Government plans to debate the new Education Act, saying it was too late in the day to start discussing the landmark bill.

The Senate adjourned at 5.30 p.m. after Opposition Leader Milton Scott's motion to adjourn the debate until the Senate's next sitting on Wednesday was carried by a six-to-five margin.

The move means five Acts are left to be debated instead of three during what was supposed to be the last meeting of the Senate before the summer break.

These are the Education Act, the Passenger Tax Amendment (No.2) Act, the Affiliation Act, the Companies Act and the Telecommunications Act.

The motion came after Government Senate Leader Lynda Milligan-Whyte introduced the Education Act for debate at 4.45 p.m.

But Sen. Scott said it would not do the bill -- one of the most important to be considered by Parliament this session -- justice to debate it through the night.

He recommended that debate of the bill be adjourned until the Senate's next session when they could start fresh in the morning.

But Sen. Milligan-Whyte said she fully understood that everyone was tired but it was important to start the debate and get as much done as possible.

If it went beyond an unreasonable hour, she continued, then the session could be adjourned.

However Sen. Scott then made the motion to adjourn the debate of the Education Act until the next sitting.

After the motion carried, Sen. Milligan-Whyte moved that the Senate be adjourned until Wednesday.

She later told The Royal Gazette that Sen. Scott's move to adjourn the debate was "irresponsible'' after everyone had been given time to prepare for the debate of the Education Act.

And she claimed the move only came after the Opposition's plans to amend the Base Lands Development Act were beaten.

It was a "sad day'' for the Senate when they did not do the ''people's business'', she continued.

But Sen. Scott defended his actions, saying the Education Act was one of the most important bills to come before the Senate in recent times.

It was in the best interest of the debate for it to be adjourned so Senators could attack the topic with fresh minds.

Education was such a serious subject, he continued, that he had left a meeting of the National Education Association which was going on in the US to return to the Island for the debate.

He said he had not approached the Independent Senators whose votes had helped carry the motion but he appreciated their support.

And he added that he had only called for the Education Act to be adjourned and not the other Acts which were shorter and could have been discussed.

However Sen. Milligan-Whyte said that if the Senators were too tired to debate education then surely they were too tired to debate taxes -- the Passenger Tax Amendment (No.2) Act.