I move:

Tuesday’s business shall be:

- Motion re Presentation and Circulation of Revised Estimates for Public Services 2025 [Votes 24, 41 and 46] (any division demanded shall be taken immediately)

- Motion re Confidence in the Ceann Comhairle (any division claimed to be taken immediately)

- Motions for Revised Estimates for Public Services 2025 [Votes 24, 41 and 46] (to be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes, and to be moved together and decided by one question)

Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Support Householders, Businesses and Farmers affected by Storm Éowyn in a fair, equitable and timely manner, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Statements on Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity (to adjourn after 2 hours)

- Financial Motion by the Minister for Finance (to conclude within 60 mins and any division demanded to be taken immediately)

- Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Bill 2024 (Committee and remaining Stages) (to commence no earlier than 5 p.m. and to adjourn either at 9 p.m. or after 3 hours, whichever is the later)

Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest, selected by the Independent and Parties Technical Group.

Thursday’s business shall be Statements on Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity (resumed) (not to exceed 1 hour and 32 minutes).

Proposed Arrangements for this week’s business:

In relation to Tuesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil may sit later than 10.48 p.m.;

(ii) the time allotted to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business;

(iii) private members’ business may be taken later than 6.12 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the conclusion of Government business, with consequential effect on the commencement time for Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs; and

(iv) topical issues pursuant to Standing Order 39 shall not be taken and the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of oral Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs;

2. the proceedings on the Motion re Presentation and Circulation of Revised Estimates for Public Services 2025 [Votes 24, 41 and 46] shall be taken without debate, and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;

3. the Motion re Confidence in the Ceann Comhairle shall not exceed 2 hours and 27 minutes and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

(i) the arrangements for the speeches, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);

(ii) following the speeches, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes;

(iii) members may share time; and

(iv) any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;

4. the following arrangements shall apply in relation to the proceedings on the Motions for Revised Estimates for Public Services 2025 [Votes 24, 41 and 46]:

(a) the proceedings shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes;

(b) the motions shall be moved together and decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair; and

(c) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:-

opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State – 10 minutes;

speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, Independent and Parties Technical Group, and Independent Technical Group – 7.5 minutes per party or group;

speeches by Other Members – 7.5 minutes; and

a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(d) members may share time.

In relation to Wednesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil may sit later than 9.30 p.m. and shall adjourn on the conclusion of the weekly division time, which may be taken later than 8.45 p.m.;

(ii) Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) which were to be taken on Tuesday, 25th March, 2025, shall be taken immediately following the SOS on Wednesday, 2nd April, 2025, with consequential effect on the commencement time for Government business and without any change to the allocation of priority Questions to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and not otherwise affecting the current sequence of Ministers or rota for priority Questions as ordered by the House; and

(iii) the weekly division time shall be taken on the adjournment of proceedings on the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Bill 2024: Provided that where the proceedings on that Bill conclude within the allotted time, the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion thereof, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Statements on Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity shall be interrupted and stand adjourned after 2 hours and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

(i) the arrangements for the statements shall be in accordance with those contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);

(ii) any speaking slots which are not reached may be taken on Thursday in accordance with the agreed sequence; and

(iii) members may share time;

3. notwithstanding anything in Standing Order 217, in relation to the Motion re Financial Motion by the Minister for Finance, the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the proceedings on the motion shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes by one question which shall also dispose of any amendments to the motion and which shall be put from the Chair;

(ii) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:-

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State – 10 minutes;

speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, Independent and Parties Technical Group, and Independent Technical Group – 7.5 minutes per party or group;

- speeches by Other Members – 7.5 minutes; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes;

(iii) members may share time; and

(iv) any divisions demanded on the Financial Motion or on any amendments thereto shall be taken immediately; and

4. the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Bill 2024 shall be taken no earlier than 5 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted, and stand adjourned either at 9 p.m. or after 3 hours, whichever is the later.

In relation to Thursday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) no motion for a Committee report pursuant to Standing Order 111 or private member's Bill pursuant to Standing Order 169 shall be taken; and

(ii) topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of the Statements on Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity for not more than 120 minutes and more than five topical issues may be taken, and the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of topical issues; and

2. the resumed Statements on Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity shall not exceed 1 hour and 32 minutes and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

(i) the speaking slots from Wednesday’s arrangements for the statements shall be continued from the point at which they were adjourned;

(ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and

(iii) members may share time.

Is that agreed?

Agreed.

It is not agreed.

Now we have the situation where we implement the amendment to Standing Order 35, which is that either the Whip or deputy Whip of each party has 30 seconds.

No, it is not. I am presenting to the Ceann Comhairle, and to be very clear, I am presenting in protest. Any objective assessment of what happened last Tuesday, if you look at the section that dealt with the motion-----

Deputy, your protest-----

A Cheann Comhairle, in your haste to get the business done, you actually passed an amendment to the Government's motion. It is clear. I can read it out to you if you want.

Could the Deputy let me speak?

I have the transcript here: Is the amendment agreed; It is not agreed; I propose; I ask is the amendment agreed; Tá or Níl; Tá; The question is carried; Votáil. It is clear; that is the transcript. That is the Dáil transcript.

I ask the Deputy to resume his seat and let me speak.

I will resume my seat.

The issue for the Deputy to object on is now; he may partake now and oppose the Order of Business. That is the process. The Deputy is perfectly entitled. I have put the question. Does he wish to take his 30 seconds? If not, I will move on to the Labour Party Whip. It is up to the Deputy. He has 30 seconds.

What I will say to the Ceann Comhairle now is that under protest, I am taking the 30 seconds. To be clear, every party should have the right to decide who speaks for them on the Order of Business. This is blatant what is happening here. The Taoiseach does not want to be held to account, so the Government Chief Whip responds. It is treated like some procedural matter. Rather than dealing with the actual business of the Dáil for the week, we will have huge political controversy potentially every Tuesday. This is an attempt to tell every political party who should speak for them on the Order of Business. It is blatant what is happening here, and it was not even passed. We will absolutely oppose the Order of Business because it is illegitimate. It is illegal and blatant what happened.

My job is not to advise the Standing Order; I am implementing it, which the Deputy knows is my obligation. I call Deputy Duncan Smith.

I was aghast to read in the Mail on Sunday that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers are absolutely livid at the breakdown of time for other speakers.

That is an awful commentary on the Mail on Sunday.

In the interests of fair parliamentary order, and it being clear that backbenchers in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with whom I have deep sympathy, who are sent out to bat, (a), did not have a clue what they were arguing for; (b), had no idea ultimately what they were voting for; and (c), were ultimately clueless as to the impact, having been utterly misled by their own Whips, I ask that we convene that Dáil reform committee and do away with this, which is not working for the Opposition or Government, and indeed is breaking up new friendships in the Regional Independent Group?