Ahern and Quinn clash over abortion issue

There was a sharp exchange between the Taoiseach and the Labour leader, Mr Ruair∅ Quinn, over the handling of legislation on the divorce and abortion referendums.

Mr Ahern accused the Labour party of "hypocrisy" in questioning the referral of the abortion legislation to the committee on the Constitution, rather than a committee of the full House. Mr Quinn replied by accusing the Taoiseach of misleading the House.

"I am a passive person by nature," Mr Ahern said. "I have no reason to become annoyed or get excited, but if there is one thing in life with which I have a difficulty, that is hypocrisy."

He said that when Mr Quinn was in office in 1995, dealing with the divorce referendum he "did precisely what we did last night".

Mr Quinn agreed that the divorce legislation had gone to a committee but said it was "by agreement".

On Tuesday night after the debate on the 25th Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which paves the way for next year's referendum, the Coalition voted to refer the Bill to the committee of the Constitution.

Mr Quinn said yesterday that this was a "disgraceful abuse of parliamentary procedures" by the Government and they were moving towards an "elective dictatorship" because, under standing orders, constitutional amendment legislation was taken by a committee of the full House, rather than by a specific committee.

The row erupted during a very tetchy session of the Order of Business when the day's agenda was set. There were five votes during a session that lasted the more than two hours and the Labour leader said there was a "disgraceful abuse of parliamentary procedures by this Government".

He challenged each issue on the day's agenda, resulting in the five votes, each of which took 20 minutes. The Taoiseach said that when the divorce legislation was dealt with, they had 12 hours and 15 minutes on the debate, compared to more than three weeks of debate on the abortion legislation.

He said he had listened "ad nauseum" to a procedural debate on the passage of the Bill on Wednesday "and did not bother replying because that would only have taken up more of the time of the House".

Mr Ahern said every member of the House could have his or her view.

Mr Ahern said members "went on and on" about it being unprecedented for a constitutional amendment not to be debated in the Dβil so that all parties have a right to table amendments, voice their opinions and have their votes recorded.

He agreed that they had accepted in a letter that they would try to take all stages in the House, but he pointed out that Mr Quinn had done the same in the divorce legislation.

When Mr Quinn insisted that was by agreement, Mr Ahern said it was not by agreement and that two days was given for the amendment in 1995.

There was a division in the House and a vote was called.

When the Order of Business resumed, Mr Quinn said he had checked the record and he had moved for the closure of the second stage on the divorce referendum in October 1995, but the then minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen, moved that the Bill be taken to committee stage and that was agreed.

Mr Quinn said the Opposition was being asked "once again to deviate from the normal standing orders". He said a report from the all-party committee was expected to recommend standing orders for constitutional amendments should be dealt with in a particular way.

"The government has resolutely refused to accede to that," he said as the Ceann Comhairle insisted Mr Quinn's remarks were not relevant to the issue before the Dβil.

The Labour leader then insisted again that "we will not co-operate with any deviation from standing orders".