THE Government's plan to introduce a revised Light Rail Bill next Tuesday has been attacked as a "negation of democracy" by the Fianna Fail chief whip, Mr Dermot Ahern.
The new Bill, approved at a specially convened Cabinet meeting yesterday, is an amended version of the one voted down on Tuesday due to the absence from the Dail of six Government TDs.
According to the Government whip, Mr Jim Higgins, the revised Bill could be brought in only by the suspension of the standing order which precludes consideration of defeated Bills for six months.
"This is the only time any Government has done this in the history of the State," Mr Ahern said.
The Bill is expected to be published today. A Government spokesman said last night the new Bill included provisions "enhancing the public consultation process".
At a whips meeting on Wednesday night, Mr Ahern proposed that the new Bill be introduced on June 25th. "A lot of groups were in contact with us over the last five months on this issue. We won't be able to meet with those people between Friday and Tuesday afternoon," he said.
The Government plans to complete the second stage of the Bill on Tuesday, followed by committee stage on June 20th and 25th, with report and final stages on June 27th. It is intended to the Bill to the Seanad on July and 3rd so that the legislation have gone through both Houses of the Oireachtas before the Dail adjourns on July 5th.
A Government spokesman said that under the new Bill, the public would have access through the public library system to the documentation on the Dublin light rail network which CIE must lodge with its application to the Minister before he makes the order to proceed with its installation.
The Bill would make it clear that the inspector conducting the inquiry would be fully independent, while the Minister would also consider the views of the local authorities. CIE would not be able to carry out work on the new lines until the expiry of the two month period during which members of the public could call for a judicial review.
Ms Liz O'Donnell of the Progressive Democrats was yesterday seeking consultation with the Minister and his Department on her party's objections to the previous Bill. The Fianna Fail transport spokesman, Mr Seamus Brennan, had not seen the new Bill last night but he warned that if the party was not satisfied with the consultation provisions, it would use every parliamentary tactic on Tuesday to block it".
"The Minister's insistence on taking the Bill on Tuesday shows that he has not seriously redrafted it," Mr Brennan said.
