It is proposed to take No. b13, motion re membership of committee; and No. a13, motion re Aer Lingus Group plc (resumed). It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 9 p.m. and shall adjourn on the conclusion of Private Members' business, which shall be No. 190, motion re Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise (resumed), which shall take place not later than 9 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes; and No. b13 shall be decided without debate.

Tomorrow's business after Oral Questions shall be No. a13, motion re Aer Lingus Group plc (resumed); No. 39, Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015 - Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; and No. 5, Communications Regulation (Postal Services) (Amendment) Bill 2015, Order for Second Stage and Second Stage.

On a point of order, yesterday I asked for a debate on this issue and for all the documentation to be furnished.

We will deal with it after I have put the question.

It is pertinent to whether we would support this or not. We are not able to have a proper debate when we do not have the documentation.

There is no motion relating to this item. I will put the two questions.

Will you let me speak again?

Yes. Is the proposal for dealing with the late sitting agreed to?

No. At some stage, I would like to object to the late sitting, if I may.

No, this is a proposal to have a late sitting.

I object. For some time, the Taoiseach's approach to the House has been disgraceful and shameful. As has been said earlier, it is similar to the way the Irish Water and IBRC legislation was rammed through with no consideration or detailed debate. During Leaders' Questions yesterday, the Taoiseach was asked basic questions about the Aer Lingus sale, and he refused to answer. I did not believe the Taoiseach when he said he did not know what was happening and what was going to happen later that evening. I think he did know.

We are not going there. This is about-----

I think it was part of a careful orchestration for the announcement last evening to sideline the House.

I must interrupt. This is a motion that the Dáil sit later than 9 this evening, full stop. We are not going back into something-----

The motion is being put because, at the 11th hour, the Government is changing the schedule we agreed yesterday for today because it has decided to rush and ram this through, despite the fact that it was meant to go to the transport committee.

That is not the substantive issue.

Sitting is to be extended tonight to facilitate the Taoiseach's ramming this through because he does not want Labour Deputies getting windy. Deputy Clare Daly is correct. He does not want this to go on for a week or two.

The Deputy is windy himself this weather.

There are a few windy Fianna Fáilers.

Deputy Martin spoke for 15 minutes this morning.

Can I make a point?

No. We are just wasting more time.

I am not wasting any time.

The motion relates solely to a late sitting, and nothing else.

I am entitled to object to it.

Of course you are, but you are entitled to a short contribution as to why you are objecting.

It goes to the very heart of how the Parliament is being treated, which is probably of concern to the Ceann Comhairle. The way this happened last night and the way we were told to be in for 9.30 a.m. to change everything and ram this through is a very bad day for the Parliament and reflects the Government's absolute contempt for the Dáil.

You have made your point. Deputy Adams is also objecting.

I want to be clear, and I do not want to use up your time. My point is around the motion on Aer Lingus. If you want me to make it now, I will.

Not at the moment; this is purely about the late sitting.

I want to speak again.

Okay.

On the comment made by Deputy Micheál Martin, I answered his earlier question about the internal report he mentioned. I know very well that if an issue as important as this one was decided by the Cabinet yesterday and Deputies did not have an opportunity to speak on it, the Deputy would be the first to call for Standing Orders to be suspended to debate it. He will have seven hours today and five hours tomorrow to debate it.

After it has been sold.

Deputy Micheál Martin is very good at expressing his indignation about treating the House with contempt. The Government debated this issue yesterday and made a decision yesterday evening. At 7.38 p.m. the Chief Whip's office notified the other Whips about the outcome of the meeting and our intention to change business to allow the matter to be discussed today, as is right and proper. At the end of that e-mail, which pointed out that the usual order of parliamentary questions, Order of Business, etc., would be followed, the advice was given that anybody who had questions should make contact with the Whip's office. One contact was made, but it was not by Deputy Micheál Martin's party. No objection was received to this-----

There was contact.

There was no contact.

Deputy Micheál Martin came into the House today-----

Yes, there was.

An e-mail was circulated-----

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl contacted the Minister of State's office this morning to object to the proposal.

We are not having a debate on the issue.

Yesterday evening.

More untruths.

We are agreeing to the Order of Business.

I have in my hands the e-mail that was circulated yesterday at 7.38 p.m.

Is it acceptable to the Taoiseach that it was only circulated late yesterday evening?

Please, this concerns a proposal on the late sitting.

There was one response, but it was not from the Deputy's party and there was no objection to changing the Order of Business to deal with this very important matter.

Yes, there was.

We will have seven hours of discussion today and five tomorrow. There will also be a vote because it is an important issue and Deputies are entitled to have their say. The Deputy has already had a 15 minute rant this morning to express his righteous indignation.

I am putting the question.

I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, but the Taoiseach is misrepresenting my position. I spoke to the Government Chief Whip's office this morning and made it abundantly clear-----

Will the Deputy, please, resume his seat?

-----that my party had a difficulty with the proposal.

Is the proposal for dealing with No. b13, motion re membership of committee, agreed to? Agreed. Deputy Gerry Adams wished to raise a point of order.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for letting me speak again. Yesterday I asked for a debate on this issue, but I also requested the documentation. I asked the Chief Whip again this morning to provide the documents, in the presence of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I checked with the Oireachtas Library and noted that the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications had asked that any deal be brought before it for scrutiny. We do not have the full agreement between the Government and IAG, the articles of association or the full text of the letters between the CEO of Aer Lingus and anybody else. However, we are going to have a debate. Unless the Minister is briefing other Deputies to that level of detail, nobody else in the House will have this information. How on earth can we have a debate when we do not have the documentation and why do we not have it when elements were leaked to the media yesterday? We can read extracts suiting the Government's case in this morning's print media.

The Deputy has made his point.

That is the problem. I have made my point numerous times, but we still do not have the documentation.

It is called debating in the dark.

The Chief Whip stated this morning that the documentation was available in the Oireachtas Library.

It is not there.

That is my point. It transpired that it was not in the Oireachtas Library, despite being told that it was.

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle said it.

It is incredible that the House is being asked to debate something without any of the briefing documentation being available. It makes a complete farce of the debate.

As is normal practice, the motion before the House is in the Oireachtas Library.

I am not speaking about the motion.

The Minister made a 30 minute speech. The letter to which Deputy Gerry Adams referred was published in the national media.

The Government's spin is published in the national media.

It is amazing that the leader of Fianna Fáil has documentation I myself have not seen.

That says it all.

Deputy Timmy Dooley knows full well as spokesperson on transport that he has access to information which gives him more than sufficient opportunity to make a contribution on the proposal before the House.

We might receive the information.

There will be a 12 hour debate on the matter and a vote tomorrow. The details have been outlined and I understand the chief executive of IAG will be holding a press conference today, in which context all of the questions arising will be put to him and answered. The debate will continue throughout the day and tomorrow. We want the Dáil's approval for the proposal in order that we can get on with it.

I do not wish to delay the House further other than to make a brief point.

I am sorry, Deputy, but-----

I spoke very briefly-----

We are only wasting time.

We are not wasting time.

I do not mean to be disrespectful to the Deputy's comments, but I allowed him to make a point of order. It has been dealt with and, while he may not accept the answer, that is it. I am proceeding to the Order of Business when he can raise an issue.

May I make a brief point?

No; if I do that, I will have to allow others to do the same.

Just let me make a point.

I ask the Deputy to respect the Chair.

The Government is selling off the citizen's 25% stake and we do not know what the terms of the deal are.

The Deputy has made his point. I ask whatever papers are available to the House be made available to Members.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle.

May I speak about the motion on Aer Lingus?

Not on the Order of Business.

We are discussing the motion on Aer Lingus and I am entitled to make a point of order.

We are on the Order of Business.

Will the Ceann Comhairle take a point of order on the motion on Aer Lingus? I am entitled to speak.

We are not discussing the motion on Aer Lingus. We are on the Order of Business.

The Ceann Comhairle took a point of order from Deputy Gerry Adams.

Deputy Gerry Adams raised a point of order and I have dealt with it.

It was on the motion on Aer Lingus.

The Deputy can make her point during the seven hours allocated for the debate.

I am entitled to make a point of order.

Whether the Deputy likes it, she has to respect the rules of the House.