Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Monday, 7 December, and Tuesday, 8 December 2015, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, Finance Bill - Second Stage, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and conclude not later than 2.45 p.m. with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply not later than 2.40 p.m.; No. 3, International Protection Bill 2015 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 2.45 p.m. and adjourn not later than 5 p.m.; No. 4, Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015 - Second Stage, to be taken at 5 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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We will be objecting to the Order of Business. When this Government came into power we were told there would be a new way of doing politics, a new Government, new procedures and a new legislative scrutiny. What we have this week is what we have had for the last number of years - a ramrodding through of legislation in the last few weeks before the recess. It is the same in the summer. Senator Coghlan is shaking is head.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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That is not true.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator will be aware that his party has now stacked the legislation before Christmas to try to get things done and dusted. There is no time for scrutiny. What we saw in this House yesterday with regard to the Legal Services Bill, which was reported by The Irish Times, was a shambles. That was an understatement. The legislative programme and all the promises made by Fine Gael are now in chaos, including the universal health system promised by Fine Gael. The five-point plan has been reduced to a four-point plan, and we will be very lucky if there are three points left in it before 2015 is out.

I ask for a debate on immigration reform in the United States and the 50,000 undocumented Irish people there who, similarly to last year, are unable to return home to family and friends this Christmas. It is estimated that about 500,000 people in Ireland are affected by the situation faced by the undocumented Irish people in the United States. For every person in the United States who is unable to come back there are ten family members affected - brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers whose loved ones cannot come back because their legal status in the United States is in the process of being remedied. The US President, Barack Obama, has issued an executive order. I asked that the Government intervene to ask for a humanitarian visa clause in the executive order so that in situations of bereavement or family illness those who are undocumented can return home to see their families and loved ones. Unfortunately, the Government took no action. I ask for the debate because there are issues regarding visa waivers whereby those who have overstayed their visas can seek a waiver to obtain legal status within the United States, but the Government has not informed them. The sad reality is that this Christmas, again, 50,000 people will not be able to return home. We need more action.

I will conclude by referring to the Government inaction which was crystallised in an event on Capitol Hill at the Speaker's lunch on St. Patrick's day two years ago. A press release given to the Irish press corps stated that the Taoiseach was going to address the issue and his speech was distributed. It contained two paragraphs on the undocumented Irish in the United States, asking the legislators there to do something about it. There were no press allowed at the Speaker's lunch, but the Irish Government was unaware that when the US President attends an event every word is transcribed by a stenographer. In the Taoiseach's address to the legislators on Capitol Hill there was not one mention of the undocumented Irish. I am sure all the Congressmen and Senators walked away from that meeting saying, "I hear a lot about the undocumented Irish in the United States, so why did their Prime Minister not mention it here in front of us?". When one has the opportunity in the United States one should seize it. That is the level of concern our Government has for the undocumented Irish people in the United States. When it has the opportunity, it does not seize it. I ask for a debate on the undocumented and why, once again this year, they are unable to come home.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I support Senator Daly's call for a debate on the regularisation of the undocumented Irish in the United States. I know he has worked on this issue for a long time and I absolutely agree that it is a pressing matter for many families. There are two related topics that this House may have a chance to debate in the new year. The first concerns stateless persons. I raised this last night in the debate on the International Protection Bill and it will be raised again on Committee Stage of that Bill today. We need to make provision in the State for those who are stateless here and whose legal position is precarious. The second related topic, which does not come up in discussions of international protection but is very much related to the subject of the undocumented Irish, is votes for emigrants - those Irish citizens resident outside this jurisdiction. Colleagues who were involved in the Constitutional Convention will recall the very moving session during which we heard from Irish emigrants all over the world via video link. They spoke about how much it would mean to them to be given the right to vote. The proposal to allow them the right to vote in presidential elections would have had no difficult logistical implications in terms of determining geographical constituencies and so on. I would like the House to have a debate on that in the new year and to look at the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention.

I have spoken about the problem of the amount of legislation being pressed through the House, as has the Leader, and both of us regret that we are again, as in previous Decembers, facing a large amount of legislation being pushed through very late in the day. While we have been looking for legislation earlier in the year, we always end up coming up against a deadline at this time. This year it is particularly evident in the Department of Justice and Equality.

I have looked at the Bills to be debated next week in this House, and the Courts Bill 2015 and the Prisons Bill 2015 are hugely important Bills which I believe will receive a broad welcome from all colleagues. The aim of the Courts Bill 2015 is simply to increase the number of judges and, in particular, to reduce the waiting time for Central Criminal Court trials. Colleagues may know that the President of the High Court has recently appointed a fifth judge to the Central Criminal Court because there is an 18-month delay. This is appalling for people who are victims of crime and for all of those involved in prosecuting and investigating crime. It is simply untenable, and I welcome the fact that the mechanism will be put on a statutory basis and the number of judges increased - by just two, I understand - to tackle these dreadful waiting times. That Bill will be uncontentious and is clearly urgent, and I welcome it. The Prisons Bill 2015 is also a short Bill which will receive a broad welcome from colleagues. It is to facilitate the complete closure of Saint Patrick's Institution. One of the real achievements on penal reform by this Government has been the phasing out of the awful practice of sending children to Saint Patrick's Institution. To see a Bill which will facilitate the complete closure of that institution will be hugely welcome to all of us who have worked on criminal justice, penal reform or children's rights. The Bills are important and I absolutely believe that this House needs to see them though as soon as possible.

With regard to the International Protection Bill 2015, we did commence the debate last night and we will continue it today. It is a long-overdue piece of legislation promised by previous Governments who could not deliver. At last we will see a single unified procedure for the protection of those in direct provision, which will tackle the serious problem of long delays. I and my colleagues have met people who have been in direct provision for long periods, some for ten years or more. It is untenable and needs to be tackled. There is an urgency about these Bills and, despite the unfortunate fact that Senators are again facing a large number of Bills so late in the day, it is important that the House see these through.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I oppose No. 1 on the Order Paper. I agree with the Senators who have spoken already, including Government Senators, who are concerned about the amount of legislation being brought before the House before the Christmas recess. The Leader spoke about this last week and expressed his frustration, but that does not solve the problem. There are three Bills to be guillotined next week. The Bills may be worthy and we may support some of them-----

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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No. They are not being guillotined.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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They are being guillotined if one looks at the proposed schedule for next week. It says that Second Stage of the Prisons Bill 2015 will commence at 1 p.m. and conclude at 2.30 p.m. Not all spokespersons will get a chance to speak, and not everybody who wants to contribute will be able to. Maybe the Bills will not be guillotined on Committee Stage and Report Stage, but we do not know. There are two weeks remaining before the Christmas recess is upon us, so at some point it will have to conclude - or is the Leader going to say these Bills can roll over until the new year? Perhaps the Leader would respond to this. It is a clear concern that they could potentially be guillotined. Speaking time is being narrowed: allowing only one and a half hours for Second Stage is not really how the House has done its business up to now. The same goes for the Courts Bill 2015, which allows 90 minutes, so that not all Senators may get a chance to contribute. There is a guillotine planned for the International Protection Bill, which must conclude by 7 p.m. with a final question.The Government promised us a new way of doing politics and a democratic revolution. It promised us that Bills would not be guillotined but it has guillotined more legislation than the previous Government. It is the same story every year as we move towards Christmas. There is a rush of Bills coming through but we sit here in September and October looking for legislation and cannot get it. It always seems to be from the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence so they could do with getting their house in order. We will strongly oppose No. 1 and will not co-operate with the Government next week if it seeks to guillotine any of these Bills.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise the serious matter of a clear and direct snub to the Oireachtas by some of the so-called "vulture funds" that have been operating in the Irish market since the downturn. Following media reports concerning the jailing of a borrower at the behest of a vulture fund earlier this year, I secured the agreement of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform to invite representatives from some of the vulture funds operating in Ireland to appear before it. There was a unanimous decision of the committee to invite them to appear and a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday next, 9 December. However, I have been informed that all of them have refused to attend. As Members of the Oireachtas, we have a duty to represent the general public and many people with personal home loans and business loans have found that their banks have sold off their mortgages to these debt investors. We have heard from the banks on how they treat people in mortgage arrears but we have not heard from the debt investors and there are real concerns that people are not being treated fairly, with strong indications that some of these entities have been behaving disgracefully by jailing people whose loans they have bought and breaching the terms of personal insolvency agreements by putting pressure on customers who had reached a deal.

There are real concerns at the extent of the discounts at which some loans were acquired and questions as to whether borrowers were getting a fair deal or were being screwed by these companies. These vulture funds are unaccountable and, unfortunately, largely unregulated in Ireland. They are in line to make considerable profits from the loans they acquired from Irish banks. That is fine but they cannot gouge huge profits on the backs of distressed borrowers. As they have apparently declined a reasonable invitation of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform to appear before us we need to ensure they do not give this Parliament the slip, hoping that they can spin us along until the election. I am sure there would be widespread support in this House for measures to make these vulture funds accountable and responsible. We can look at compelling them to attend and should probably widen the review to other funds operating in the market in Ireland. I will speak to my colleagues on the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform but I hope I have the support of this House in seeking to hold these entities to greater account.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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That was an excellent speech by Senator Paul Coghlan. I hope action is taken by his colleagues in government because what he said is true.

I was very impressed by the leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, who has been very consistent in his views on war and the question of taking action to bomb Syria. He voted against the war in Iraq when Tony Blair decided, with President Bush, to bomb Baghdad, which is the kernel of all the problems in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere. He took a courageous stand, which is very consistent with his views that he has expressed all of his political life as a man of peace. Ultimately, his action will be vindicated.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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Hear, hear.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I believe he will continue to lead the Labour Party. Other leaders would change and go along with the general consensus in the House of Commons but he stood alone and he led the majority of his own party to vote against it. The bombing of parts of Syria to destroy ISIS, or Islamic State, will be futile because on the ground it is very strong. The oil from the fields it has taken over is being sold to the west through Turkey or Saudi Arabia and President Putin has accused the Turkish Government of buying it. Somebody is buying the oil and surely the CIA and others know where it is going and from where ISIS gets its funding. They are funding terrorism throughout the country in response to the bombing of ISIS and, in time, an Islamic state will probably be formed and the first people to do business with them will be the United Kingdom Government and other governments. With the RAF extending its bombing campaign to Syria, there will be collateral damage with the death of women, children and people who are not involved. There will be chaos. I wish Jeremy Corbyn well and I believe he will be vindicated in the not-too-distant future

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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On a number of occasions in recent months, I referred to the emergency department at University Hospital Galway, UHG, being unfit for purpose and I am particularly pleased the Taoiseach reiterated my comments in this regard in the Dáil yesterday.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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What is he going to do about it?

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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The facility was originally designed to cater for approximately 100 people per day but up to 250 people now access the facility on a daily basis. During a recent visit to the hospital the leader of Fianna Fáil shed a lot of crocodile tears about the state of the place but he neglected to explain why, during the boom, no investment was put into the facility. I call on the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to ensure that a new facility is included under the HSE capital plan, which I expect to be published early in the new year. It is unfair to patients using the facility and to staff, the nurses and doctors, who are attempting to give safe care to people accessing the emergency department at UHG. The time for talking is over and we need to see action soon.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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That is a bit rich.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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It will take some time to bring a new facility on stream, even if the funding is sanctioned in the morning. I hope, therefore, that the management of the hospital will do everything possible - structurally and in the context of the existing facilities there - to alleviate some of the pressure in the emergency department.

I welcome the Exchequer returns which, for the first time since 2007, show a surplus - some €343 million - at the end of November. Tax receipts are 11.9% higher than the same month last year and this is an indication that the economy is coming back on track. There is now more spending in the economy and, hopefully, from now on our income and expenditure will balance and we will cease borrowing for day-to-day expenditure.

Feargal Quinn (Independent)
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We do not always recognise or praise the great work done by some people. I have just been at the human dignity award ceremony where the Ceann Comhairle presented an award to Barney Curley. I did not know the story of Barney Curley but the amount of work he does in Zambia, for which he is totally unpaid, is just wonderful. It is great that we in this House can recognise such actions because it is important to do so. It is also important that the State as a whole does so and next week I will bring forward a Bill suggesting a Gradam an Uachtaráin, an official award from the President to people of standing who have done work such as this. Barney Curley is exactly the sort of man who would deserve that award.I will take up another point to which my attention was drawn, that is, the question of private inquests in the case of suicide. Under the Coroners Act 1962, there is a legal requirement for an inquest to take place where the death has been violent, sudden or unnatural. In September last, Mr. Paul Kelly of Console delivered an address on the impact of inquests on the family of a person who dies by suicide. He suggests that we should be able to find a solution so that, when it is clear that the death came from suicide, the family could agree to have the inquest in private. His suggestion is worthy of consideration. It is something we should be providing for. Mr. Kelly's suggestion is, at the behest of the next of kin, to allow for inquests for suicide to be conducted in the normal way but in camera, thereby relieving the significant amount of attention that families must go through whenever such a thing happens. It is worth considering this. I suggest that the Leader find a way in the new year to do something about that.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Tacaím leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an Seanadóir Ó Dálaigh ar maidin maidir leis an dream nach bhfuil a gcuid dintiúir i gceart acu atá thar sáile. I concur with the comments of Senator Daly and agree with his call for a debate on the undocumented in the United States and the other issues he raised. These are important issues and we cannot let them fall by the wayside. It is particularly poignant coming up to Christmas that many of these Irish citizens in the United States will not be able to come home to enjoy Christmas in the way others are able to.

I am gobsmacked by some of the comments made by Senator Michael Mullins this morning about University Hospital Galway, UHG. We have been banging this drum for at least five years since I came into the Seanad. That we now have a road-to-Damascus type turnaround from the Taoiseach and he realises that there is an issue in UHG is astounding, but the time for talking is long over. We certainly need action - we need not only bricks and mortar, but staff in the hospitals and reorganisation of the system so that the accident and emergency department in Galway is not under as much pressure as it is currently. We could go on and have a full debate around that particular accident and emergency department, and I would welcome a debate on the accident and emergency department in Galway hospital if that is at all possible.

I would like to propose an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that we do not take No. 1 on the Order Paper today. I am not 100% clear whether it is being proposed. It is quite obvious, since Senator Michael Mullins was saying that he had been talking about UHG, that the Taoiseach was not listening. I am afraid that the Government is not listening to the Leader when it comes to justice Bills. We should check the bill for Red Bull in the Department of Justice and Equality this week because they seem to have been up all night writing legislation, amendments and so on. It is ridiculous what has been happening this week with the Legal Services Bill with regard to the number of amendments that came through and how late that legislation came to us. I am concerned that we will make mistakes in the legislation that is being passed.

I have similar concerns about the International Protection Bill, which we are seeing rushed through the Houses. I oppose the imposition of a guillotine on that Bill on Monday. It is a discredit to those who are seeking asylum in this country and those who claim to care about human rights. We must back the Leader on this one. I believe the Government is saying to him that he must put this motion to the House and he needs our support to oppose that motion. We will not have a battle on our hands in that regard, because I believe the Leader is as frustrated with the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Department as we are.

It is unacceptable that two new Bills are being brought before us on Monday when we have not even seen them properly. It is not the way to legislate, and rushed legislation will be bad legislation. Let us stand up for the Seanad. Let us stand up for our democratic rights. We have a mandate. It is not right for business to be rushed in this way. We need to put a stop to it. Maybe it is merely the fact that the ink is drying on the election posters in Fine Gael headquarters. Maybe that is the reason this is being rushed through at the end of the year. Certainly, it is a disservice to the people who will be affected by this legislation if it is rushed through in the manner proposed.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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For the purpose of clarification, Senator Daly is opposing the Order of Business, while Senator Ó Clochartaigh has a fresh proposal, that No. 1-----

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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-----be deleted from the Order of Business.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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-----be deleted from today's Order of Business.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Yes.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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That is a fresh proposal that needs to be seconded.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Leave it as it is then.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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All of the groups welcomed the introduction of a single unified procedure.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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That is the only element.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader will be adequately capable of responding.

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I second the opposition to the Order of Business proposed by my colleague, Senator Daly. The International Protection Bill 2015 is an important piece of legislation and it should be given time to go through this House in an orderly manner. I appreciate, as Senator Cullinane stated, that the Leader is being put under pressure in this regard, but the guillotine should not be used unless it is necessary to do so. It is not necessary to do so in this case. We still have two weeks remaining here and, if necessary, part of the following week. There is plenty of time and the guillotine should not be used.

I ask the Leader that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, come to the House. The Minister has been here to discuss other pieces of legislation. I make this request while defending the fact that legislation should not be guillotined, but we have an urgent need to debate rural crime. It is something that has been raised on all sides of the House over the past number of weeks and months.It has reached crisis. Recently, a public meeting was held in Swanlinbar in west Cavan. The situation regarding rural crime has deteriorated to such an extent that locals have taken matters into their own hands and formed the local area protection group with the aim of assisting the Garda in trying to stamp out rural crime and, in this case, cross-Border crime. A number of weeks ago, Senator Terry "the Scobe" Brennan lauded the decision made by the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner to put additional gardaí in County Louth. Such deployment is welcome but the gardaí were taken from one region and put into another high-profile Border area.

Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)
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Does the Senator know why we do not have a sufficient number of gardaí?

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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Deployment is necessary but it is unacceptable that the rural community of Swanlinbar should be deprived of proper policing. That is what has happened. Rural crime is at crisis in this area of County Cavan and the matter needs to be addressed. I welcome the formation of the local protection group but unfortunately its members are not properly trained and they also do not have the law behind them if something goes wrong. That community should not have had to set up a group. Will the Leader arrange, as a matter of urgency and before the Christmas recess, a debate on rural crime with the Minister for Justice and Equality?

I support what Senator Quinn has said about Barney Curley who is the second person this year to receive an award from the Human Dignity Group. I reassure the Senator that my party will support his Bill to create an honours system.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senators Daly, Bacik, Cullinane and Mullins and other Senators have mentioned the Order of Business, particularly for next Monday. As the Deputy Leader has mentioned, we must deal with the Courts Bill and Prisons Bill. I do not think there is any chance of guillotining such legislation and I think both Bills will be well received by the House. As the Deputy Leader has said, there are some matters in the Bills that need attention and the Government is attending to them. It is unfortunate they have reached the House so late in the legislative cycle of this Government. I regret having to guillotine the International Protection Bill on Monday. I cannot understand how the Department of Justice and Equality can publish a Bill only last week yet produce 80 or 90 amendments this week.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Such work is the responsibility of the Department of Justice and Equality or whoever is responsible for drafting amendments. I question why the Bill was published in the first place when so many amendments have been produced. In saying that, we will debate Committee Stage of the Bill for two hours today and we will have a further three hours of debate on Monday which should be more than sufficient time to deal with the amendments. Many of the Government's amendments are technical.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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There are 400 amendments in total.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Many other amendments deserve discussion but five hours of discussion should suffice.

Senator Daly mentioned the undocumented Irish, a matter to which several Senators have alluded. The action must come from the US Government to change its laws to provide visas for the undocumented Irish in that country. I can assure the Senator that irrespective of what speech he quoted, the Government, including the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of State who has responsibility for the diaspora, has made strong representations to representatives in the US to have these laws changed and to deal with the question of the undocumented Irish. In many instances, the response has not been very positive from both sides of the Houses of Congress in the US when it comes to voting and bringing in proper legislation. There is a still an amount of work to be done. The Irish Government will continue to address the matter and will lobby as much as possible. At the end of the day, it is a question for the US Administration and its legislators to legislate. We cannot dictate what other countries can do but we can suggest what they should do. We do not have the power to tell them what to do. We will continue to lobby the US as much as possible for a solution to the problem.

Senator Bacik raised the issue of votes for Irish citizens living abroad. I am sure the matter will be addressed in future legislation. We will debate the matter, possibly in the next term of Government if we are returned to power. Nobody knows what the outcome will be.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Is the Leader trying to tell us something?

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senator Bacik has welcomed both the Courts Bill and the Prisons Bill and their provisions which I believe will be generally acceptable to everybody.

Senator Paul Coghlan mentioned so-called debt investors or vulture funds. It is regrettable that they have refused to come before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. I am sure he will make his points to the Minister for Finance when we debate the Finance Bill later today.

Senator Leyden sided with the Labour Party leader in the UK on the stance he adopted on the issue of bombing Syria, a move also supported by Senator Heffernan. In between all our votes last evening, I turned on my television and heard the speech made by Mr. Hilary Benn, the Shadow Foreign Secretary. He made one of the finest speeches I have ever heard and for which he was applauded in the House of Commons, which was most unusual.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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By the Conservatives.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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After Mr. Benn's speech the media has touted him as the next leader of the Labour Party in the UK. I do not want to get involved in the concerns and internal policies of any political party on the other side of the water or, indeed, on this side of the water.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator is on the labour panel for the Seanad.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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It is a different labour, I can assure the Senator.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader, please, without interruption.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senators Mullins and Ó Clochartaigh mentioned the problems being experienced at University Hospital Galway, especially in its accident and emergency department. Senator Ó Clochartaigh has raised the problems on several occasions, including during Commencement debates. I hope the necessary finance will be put in place to address the problems that obviously exist in the hospital.

Senator Quinn referred to the human dignity award presented to Barney Curley. I did not have an opportunity to go to the reception this morning when the award was presented.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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It was a wonderful occasion.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Some people may have been surprised to learn that Barney Curley is involved in charity work and has raised more than €5 million for schools in Africa. Most people will know him for his exploits in the betting ring where he has pulled off many coups over the years. He should be complimented on his work and the award is very fitting.

I note the points made by Senator Quinn about inquests. He has called for inquests to be held in private where deaths by suicide are concerned. I concur with him and ask the Department to consider doing so. It is something positive that the Department of Justice and Equality could address. I hope those points can be made when we debate some of the Bills and perhaps when we debate the Courts Bill on Monday.I have addressed Senator Ó Clochartaigh's point regarding No. 1. Senator Heffernan mentioned the International Protection Bill. Irish troops cannot get involved in any aggressive tactics abroad. There is a triple-lock system whereby a vote of both Houses is required for the Defence Forces to be involved in any action. There is no question of our troops being involved in aggressive action on the side of any country. Our troops are lauded for their peacekeeping efforts throughout the world and are recognised as one of the best peacekeeping forces, and they always will be.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Senator Wilson mentioned rural crime, and we will have a debate. We are to discuss the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015 next Friday, and this will afford ample opportunity to discuss rural and cross-Border crime.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has moved an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 1 be deleted from today's Order Paper." Is the amendment being pressed?

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Yes.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Under Standing Order 62(3)(b) I request that the division be taken again other than by electronic means.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Is the Order of Business agreed to?

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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No.