The Order of Business is No. 1, Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and adjourned at 2.55 p.m.; No. 2, Legal Services Regulation Bill - Report Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 3 p.m., adjourned not later than 4.30 p.m. and resumed and followed by Fifth Stage at the conclusion of No. 6, if not previously concluded; No. 3, Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and conclude not later than 6 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other speakers not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 5.55 p.m.; No. 4, Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015 - motion for earlier signature, to be taken without debate at 6 p.m.; No. 5, National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 6 p.m.; and No. 6, International Protection Bill 2015 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 5 and conclude not later than 8 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed seven minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply to the debate not later than 7.55 p.m.

It is welcome that Committee Stage of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015 will be adjourned at 3 p.m., if not previously concluded. I put Members on notice that I have tabled a number of significant amendments regarding pensions. These amendments would ensure that what happened in the case of the Irish airlines superannuation scheme, whereby a Government cut promised benefits by up to 60%, would not be allowed to happen to any other worker in the State. I ask Members on the Government side and the Opposition to have a look at those amendments in advance of the debate. I welcome their support because I believe the Seanad can do a job here today by passing at least one of these amendments, which would give protection to pension scheme members and their benefits.

To deal with Second Stage of the International Protection Bill 2015 this evening and Committee Stage tomorrow would require that amendments be tabled pretty much one hour after the conclusion of Second Stage. This would not give Members sufficient time to reflect on the Minister's presentation or other Second Stage contributions before tabling amendments to this important legislation. I suggest Second Stage of the Bill be moved to tomorrow, Thursday, 3 December, and that Committee Stage be taken on Monday, 7 December. That would allow Members sufficient time to table amendments on Friday. I propose, by way of a formal amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 6 not be taken today and that it be listed for tomorrow.

In advance of the passage of the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015 through the House, I ask Members to note that earlier this year I presented the Local Property Tax (Management Fees) Relief Bill 2015. Because it is a money Bill it could not be moved in this House and was moved in the Dáil. That Bill would have given some relief to people who are paying management fees. There are 200,000 households - apartments and houses - paying both full local property tax and management fees. Many of the people concerned are paying the local property tax for services they do not receive from the local authority. The report of the expert group chaired by Dr. Don Thornhill recognised this issue. I proposed a modest change that would give up to €300 relief, or a third of the local property tax, whichever was lower, to take into account the fact that these 200,000 households are effectively paying on the double - full local property tax and full management fees. This measure would only be for principal private residences and only for those whose management fees were paid fully to date. The full cost of the measure would be €15 million. The Bill was moved in the Dáil by Deputy Sean Fleming, but, unfortunately, it was defeated by the Government. In advance of the Finance Bill Members can only table recommendations and I will be putting forward a recommendation. I ask the Leader, in advance of Second Stage tomorrow, to inform the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, that we intend to move this recommendation again. This is in the interests of fairness and I believe most would agree that people should not have to pay for services they do not receive. An element of common services can be paid for, but this is an issue of fairness in regard to how the local property tax is actually levied on properties. I intend to table a recommendation on this matter on Committee Stage of the Finance Bill. In advance of that I ask the good office of the Leader to raise the matter with the Minister for Finance. I am formally proposing the amendment that No. 6 not be taken today.

I am sure the Leader will respond to Senator Darragh O'Brien's comments about the International Protection Bill 2015, but I remind colleagues that Members received an e-mail from the Bills Office on 27 November informing us that the deadline for submitting amendments to the International Protection Bill 2015 was one hour after the conclusion of Second Stage.

With respect to Senator Ivana Bacik, that means they must be prepared in advance of the Second Stage speeches.

That was in anticipation of the conclusion of the Bill last night; therefore, we will wait. I presume it will be same when the Bill concludes tonight. What I mean is that there is no change. I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien - those of us who were here until midnight last night have made this point many times - that this is an unfortunate feature of every year. In December Members are faced with a huge glut of legislation coming through the House that has to be rushed through, while earlier in the year we have to search high and low for legislation. It is bad practice. It seems to be a perennial issue and is not confined to this term. I recall it from previous sessions also. I know colleagues will agree that we need to be conscious of this.

I am holding a briefing at 12.30 p.m. today with members of the "RTE Investigates" team which produced the powerful documentary on prostitution and sex trafficking in Ireland. It contained some shocking findings which should feed into our debate on the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015, which is due to resume in this House next week on Committee Stage. The Bill will make significant changes to the law on prostitution and I have invited all colleagues to the briefing about the Bill and the change in prostitution laws.

I support those colleagues who called for a debate on school admission policies, especially the need to end the practice of allowing schools to discriminate on the basis of religion. I have worked on this issue for many years with the multi-denominational schools patronage group and Educate Together. I am glad to speak at the Education Equality launch at the end of next week. Education Equality is a new organisation set up by a group of parents who are concerned about this issue. I know that the Tánaiste, Deputy Joan Burton, has made a welcome commitment on behalf of the Labour Party that we will seek to end the baptism barrier for school entry and to double the number of multi-denominational schools. Some of the ground work has been done by the current Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and the former Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, in establishing the national Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. However, it has been very slow and I hope we will see a change in that regard. I support colleagues who call for that debate, although I am conscious that it will not happen until 2016.