The Government has announced plans to publish 14 new Bills between now and Christmas as it seeks to recover public support after a series of setbacks.
With the Dáil and Seanad to resume today after the summer break, Government chief whip Tom Kitt said yesterday that the legislative programme would show the Coalition was "a very organised and cohesive government".
Mr Kitt highlighted the Parental Leave Bill and Employment Permits Bill as examples of legislation due to be debated in this session that were designed to add "a human side to a successful economy".
However, Green Party whip Dan Boyle said the legislative programme for the coming Dáil session was unimaginative and revealed "a Government which is not prepared to rock too many boats as a general election draws ever near".
Government and Opposition whips agreed yesterday to change today's Dáil business to allow party leaders to make statements on the decommissioning of IRA weapons.
Tonight Fine Gael and Labour will continue their efforts to portray the Government as wasteful of public money, proposing a private members' motion seeking an inquiry by the Comptroller and Auditor General into the Government decision to buy a farm at Thornton Hall, in north Dublin, to site a new prison.
The Government's programme for the coming session, published yesterday, shows that Michael McDowell's Bill to allow restaurants to serve beer and spirits is not scheduled to be published until the middle of next year.
The legislation comes after the publicans' lobby, supported by many Fianna Fáil backbenchers and Ministers, successfully blocked his plans to introduce café bars that would serve food and alcohol.
The Minister's legislation to reform the defamation law, which was also deferred earlier this year after Cabinet objections, is now due to be published early next year.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said last night that the deal to buy land for a new prison, the subject of tonight's private members' motion, gave rise to concern on a number of grounds.
"The Government is reported to be paying €30 million for this farm, that's €200,000 per acre, making it the most expensive farmland in Europe," Mr Kenny said. "The decision-making process has also raised concerns. While the interdepartmental committee looked at sites for at least six months in 2004, it appears that Thornton Hall was only brought to their attention in the middle of January 2005 and the decision to buy was put through Government in one week. The speed with which such an expensive decision was made deserves scrutiny."
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte questioned the suitability of the site, saying that its remoteness could cause hardship to the families of prisoners who would now have to travel considerable distances for visits.
"There are also serious question marks about the level of infrastructure in the area," he said.