It is proposed to take Nos. 1 to 9, inclusive, and No. 15.
Order of Business.
I would like to ask the Leader of the House why we have not met for the last three weeks. I know there has been a certain clog of legislation coming to the Seanad but there are at least nine motions in the names of Members of this House for debate. I think it shows a certain contempt for the Members of this House that we have not sat for the last three weeks, if only simply to debate these motions. If the Leader of the House remembers, during the last session of the Seanad we sat for three days to debate a single motion put down by the Government on the constitutional crusade, which was certainly the best debate I have heard in this House. I gather that last week we did not meet because the Grand Duke of Luxembourg had to have a drink in the ante-room here, which I do not think was a particularly good reason for not meeting. There are motions on Seanad reform, on extradition, which is one I want to debate, on land and on many other matters and there is no excuse for the Seanad not meeting just because there is no legislation.
As far as I can see, it has worked out that so far in this session of the Seanad — we were elected on 21 April — we have been paid about £500 per day. I would like to know what the plans are for meeting in the near future, whether we intend to sit once a week, or whether we will suddenly have a rush of legislation for debate, to the exclusion of motions, and what the actual legislative plan is before the summer recess. How much legislation do we intend to get through?
With regard to what Senator Ross has said, I think we would serve the image of politicians far better by working than by turning up every week to do various constituency work, as many of my colleagues do. I would like to associate myself strongly with what Senator Ross has said. I am getting fed up having to defend politicians, particularly to young people, against the charge that they are in politics for their own good, that they are all cynical and that they have no over-riding concern other than their own welfare. If this House continues to be run in the way that it is being run, which is with a singular lack of regard for the fact that it is the second Chamber of the Oireachtas, then I will come to the view that most of the young people that I know express, which is that we should close the place down altogether and stop pretending that we are part of the Legislature because we are not. We are a rump that meets when we have to and otherwise we serve no purpose. If that is going to be the way then let us get rid of it and stop pretending that we have a second Chamber which serves a purpose.
Is it the Government's intention to seek the reconstitution of the Joint Committee on State-Sponsored Bodies and if so, can the Leader of the House give an indication of when the relevant motion may be put before us?
I support what has been said by my colleagues, Senator Ross and Senator Ryan. Since I came into this House five years ago I have been making the same points, expressing the same complaints about the extraordinary arbitrary manner in which the Seanad is convened at irregular intervals and the failure to discuss substantial order of business. I thank Senator Ross for reviving my flagging enthusiasm and for once again hoping that hope will triumph over experience. I can anticipate one of the answers that the Leader of the House will give. He will say that there is insufficient Government business to warrant the meeting of the Seanad. There was at least one piece of legislation completed by the Dáil which would in itself have given us the authentic pretext for meeting earlier than this.
I would like to associate myself with the remarks which have been made and I would like the assurance of the Leader of the House that we will not find ourselves in a situation, maybe next month or at the very end of next month, in which we are suddenly faced with a great flood of legislation from the other House and then have to face the dilemma of either giving it a perfunctory glance and ramming it through as fast as we can or of sitting endlessly into the dog days of summer. I hope the Leader of the House can give a guarantee that as legislation becomes available from the Dáil we will be given a chance to consider it in a proper and detailed fashion and that we will not have to rush it.
As a member of a political party I, too, feel that the motions put down by some of the speakers merit attention, are certainly worthy of debate and will merit a great deal of national coverage because they bring up very important subjects. I, too, would like to know exactly where we stand in relation to future sittings of the House and, if possible, to have the programme outlined as far as the recess in as much as the Leader of the House is permitted to do so.
The reason we did not sit last week was simply that we did not have any Government business. It has nothing to do with the visit of the Grand Duke. In general terms, it has not been the practice of the Seanad, going back for many, many years, to sit specially for a motion. It in only called together for Government business and when it is called together for Government business a motion can then be taken. That is not sacrosanct. If the House believes that that practice should be changed then it is a matter initially for the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, which I hope will be set up today. That can be discussed and the House can decide, perhaps, that that practice should not be adhered to. There have been exceptions to the rule but, generally speaking, the House has never been called together especially for a motion and, consequently, it would not have been in order, certainly it would not have been in accordance with that practice, to have called the House together to debate some of the motions that are on the Order Paper. I am not in a position to say when it is proposed to set up the Joint Committee on State-Sponsored Bodies but I will let the House know as soon as possible. If it reaches us from the Dáil of course we will deal with it immediately.
On a point of information, may I ask through the Chair if it is true that——
There is no point of information. The discussion has been concluded by the Leader of the House.
I simply want to elucidate a point. I do not propose to add to the discussion. I want to know, through the Chair, from the Leader of the House whether it is true that there was Government business completed in Dáil Éireann two weeks ago which meant that we could have met last week?
I am not aware that there was but I cannot say there was not.
Order of Business agreed to.