I always dislike using exaggerated language, but I find myself disgusted, disappointed and shocked by the Government attempting to guillotine the debate on the International Protection Bill in this House. On Committee Stage, there are over 400 amendments. Based on a rough view of the amendments paper, approximately half of them are Government amendments. It will be proposed, in all probability, that all of those amendments will be adopted by this House without any discussion whatsoever. That will be the consequence of what is happening. In the wider world, people on the hard right are exploiting the migration and asylum-seeking issue. The shameful decision on the part of the Government to try to railroad this measure through this House at this stage will prevent it from being properly discussed and prevent different voices with different perspectives on some of the issues raised, including detention of people, being heard. All of this is being rushed through. There is no excuse for it; none whatsoever. There is no urgency. We have had a lengthy St. Patrick's Day break. We are coming up to a lengthy Easter break. This measure, which has huge social consequences for this State, is being rushed through without debate.

Fianna Fáil stood for the retention of Seanad Éireann. Do we remember that? If the Government behaves like this, it effectively says that it does not matter what the people in the Seanad think. It is going to do what it wants. It is going to table 150 amendments to its own legislation, which went through the Dáil on a guillotine. It is going to railroad those amendments through without debate. It is going to prevent anybody who does not have the same perspective as the Department of justice and the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, from having their views even put on the record.

It is a disgrace. It is a serious disgrace.

All I can say is that the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, is a good friend of mine. He has come into this House and he has appeared to be decent and open to ideas and constructive debate very frequently. Whoever decided, however, and it must have been a Cabinet or Chief Whip’s decision, to guillotine this legislation on Committee Stage in the way it is being done is a disgrace to Irish democracy. The Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, unfortunately, is fronting up for them. I am not going to allow my personal regard for him to stand in the way of calling out what he is doing, which is trampling on democracy.

Hear, hear.