Dail debate ends for lack of quorum

The Dáil adjourned abruptly yesterday when the Government failed to muster enough TDs in the House after the Labour Party called for a quorum.

A minimum of 20 of the State's 166 TDs have to be in the chamber once a quorum is called, so the debate on controversial environment legislation was abandoned when only 11 Government deputies including the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, made it into the chamber on time. It is believed to be the first time in decades that a Dáil debate has collapsed because of a failure to have enough TDs in the chamber.

Before the call was made by Labour's environment spokes- man, Mr Eamon Gilmore, there had been about five hours of speeches on the fiercely contested Environment Protection Bill, which will transpose EU waste policy and legislation into Irish law.

Bells usually ring around the environs of Leinster House for about three minutes to alert TDs that 20 are required to be in the chamber, but the Leas Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, waited some 15 minutes before adjourning the second stage debate on the Environment Protection Bill.

The quorum call was made after a pause in the proceedings when the Independent TD, Mr Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central), who called for a mass campaign of non-payment of refuse charges, finished speaking on the Bill.

Then Opposition TDs moved behind the rails at the back of the chamber, which meant that 20 Government TDs had to be present.

The Government chief whip, Ms Mary Hanafin, responsible for the attendance of Government TDs in the Dáil, arrived in the chamber just as the Leas Ceann Comhairle adjourned proceedings less than half an hour before business was scheduled to finish.

Mr Pattison refused to accept a point of order from the Minister of State for Health, Mr Ivor Callely, who said the Dáil was discussing "a very important piece of legislation", the Environment Protection Bill.

The Leas Ceann Comhairle said he could not discuss any business or even a point of order, because there were not enough deputies in the Dáil, and he adjourned the House.

The Opposition has been critical of the restricted nature of Friday Dáil sittings because there is no Order of Business or opportunity for Opposition leaders or TDs to question the Taoiseach.

But the Government and Ms Hanafin have repeatedly stated that the Friday sittings are an opportunity for time to debate legislation, which the Opposition was seeking.

The legislation under debate will adapt EU environment policy to Irish law. It operates on the "polluter pays" principle and will require households as well as other waste producers to pay for the cost of disposing of their waste.

Once implemented, the legislation will allow local authorities to refuse to collect the waste of households which fail to pay refuse charges. It will also transfer the power to impose waste charges from local councillors to county managers.

The Opposition parties have rejected the legislation, and Mr Gilmore has claimed it would result in annual household refuse charges of some €700.

The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, who introduced the legislation two weeks ago, claimed that the Opposition were playing auction politics with legislation that was essential to avoid the disastrous economic and environmental consequences of Ireland's waste crisis.

Yesterday Mr McGrath, as well as proposing a non-payment campaign, also called for mass protests on the issue. That was the key to defeating "this unjust tax", he said. "In some parts of the country people are paying over €300 a year in local charges," he said.

Mr Peter Kelly (FF, Longford-Roscommon), who welcomed the Bill, said the legislation underpinned "a tough approach to polluting activity" and would run alongside a tough enforcement drive.

Mr Paul Kehoe (FG, Wexford) said, however, that the Bill would put an end to local representatives' power to make decisions.

"The county manager will decide on what waste management plan to introduce and what waste charges to impose."