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 1 o’clock
Business of Dáil
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Paul Kehoe):   It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or the Order of the Dáil of 10 July, that the Dáil shall suspend now for 15 minutes, and the business to be transacted then shall be as follows: No. 12a - nomination of members of the Government, for which the following arrangements shall apply: the speeches of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, or persons nominated in their stead, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 20 minutes in each case; Members may share time; and the Taoiseach shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes; on the conclusion of this, the sitting shall be suspended until 5.30 p.m., whereupon the Court of Appeal Bill 2014 - Second Stage (resumed) shall be taken and the House shall adjourn no later than 8 p.m.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Is that agreed?
Deputies: Not agreed.
Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I do not want to rain on anyone's parade, but the time allocated is hopelessly inadequate. We indicated to the Government Chief Whip that the leaders of the Opposition parties need at least half an hour to contribute on this important issue and all Members of the House should be given the opportunity to contribute on the issue of the Government's new priorities. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have spent a week deliberating on these issues and the least the Members of the House deserve is to have an opportunity to contribute.
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Sinn Féin also objects to the time allocation. We are sitting on a Friday, and we have no problem with that. We have a problem with the fact that most of the Members of the House will not have the opportunity to have their say on the proposal the Government will put before us, the supposedly new direction and the new Cabinet. Twenty minutes for each party leader is inadequate. There should be more time for leaders and for all Members, including those of the Government parties, some of whom have been waiting to find out why there was such a debacle this morning.
Deputy Joe Higgins: The Government dares to come in with this pitiful amount of time to debate what we are told is to be a radical new policy direction and an almost new Government. The Labour Party had a full six weeks to discuss the disastrous perdition into which it has put our country over the past three years in terms of austerity and to discuss the leader on whose back they might pull themselves out of the hole. It has been a full week since the coronation of the Minister for Social Protection as Tánaiste. My concern over that time is not for the whole raft of wannabee Ministers on the Government backbenches, who have been reduced to nervous wrecks over the past week, but, more importantly, the vital documents - so we have been told - on crucial policies such as the massive housing crisis and the crisis of low pay which the Labour Party has discovered after three and a half years in government.
Deputy Robert Dowds: Rubbish.
Deputy Joe Higgins: So radical is the Labour Party's approach that its members think it will save them from the gates of perdition at the next election. We have not had sight of that, yet we are supposed to speak in an informed manner on it.
Deputy John Lyons: It is always the same speech.
Deputy Joe Higgins: I am asking for more time for all Members who wish to contribute, and also that we be given the documents so that we can have 15 minutes to see the policy proposals that are supposed to turn around the ship and its disastrous course of austerity that has been inflicted on people over three and a half years. That is only fair.
Deputy Finian McGrath: Hear, hear.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: The Minister of State-----
Deputy Billy Timmins: A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: I am sorry, no.
Deputy Billy Timmins: On a point of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Yes, on a point of order. I hope it is a point of order.
Deputy Billy Timmins: -----perhaps I misheard the Chief Whip, but I did not hear any reference to the group known as others, which represents-----
Deputy Pat Deering: The group has no leader.
(Interruptions).
Deputy Billy Timmins: Half of the Government Members want to get rid of their leader after the changes today, so they might well do that. This group represents almost 10% of the Members, and the Ceann Comhairle has clearly indicated to the Taoiseach and the Chief Whip that a number of Members of the House are being unfairly treated. I ask the Chief Whip if he can show a little bit of magnanimity and courtesy to Members of the House. We are not disputing the amount of time; we have no time whatsoever.
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