Seanad debates

Thursday, 8 February 2024

Digital Services Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

9:30 am

Photo of Alice-Mary HigginsAlice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I thank the Minister of State for his response.I look forward to further engagement. As regards these amendments I have tried to bring back in, I wish to flag that it is a concern that they relate to report amendments. They simply request reports. I looked at the rationale for ruling them out of order and it seems to have been due to a cost to the Exchequer. It is as if paper or the work of reports is becoming a cost to the Exchequer. It is an unprecedented thing for amendments requesting reports to be ruled out of order. Such amendments may have been found to be relevant or not to the subject matter of the Bill, but it should not be said that simply to produce a report is an unacceptable cost. I acknowledge that is not a matter for the Minister of State. I am signalling to the Acting Chairperson that I will raise this at the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight because that is a concern in a pattern of-----

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.