It is proposed to take No. 15, Supplementary Estimates for Public Services [Votes 35 and 36], back from committee; No. 16, motion re membership of committee; and No. 31, Water Services Bill 2014 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to adjourn after one hour if not previously concluded. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later and business shall adjourn on the adjournment of No. 31; and Nos. 15 and 16 shall be decided without debate and, in the case of No. 15, Votes 35 and 36 shall be moved together and decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and any division demanded thereon shall be taken forthwith. Private Members’ business shall be No. 175, motion re Palestine.

Tomorrow's business after Oral Questions shall be No. 32, statements on homelessness. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the following arrangements shall apply in relation to No. 32: the statement of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; the statement of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, and such Members may share their time; and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes.

There are three proposals to be put to the House. Is the proposal for dealing with the late sitting agreed to?

My party is not agreeing to the late sitting. It is appalling and farcical what is going on. I genuinely say that. There is no need for this. We are debating the order of today's business at 7.50 p.m.

It is a joke.

It is farcical.

The night is young yet.

It would not happen in any organisation.

The motion of confidence-----

That is not the reason.

It is the reason.

It is not the reason. We could have had the motion of confidence and the Private Members' motion, and that would be that. There is no need for this.

We just had it.

It is just an awful ramshackle, ham-fisted-----

Sorry, please.

It is a ham-fisted, ridiculous and farcical way of ordering the business of this House. I would ask the Taoiseach to postpone No. 31, for example, which is to be debated for just one hour before adjourning, which could potentially bring us through to 1.30 a.m. or 1.45 a.m.

2 o'clock.

2 o'clock? Have we lost our marbles in this House completely?

I thank Deputy Martin.

Has the Taoiseach not learned anything from the last occasion when we-----

Deputy Martin has made the point.

One second, a Cheann Comhairle; this is important - when we went beyond midnight-----

I know it is important but it is also important-----

-----and how that disgraced the House and the public perception of the House? The Taoiseach is now going to say, as people prepare to march, that we will bury the water issue to the middle of the night. We are talking about trying to attract people, particularly women, into politics, and there are lifestyle issues. There is no basis whatsoever for meeting at 11 o'clock tonight.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

All Deputies, when we meet in corridors, will ask each other-----

This is madness.

-----what we are doing here.

Madness.

Who will be listening at midnight-----

Deputy Martin has had his say.

-----or 1 a.m. to us debating issues like this? It is unacceptable.

They should put it on to Friday.

Am I in a position to table an amendment?

Unfortunately, Deputy Martin cannot. He can vote against.

I ask the Taoiseach-----

Would they go to 3 o'clock on Friday?

Please.

Instead of keeping on saying "No", I am asking the Taoiseach sincerely. This is ridiculous. The debate on Committee Stage will adjourn, which means it can be continued again. We are talking about an hour for the Water Services Bill. I ask the Taoiseach not to take that this evening-----

Put it on to Friday.

-----and we could do it on another occasion.

Dé hAoine.

I thank Deputy Martin. He has made his point.

Put it on to 2 o'clock on Friday.

Questions to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht have to be taken tonight. In fairness to all those who are responsible, Topical Issue Matters and Private Members' business have to be taken.

We have no problem with that.

However, allocating one hour for the Committee Stage of the Water Services Bill-----

Crazy.

-----at midnight and going on until possibly 1 o'clock or after is completely unnecessary.

Madness.

There is provision for a Friday sitting to finish the Water Services Bill. I say to the Taoiseach to put that hour to Thursday and Friday. Otherwise, he will have Deputies going home to their families at 2 a.m. or 2.30 a.m.

They are lucky if they can go home to their families.

Some of the same Members must be back in here at 9.30 a.m. for committees and for questions. We are talking about making the Dáil more family-friendly, etc. That is a simple issue to resolve.

As the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, commented, it is lucky for some if they can go home to their families.

Every night.

This is the first time I have heard of an Opposition not wanting a debate on an issue that has-----

That has nothing to do with it.

Please.

-----been so controversial for the past number of years. Deputy Martin did not state that his party would give us a guarantee now that this will finish Committee and Report Stages on Thursday without a guillotine. I will not guillotine this Bill and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly, is adamant that there be one hour's debate on it this evening. The Government Deputies have no problem in staying here tomorrow, Thursday or Friday. None

That is his legacy.

Why not put that hour onto Friday?

The Minister's legacy.

It is most unusual that the Opposition Members seem to find the heat in the kitchen a little too much here. They want to go home and have a rest.

Nonsense.

If they are here to work and legislate, then that is the business that we are in.

The Taoiseach is in charge.

Yes. We are telling Deputy Higgins that, after the motion on Palestine, we will have one hour's debate on Committee Stage.

Why can we not have it on Friday?

It is Report Stage. It can be completed on Thursday and Friday.

I thank the Deputies.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, this is clear-cut.

No. I am putting the question.

I am quite sure if I said to Deputies Martin and Higgins that we will suspend this hour, they would be crowing about something else.

The Taoiseach-----

Deputy Martin should resume his seat. I am putting the question: "That the proposal for dealing with the late sitting be agreed to." Is that agreed?

Hold on a second, a Cheann Comhairle. The Taoiseach's response has been ignorant, arrogant, dismissive and despicable.

It is also despicable that Deputy Martin ignores the Chair and he should resume his seat.

With the greatest respect, a Cheann Comhairle, there should be respect shown to this House. What the Taoiseach just did is an absolute disgrace.

Deputy Martin also must respect the Chair. He had his say. Would he please resume his seat?

There is no question of anybody not wanting to debate something here-----

Would Deputy Martin please resume his seat?

-----but there is an issue about the order of this House, and going past midnight is an absolute joke.

Would Deputy Martin resume his seat and show some respect to the Chair?

I am showing it correctly. With the greatest of respect, I have never initiated the kind of behaviour that others have in this House, but this is going a step too far.

Please. Deputy Martin had his say and I put the question.

To get that glib, arrogant, ignorant response from the Taoiseach is unacceptable.

On a point of order-----

The question has been put. There is no point of order.

On a point of order-----

Deputy Mattie McGrath should resume his seat. We are in the middle of putting the question.

Is the proposal for dealing with Nos. 15 and 16 agreed to?

On No. 15, if I could get clarification, what Departments are involved there?

Defence.

Is that proposal agreed? Agreed. Is the proposal for dealing with No. 32, statements on homelessness, tomorrow, agreed to? Agreed. I call Deputy Martin on the Order of Business.