It is proposed to take No. 15, statements on the European Council in Brussels, pursuant to Standing Order 102A(2)(b); and No. 2, Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013 - Second Stage (resumed) and Subsequent Stages.

It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. and adjourn not later than 10 p.m.; the proceedings on No. 15 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 85 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements shall be made by the Taoiseach and by the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order and who may share their time, and which statements shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, a Minister or Minister of State shall take questions for a period not exceeding 20 minutes and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; the resumed Second Stage and Subsequent Stages of No. 2 shall be taken today and the following arrangements shall apply: the proceedings on the resumed Second Stage shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 1.30 p.m., and ohe proceedings on the Committee and Remaining Stages shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 10 p.m. by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall include only those amendments set down or accepted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform; and (4) in the event a division is in progress at the time fixed for taking Private Members’ business, which shall be No. 107, motion re confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality (resumed), Standing Order 121(3) shall not apply and Private Members’ business shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes.

There are four proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. and adjourn not later than 10 p.m. agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 15 agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 2 agreed?

Not agreed.

A pattern seems to be emerging whereby the Government seems to be of a disposition to ram through the House as quickly as possible any legislation which may have a hint of controversy about it, particularly with regard to financial matters, and in essence guillotine the Bill. This pattern was well demonstrated with regard to the family home tax Bill prior to and after Christmas when two iterations of it were rammed through the House and guillotined.

The same happened with the Social Welfare Bill which cut child benefit and the respite care grant. We did not even get a chance to put forward amendments on those items, given the manner in which it was guillotined in the House. There has been a successive range of issues for which - if they are at all controversial, particularly in terms of their economic impact on people - there is no room for debate, tabling amendments or putting forward alternative propositions. It is a suppression and stifling of debate.

While unions are still balloting and some unions have not even balloted, the House is being asked to rush through the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill. Pensioners' organisations have not even been consulted.

They have.

They have not been consulted. Pensioners' organisations around the country are contacting Deputies to say that their pensions are being cut without consultation.

We are not debating all of this. It is purely a motion.

Nobody represented them at Haddington Road or Beggar's Bush.

You have a brass neck.

We are using up valuable time.

The Oireachtas is being forced to guillotine and ram through legislation, but there is no necessity for doing this. There is no necessity for these timelines this week at all. It is a "get the bad news over quickly" mentality. That is what is going on here, without question. They want to get the bad news over as quickly as they possibly can so there will be less hassle for the backbenchers. It is not right or correct. We will oppose this measure.

I call Deputy Adams.

The Labour Deputies are shameless.

We know they are New Labour.

When you have finished shouting at each other, would you mind allowing Deputy Adams to speak?

Please. You are in the Houses of Parliament.

I also want to oppose proposal No. 3. We saw from our discussions during Leaders' Questions, and this has come up many times, that there is a backlog of progressive legislation. Yet this draconian legislation is to be rushed through with the guillotine being employed. It is shameful that a Labour Minister is bringing in new powers to cut the pay of public sector workers or to increase their working hours, without further consultation. At the very least we deserve to have a debate and a discussion on all of this. It is a mark of this Government. We were promised a new democratic, transparent and fair way of doing business. However, there is no evidence of it in terms of how the Government is dealing with this Bill.

I call the Taoiseach.