Ivana Bacik (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I echo the words of Senator Wall. As he rightly said, we in the Labour Party entirely support the Government's efforts to ensure a deal is reached with regard to Brexit. We know what a critical time we are at this week. We understand and acknowledge that. We are certainly not opposing the Bill but, as Senator Wall has said, our amendment on Committee Stage last week, amendment No. 4, was not opposed by any Government Senator. It was passed. I know things can happen and that it may have passed inadvertently. We saw that happen with Government amendments on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017. We understand why the Government has proposed this amendment today but we have to oppose it. The reasons we tabled amendment No. 4, which would insert a new section 68 allowing for a review after 12 months, were set out eloquently by Senator Wall on Committee Stage last week. The amendment was supported by many, as he has said. We will oppose the Government amendment which seeks to take out that review. We understood that a commitment was given in the Dáil that there would be such a review.

For all of those reasons, we cannot support the Government amendment, although we will not oppose the Bill, despite our discomfort with the guillotine which Senator Sherlock expressed on the Order of Business earlier. As leader of the Labour Party group, I have put our position on the record. Our amendment was reasonable and it deserved and got Government support last week. We are disappointed to see the Government seeking to delete it this week. It is for that reason that we will oppose the Government amendment.