It gives me great pleasure to support this motion. At the outset, I thank the Leader of the House for giving us a full explanation of what happened last week. Indeed, there were strange rumours floating around the House why the motion was not moved last week. I am very happy — and I was at the time — to accept as I always would, the assurances of the Leader of the House that the situation was as he said. I am glad that particular item was cleared up very speedily after the Order of Business last week. We now all know that what happened was one of those accidents caused by a breakdown in communications at some level rather than anything sinister on anybody's part. I suppose, in the slightly jittery atmosphere of these times, that this may have slightly pre-dated the slight case of jitters around at the moment. These things can happen in a House like this or in the Joint Houses. There is no greater place in Ireland for rumours of various sorts than this complex of Houses. Sometimes one needs to be away from these environs to get an objective view of things.
I have great pleasure in welcoming the substance of the two parts of the motion here this evening. First, it is a matter of great relief and joy to all of us that we will be leaving this ante Chamber which has housed us now for two or three years. We have operated in very cramped conditions in an atmosphere which is not, and was not, conducive to what is the second House of a national Parliament. All of us — the Cathaoirleach, the staff, reporters and Members — have shown great patience over the last two and a half to three years putting up with our conditions. Those of us who have seen the restored Chamber know that the wait was probably worthwhile. The Chamber we are going back to next week is, as we will see next week, a great credit to all who are involved with its restoration. It is entirely appropriate that our first day back should be televised and that the Irish public should be given an opportunity to see the Seanad Chamber and also to participate in the activities of the Seanad on that historic day.
I certainly hope that the move to have the proceedings of both Houses broadcast regularly on television is not very far away. The attitude that radio and television should not have access to Parliament is very much an outdated one. The Parliament is open to the public. Technology has made it possible for the proceedings of Parliament to be heard and seen almost as they happen throughout the country. It is a very real extension of democracy that we are now moving in this direction, and I hope we move in this direction with great speed.
As the Leader said, it is a one-off day next week. I certainly hope that on that day, we will show the best side of the Seanad. The group leaders have met. We have drawn up the procedures for the day. I am sure they will be adhered to and that the public will get a view of the type of constructive work that makes up most of the timetable of this House.
I am glad it is the Seanad that is the first House to be televised. We were the first in terms of radio broadcasting. We always — this is not in any way an invidious remark — have been a bit more open, adventurous and enlightened than those in the other House on matters of this kind. I look forward to a time in the near future when the proceedings of both Houses will be broadcast on a regular basis.
On the question in the second part of the motion to continue with the sound broadcasting of proceedings here, I would like to pay a tribute to the editorial staff in RTE who carry out this work on a daily basis. There were many people in the early stages who were suspicious that there would be editorial bias, that there would not be fair play, that there might be favouritism or there might be distortions of some kind in the editorial control of broadcasting. I have to say, and I think everybody would agree with me, that the editorial staff in RTE have been scrupulously fair in the way in which they have edited and presented the proceedings of this House. My only complaint — it is a strong complaint but it is not the fault of the editorial staff of RTE — is that the broadcasts are too short; that there is not enough time given and that the proceedings in this House can be relegated to a point which their substance might not always warrant.
I hope as we move into the era of a greater number of radio stations we may have a situation where the proceedings of both Houses will be broadcast in full. That happens in other countries. There would be a market for it; it would not be very expensive and it would greatly extend the right of access of the public to what is happening in the Houses of Parliament. I hope we are coming to that stage. I believe there would be a ready market for that type of broadcasting and it certainly would not be expensive.
On the question of coverage of this House generally, I have to note the disappointment that has been expressed by the Leader of the House on a number of occasions about the absence of coverage of this House in The Irish Press, the small amount of coverage in the Irish Independent. Conversely, may I pay tribute both to The Cork Examiner and The Irish Times, both of which are very diligent in their coverage of the activities of this House. They are diligent, accurate and they deserve to be commended for the effort they put into ensuring that the activities here are reported.
I am very happy to be associated with the motion proposed by the Leader of the House and to report also that there was general agreement as to the rules and regulations for next week.
