Expect reckless use of guillotine, warns Stagg

THE Government is resorting to the excessive use of parliamentary guillotines to quickly push through controversial legislation, according to Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg.

Guillotining legislative debates is a mechanism used to cut short Dáil discussions of bills by introducing a final deadline by which time a vote must be taken.

Mr Stagg said the Government was planning to guillotine debate on eight separate pieces of legislation this week including the controversial Social Welfare Bill which will give effect to many of the “savage 16” social welfare cuts announced by Mary Coughlan before the Budget.