I welcome this opportunity to participate in the debate. I would like to think it is the start of a bright light shining on the opaqueness of our appointments system for the Judiciary. I believe the Minister for Justice has been handed a hospital pass. That phrase has already been used by Deputy Catherine Murphy. In a previous life, while we were delighted to get a hospital pass as barristers, we knew exactly what it meant. I believe what has landed on the Minister's lap is a hospital pass. It is regrettable that i…

I take that back. At the point when it went up, his comment was that it stank to the high heavens. I am not here to score political points. I am here to outline is that each Government has absolutely failed to learn that we need to change the process for appointing judges so that it is not opaque. I will stay with Ms Justice Denham for the moment. In paying tribute to the media, she said: I would like to thank the journalists who have reported on the work of the Supreme Court during my tenure as a judge of the cour…

Presumably, the five who expressed an interest were sitting judges. To whom did they express an interest?

I did not hear that. Regarding the five persons to whom the Minister referred, where did their expressions of interest go, precisely?

So the Attorney General knew which sitting judges had an interest in going to the Supreme Court.

I have no wish to make the Minister's life difficult, but she can imagine how this sounds to the people listening and watching. Five sitting judges expressed an interest in going to the Supreme Court. They submitted their expressions of interest to the Office of the Attorney General. The Attorney General himself had an interest in being promoted. Nobody reflected on that as a procedure and a practice yet the Minister has stood here today and spoken about traditions and practice. I am a little confused. I heard the …

I will allow the Minister a further brief response but there is no provision for him to come back in.

Four Deputies have put their names to this matter. It will be difficult to accommodate them all given the time constraints, but we will see.

We move to the Rural Independent Group, which has five speakers.

Deputy Brady is next.

I beg Deputy Howlin's pardon. I have just come in to replace the Ceann Comhairle. I have a list of names.

Okay. I had a list of names. Go ahead. I will revert to Deputy Brady. He is next.

I advise the Deputy that the House will have disposed of the Bill if we get through it tonight.

There is a possibility but if we get through it all tonight-----

I am just clarifying the position for the Deputy.

The Chief Whip has an announcement to make in relation to tomorrow's business.

Is that agreed?

I will take a speaker from each group and I ask for Members' co-operation in this. I will give each group a chance to speak on the proposal, beginning with Deputy Mac Lochlainn for Sinn Féin.

Deputy Pringle, of the Independent Group.

My difficulty is the arrangements have been made and the House is agreed that the Dáil will sit in the convention centre tomorrow.