The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re draft Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2013, pursuant to section 262 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, referral to Joint Committee of the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, statements on matters arising from the RTE programme on early child care standards, to be taken at 12.15 p.m. and to conclude at 1.15 p.m., with the contribution of all Senators not to exceed five minutes each and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate no later than 1.10 p.m.; No. 3, Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013, all Stages, with Second Stage to be taken at 2 p.m. and to conclude no later than 4.30 p.m., with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, that of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and with the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate no later than 4.20 p.m. Committee Stage will be taken at 5.30 p.m. and the business will be interrupted for a period, if necessary, to take Report and Final Stages of the Bill.

I welcome the fact that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, will be coming to the House today and I thank the Leader for arranging this important debate. However, there is a real sense of groundhog day about the Order of Business and our response on this side of the House in that, once again, a guillotine will be imposed in the sense that all Stages ---

There is no guillotine.

All Stages will be taken which amounts to the same thing.

Senator Mooney can stay here all night if he wishes.

There was a major row in the other House yesterday, resulting in the suspension of a Member after a similar argument was put forward about the lack of time for debate. If ever there was an argument for retaining this House, it is contained in this Government decision in both Houses. This Government is riding roughshod over the democratic institutions of this State. There is no question about that. The unprecedented majority enjoyed by this Government means that it thinks it can do anything it likes, when it likes and how it likes. Here is a perfect example of that. As a result, I will be tabling an amendment to the Order of Business, opposing the proposal that all Stages of this Bill be taken today. That does not normally happen and the Leader has, on occasions, lauded himself and his party for ensuring that it does not engage in this type of practice but here is a perfect example of it.

In the context of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, coming to the House today, this issue is yet another example of what seems to be an increasingly dysfunctional Government. It is not just a question of this Minister but also of other Departments that are engaged in this area. For example, the HSE seems to be operating as some sort of a maverick organisation without any political oversight whatsoever. If one reads any of today's newspaper reports or listens to any of the media commentary on what has happened as a result of the fallout from the "Prime Time" programme, one can see that lots of promises have been made over the last two and a half years with regard to child care but very little has happened. I must say that Deputy Fitzgerald is a wonderful person with whom I had the pleasure and honour of serving in this House previously. I am not casting any aspersions on her personally. However, there are serious policy questions surrounding what is happening and I hope we will have an opportunity to tease those out later today.

I ask the Leader to convey our sense of frustration about the recent comments made by the US Senator Carl Levin, where he accused this country of being a tax haven.

I would like to clarify the position on the amendment. There is no need to propose an amendment because Members can decide to call a division on each Stage of the Bill. Committee Stage is ordered to be taken at 5.30 p.m. Is the Deputy proposing an amendment?

No.

I am glad the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will be in the House later. Colleagues, particularly Senator van Turnhout, sought this debate yesterday and I am glad we have been able to arrange a debate at such short notice on the pressing issue of child care standards following the broadcast of the "Prime Time" programme last Tuesday night. Colleagues will appreciate the opportunity to debate the best ways to ensure adequate supervision, inspection and monitoring of standards in child care facilities with the Minister. As I said yesterday on the Order of Business and as the Minister said in the Dáil, a Garda investigation as well as a HSE investigation are under way into the allegations that were made and the serious matters that arose in the documentary about the crèches inspected. Clearly, there are broader issues, which we will debate earlier.

I welcome the announcement earlier this week of the new site for the National Maternity Hospital by Dr. Rhona Mahony, the master of the hospital. The hospital, which is currently based at Holles Street, will move to a purpose-built facility on the St. Vincent's Hospital campus. It is welcome that we will have such greatly improved facilities to look after the health of women in pregnancy, mothers and their babies. Coupled with the new children's hospital to be built on the St. James's Hospital campus, we will experience a great improvement in the coming years in health services for women and children. The State will retain the site on Holles Street, which is also welcome.

I congratulate Trinity College Dublin on its hosting of the European Space Expo, which commences next week. Anyone who visits Front Square on the campus today or over the coming days will be greeted by an enormous exhibition centre. Exciting talks and exhibitions will take place within the Space Expo dome, including events for children. I encourage colleagues with spare time to visit it.

I am not as susceptible to the Cathaoirleach's blandishments as Senator Mooney is. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business because I do not want to take all Stages of this Bill and I do not give a damn what agreements were reached before now. I feel strongly about this because I was listening to the radio in my car on my way in and I heard how this Bill had been stuffed through the Dáil and would sail through the Seanad. It is a responsibility of ours to give it as rough a passage as possible. Let us make the weather a little less clement for the Government parties regarding this utterly disgraceful legislation, under which they presume to take onto themselves the right to tear up agreements and the right to punish individual members of unions who dared to exercise their democratic vote. What is happening to democracy in this country?

There is an increasing concentration of power in the Government and it is treating not only this House but also the Dáil as a rubber stamp. We learned the other day that the Taoiseach has commissioned a little mini-rubber-stamp for his little mini-committee, which will be a mini-Seanad or yellow-pack version of the House. This was the brainchild of some anonymous public servant. Will the Leader give the House the name of this person who is apparently in the ruling golden circle? There will not be much opposition from that shower if they ever take over the functions of this country. Thirty amendments were ruled out of order yesterday in the Dáil. Every type of ridiculous excuse is being found to throw out amendments and stamp out discussion. It is up to this House to stand firm and at least make sure there is a degree of protest against these violations of democracy.

I refer to the issue of water metering. A motion on planning and regulation will be put to the House without debate. This is one of the serious issues that the passage of the legislation creating Irish Water has brought to the fore. When water services were co-ordinated through local authorities such as Dublin City Council, there were clear responsibilities in planning to take into account the question of providing water resources and so on. I reiterate what I said when the Bill was going through the House. Could we at least have a semblance of joined-up thinking from the Government parties? They have given this function to Bord Gáis, which is a bad idea, but at least it is a utility. Will Bord Gáis, for God's sake, not have a little sense and install its own remote readable meters as well? Why can electricity, water and gas not all be done at the same time? Let us do something adult and mature for once.

I wish to raise the issue of the Royal College of Surgeons and Bahrain. It is quite extraordinary that there has not been a visit by the medical-----

The Senator is over time.

I am sorry. People are being given Irish degrees which have never been validated by the Medical Council, and they may be required to supervise torture. We should be careful before we validate degrees for doctors who may be coerced into torturing civilian protestors.

I wish to clarify the Senator's amendment to the Order of Business. The Chair puts a question after each Stage of a Bill asking when it is proposed to take the next Stage. It is up to the House then when the next Stage is taken. I would like the Senator to clarify his proposal relating to the Order of Business.

My proposal is that we do not accept the Leader's suggestion to take all Stages today no matter what happens. I suggest we take only Committee Stage today.

The Senator can decide that following Second Stage.

I would like to decide it now, if the Cathaoirleach does not mind.

That question is not before the House now.

It is now, because I have put it before the House.

Only the Leader can put such a question.

I am the new leader-----

I understand that, but the Senator is not the Government Leader. Committee Stage has been ordered for 5.30 p.m.

And we have been told the remaining Stages will be taken as well. I am saying only Committee Stage should be taken today.

The Senator is objecting to the Order of Business.

No; I am saying we should only take Committee Stage of this Bill today.

The Senator can call a division on that at the conclusion of Committee Stage.

I prefer to decide it now. We have been told by the Leader that the order of the House is that we take all Stages today. I do not agree with the Order of Business; I want to take Committee Stage only. I am sure my amendment is in order.