Could the Taoiseach-----

I too am glad to be able to speak to this Bill tonight, although I cannot say "glad" because this matter is scandalous and downright outrageous. The Minister was in opposition as spokesman on planning and the environment for long enough. To bring forward this kind of Bill in the eleventh and a half hour before Christmas, cúpla lá roimh an Nollaig, is shocking. The Minister is only new and I wish him well in his job, but there is huge disconcertment and disconnect between the Executive and the democratic system in t…

It is a dictatorship.

I expected great things from the Minister in his office. I wished him well and still do, but dealing with legislation and with two issues, trying to put the good into the bad, is a type of liquorice allsorts. If we could take out the bad parts, it would be great, but we cannot. There is an effort to try to deal with evictions and deal with the situation of people who are forced onto the housing lists and are on them forever without getting anywhere. However, the Minister changed the Bill fundamentally from what was…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, to delete lines 1 to 5 and substitute the following: "(i) shall hold public meetings (except in such serious and limited circumstances as may be prescribed by law, such as an emergency period, where the holding of such a meeting is not reasonably practicable, in which case a planning authority shall make auxiliary arrangements for effective and all-embracing public consultation as it regards appropriate) and invite submissions in writing from members of the public, in relation to …

I am, but I am talking about embracing the community and citizens. Seán Citizen and Mary Citizen are entitled to have-----

I am sorry, who is gone?

The Acting Chairman should not talk about the Orange Order or he will be in the same territory as Deputy Stanley. He should say nothing and keep an béal dúnta. I respect the Deputy as a Chairman but on the issue of the Orange Order-----

Yes, I will. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall but this is very relevant for Seán Citizen or Mary Citizen.

It is very relevant.

It is very relevant to enforcement.

The amendment is about public meetings but it will lead to enforcement at some stage if plans are enacted and the people have not had their say on them. Enforcement proceedings may arise if objections are deemed ineligible. I believe this is all relevant but I will be guided by the Acting Chairman. I respect the Chair but we will keep our discussion to the Republic. We will not go near the North at all. We have enough to look after here.

It was the Acting Chairman who introduced the topic of the Orange Order. I do not think they have any lodges down in the South, although they have one or two in Cavan and Monaghan.

I thank the Acting Chairman for the history lesson. He is a good man.

I am sticking to the Bill. I am sticking to the legislation. It is nearly an omnibus Bill. The Minister made a liquorice allsorts of it. He put in nice bits and bad bits and hoped that the nice bits would prevent us seeing the bad bits. He also brought it in very late, in the last days of the term before Christmas. That is shameful and wrong. The Minister would rail against that if he was in opposition. I often heard him railing against matters such as this and the payment of huge fines over the past seven or eight…

What is seldom is wonderful.

It is a pity the Minister would not get some Christmas spirit.

Where are all the Minister's colleagues?

Every year, it is the same.

The Minister is goading.