the Bill here today. We know that there are 8,889 of our citizens engaged in a public consultation and it would be helpful and meaningful if the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and our Senator, who is the Minister of State in respect of this area, could allow us to see a copy of those submissions today.More important, it would be helpful if we could see an index of those who made submissions. Politicians made submissions, and I have copies of many of those, so I look forward to seeing a consistency of approach in this process.

I welcome that the legislation will be before us next week. I will deal with that matter later.