Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief and I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for facilitating me. I want to share several points with Members today. I thank the people who engaged in a very constructive and interesting debate although we did not get the outcome we sought. There has been huge interest in it and I hope we will have another opportunity at another time to engage on it. It was a very interesting debate. If I represented people on a Luas line, a train line or any other form of public transport, I would be very concerned. We exchanged these views last night so I will not reopen it. I will just say that I will be exceptionally active on it. I am doing two media interviews today on it. It is important. We had an opportunity and we took a decision not to support it but we are moving on. That is politics and we have to keep going.

Yesterday, I met the Minister for Health and spoke to him about my concerns about scoliosis. I met him here in Leinster House briefly. He has confirmed, and I accept, that he cannot come before us prior to Tuesday, 23 November, as the Leader had told us. While it is disappointing, he made the case that he had to come with some positive news and that there was no point in coming and rattling off some old story that was of no consolation to the people who have scoliosis and the advocacy group I am dealing with. I thank the Leader. I know she made efforts. They did not come to very much but that is not a reflection on her. It is a reflection on the Minister's timetable and diary and his view that he needs to come with something concrete to share with us and tell us.

We are here considering a draft Order of Business. It is the Leader's job to bring it to the House and I respect this. I would ask that at a minimum we need at least an hour and a half to consider it. We have to give it justice. We have the right to amend or seek to amend, with the consent of the House, the Order of Business and I would like to ask the Leader to facilitate that the Order of Business would be with Members at least 90 minutes before we come to the House to discuss it, if possible and if practical. It is a reasonable request and I hope the Leader will be in agreement to facilitate it.