Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I second Senator Brian Hayes's proposal. In my 15 or 16 years in the House, it is without precedent that a request from three groups for a special meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges would not be conceded. While I accept the Chair has the authority to do this, I do not think it is correct. The issue was raised out of concern about the way business is conducted in the House. This is a real issue and the House will be brought into disrepute in the business it will deal with this week.

The committee system and structures and the relationship between Members and the legislative process are important. It is unacceptable that a committee of the House is consulting on a Bill without considering either what we have to say or the outcome of consultation. This is appalling and I can find no logic in the Government's position. We are awaiting the outcome of those negotiations. Under the terms of the original Act, the Information Commissioner is entitled to give a view on the operation of the Act and he will do so within the next 12 hours. That we are not to have that available to us when we are dealing with Committee Stage cannot be accepted or justified. It is completely wrong. We are ignoring the Information Commissioner, users and a committee and rushing the Bill through the House without the Minister.

I have no objection to Ministers taking time off – they are hard working and entitled to do so. They can be away and we can defer considering the legislation. There is no need to deal with the Bill this week. Let us not become involved in an argument regarding their whereabouts. If they have to be elsewhere, for whatever reason, that is their business. However, they should be here to bring the legislation through the House. The effect of this is that no amendment will be accepted. The Minister dealing with the legislation will take the brunt of the Opposition's opprobrium and will not be in a position to deal with it.

Colleagues on the Government benches hold views on this legislation that are not dissimilar to mine. I know this because I re-read the debate on the original legislation, which came before the House in 1997. I know the view Members hold, but they have been silenced and told what to do. It is like "The Silence of the Lambs" on the Government side. The fact that they do not have views to offer indicates that something is wrong.

The last time something was rushed through in this way was when we dealt with the rod licence legislation. What we are doing is utterly wrong and we will pay the price for it. It does not reflect well on any of us. It is distasteful that we find ourselves in this position. I firmly believe that Members from the Government parties hold my view and that there are things which could be done.