The Members are not agreeing to giving Deputy MacSharry some time.

I take it that the Chief Whip has knowledge of others who wish to contribute.

Because they cannot be here-----

Are we going to call a vote on whether we have more time to-----

Deputies, let us think about this. The public is looking in. We have been asking for weeks, quite rightly in my view, for more time to discuss this. The Chief Whip has come in to say that the Government is going to give us more time and now the Members are going to say they do not want more time.

I am certainly not agreeing to sitting here for another hour. That will mean we will be here until 1 a.m. The Deputy might like to be here but I am not going to ask the staff to be here until those unearthly hours. It is not agreed. Are we going to have a vote?

People come up to me constantly and ask me if they can get in. I do everything I can to facilitate that.

It would be without precedent. I have never heard of a situation in which Members came in and made a decision but wanted to know the names of the people who potentially wanted to speak if the time was allocated. That has never happened and it is not going to happen now.

I am not going to allow the Whip to respond to that because that is not a question that bears answering. The reality is that we are scheduled to go on after this to votable business. I presume everybody who should have people here to vote are going to be here to vote. Are you calling a vote on this?

I have assured Deputy MacSharry, who had indicated to me that he wanted to speak, that time would be made available to him. You are now indicating, Deputy, that you want time. It is 7.55 p.m. and we must conclude at 8 p.m. The Minister is required to respond. Her response stretches to ten minutes. It is physically impossible to conclude the business within the timescale set out. The Chief Whip's proposal is to defer further debate until next week. I am certainly not content to continue this to a point that people a…

It would be my view that Deputy Mac Lochlainn's proposal is in direct contradiction to what has been proposed. They are negatived. I would assume that we then have a vote on the Chief Whip's recommendation.

The question is carried. That means Deputy MacSharry gets his five minutes.

Yes.

Deputy MacSharry's audience is a bit depleted and he was ready to rise to the task of a full house. Could those leaving please clear the House quietly?

The Select Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has completed its consideration of the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 and has made no amendments thereto.

Seanad amendments Nos. 1 and 5 are related and will be discussed together.

I wish to announce for the information of the House that four Members of the Dáil have been elected to the European Parliament, namely Deputies Barry Cowen, Kathleen Funchion, Michael McNamara and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. Pursuant to the European Parliament Elections Act, the Deputies will cease to be Members of the Dáil when they take up their seats at the first sitting of the European Parliament, which is likely to be on 16 July. Accordingly, vacancies will then exist in the following constituencies: Laois-Offaly, Carl…

Is that agreed?

I thank the Taoiseach. Are the proposed arrangements agreed to?

We have just 21 minutes so I ask Members to keep to the time limits. I call Deputy McDonald.