Under the powers conferred on me by Standing Order 21(3) of the Standing Orders of Seanad Éireann relative to public business, I summoned Seanad Éireann to meet at 12 noon today at the request of the Government for the purposes of:
(1) Statements on the Omagh Tragedy, followed by one minute's silence; and
(2) considering the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Bill, 1998, which is a Bill to amend and extend the Offences Against the State Acts, 1939 to 1985.
Directly related to item 2 is the earlier signature motion to enable the Bill, if passed, to be signed by the Presidential Commission at an earlier time than five days. No other business can be taken today.