The Order of Business is No. 43, Private Members' business, non-Government motion No. 9 re issues facing small and medium enterprises in rural towns; and No. 2, statements on political reform, which I intend to insert in a Supplementary Order Paper to be issued to Members, to be taken after Private Members' business for two hours, with all Senators being allocated five minutes to speak.

Before we commence, I wish to notify Members that the reason for sitting two days this week is that it was, naturally, very difficult to predict how this week would work out. I anticipate that the House will return to normal next week when it will sit three days, provided there is sufficient business to be dealt with. I hope that, following Saturday's result, we will receive a great deal more co-operation in the scheduling of business. I will certainly continue my efforts in that regard, as I have done in the House to date. While Members are satisfied with the outcome of the referendum, I hope there will not be too much retaliation or recriminations about the campaign or individuals associated with it on the Order of Business today. It is my strong belief that with the mandate we have received, we should now move on to doing the valuable legislative work the people expect us to do. I strongly hope we can do this in the professional, productive and collegiate manner that has been such a positive feature of the 24th Seanad.

I am not in a position today to answer questions about reform of the Seanad. The people have spoken and I believe they want the Seanad to be reformed. However, that is work for another day rather than today. The referendum result is only four days old and the best course of action is to allow the Government sufficient time to reflect on the outcome. We have several reports on Seanad reform and two Bills on the issue have passed Second Stage in the House, to which the Government must fully respond. I hope we will receive that response sooner rather than later. However, we must remember that the main focus of the Government is on job creation and economic recovery and it is my personal belief our time and energy are best spent in focusing on these issues, while also dealing with the matter of Seanad reform.

All Members of the House are anxious to contribute on the Order of Business today. There is a time constraint on the Order of Business and I do not wish to have it drag on indefinitely. I will do the best I can to facilitate all the Members who wish to contribute.

What time does the Leader expect to take the statements on political reform?

Immediately after the Private Members' motion.