The Taoiseach said yesterday that there were plans to pass 45 emergency Bills next year in the event of a hard Brexit coming to pass. I have raised this matter with him a number of times and he indicated we would be briefed on it. In the new year, there will be 29 scheduled sitting days between the time the House comes back and 29 March. Is it envisaged that we would pass 45 Bills, sight unseen at this stage, in 29 sitting days? Will the Taoiseach provide comprehensive briefing for the parties in opposition and for his backbenchers in advance of the recess so that we can have the Christmas period to examine and scrutinise measures that might be necessary next year?

I heard the British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care say yesterday that he had become the biggest purchaser of fridges in the world as they stockpile medicines. That is how absurd things have become. We need to know specifically what we must do here to be ready for it and not be inundated by legislation we have not had time to reflect upon when we come back after the recess.

The first answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". The Tánaiste will be providing a briefing at the stakeholders' forum on Thursday. If he has not been invited to that, he certainly will be.

Can I just say that I raised this last week-----

The answer to the Deputy's second question is that it is not 45 items of primary legislation. There are 45 items - some regulation, some statutory instrument and some primary legislation-----

All of which would have to be scrutinised here.

-----but it does not require 45 items of primary legislation or anything remotely close to that.

On a point of order, this is not good enough. These are the same answers I got from the Taoiseach when he said he would give a briefing to the stakeholders' forum. The stakeholders' forum is not Parliament. These are parliamentary issues.

If the Taoiseach wishes to clarify-----

I have asked specifically for a briefing on the legislation, whether it is one Bill or 45 Bills-----

We have got the Deputy's point.

-----so that we are prepared when we come back after the Christmas recess.

Does the Taoiseach wish to clarify?

It will be a comprehensive briefing because I imagine the Deputy will want to hear not just about the legislative aspects-----

Can we have one in Parliament too?

-----of it but also the non-legislative aspects of it. The European Commission is not producing its legislative proposals until tomorrow so ours could only follow on from then because anything we do in domestic law has to fall under and be consistent with European law. We cannot do it before then.