Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In order to allow appropriate time to consider the implications of Sinn Féin’s Private Members Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023, I obtained Government and subsequent Dáil approval to a ‘timed amendment’ of nine months. The timed amendment, effectively accepted the principle of the Bill but differed in terms of how it can be made operational. It also allows for the Bill to be considered further and other alternative non-legislative based approaches to be considered which could achieve the same outcome.

Part of the Government decision on the timed amendment authorised me to write to the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. On this basis I wrote to them on 30 June with a view to obtaining a report from the Committee on the most appropriate way to progress the broad intention of this legislation. I also wrote to the NTMA to seek views on how to bring forward appropriate proposals.

As this is a Private Members Bill (PMB) the next steps in the legislative process are not within my control and are a matter for the Oireachtas. I can say that 2nd stage of the Bill will be deemed to have ended in mid-February 2024.

I understand that the next stage is then the Pre-Committee Stage Scrutiny (PCSS). This is the standard procedure for PMBs but in exceptional cases, the Bill’s sponsor or a Committee may seek the approval of the Business Committee for a waiver of the scrutiny requirement in respect of a Bill.

If PCSS happens normally or because a request for waiver has been unsuccessful, the Committee then produces a ‘scrutiny report’. The Dáil Select Committee must then consider, taking account of the scrutiny report, whether the Bill should, or should not, continue to Committee Stage. I will await the outcome of those processes and in the meantime my officials and I will continue to consider the issues raised by your party’s Bill.