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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Jul 2006

Vol. 184 No. 13

Business of Seanad.

As this is the last day of our term before the summer recess I wish all Members a happy and enjoyable summer holiday, if they are taking one. I thank the Leader and her assistant, Mr. Eamonn McCormack, the leaders of the other groups, the Whips and assistant Whips, and the Senators who co-operated with me in my duties as Cathaoirleach. I thank the Clerk, Clerk Assistant and the staff of the Seanad office, who are most efficient. I also thank the superintendent, captain, ushers and reporters for their help. I thank members of the press and I would like to single out Mr. Jimmy Walsh, who always gives a good report of this House's operations in The Irish Times. I wish everybody an enjoyable holiday away from the trauma of the political events in this House.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and join him in the thanks he has paid. We have had a successful term under his aegis and for that we record our appreciation. I thank the leaders of the other parties, who were always available at the end of the telephone to discuss in a plain fashion how we could tweak the agendas on various days so that good service could be given to the Senators and to the public in the making of legislation. As the Cathaoirleach mentioned Mr. McCormack, I also have the right to do so. The Seanad would not run if it were not for him.

Hear, hear.

We would all be gone home. He has a wonderful mind and administrative ability which enables him to liaise with prince and pauper and to deal with everybody in the same way. Regarding legislation, statements and attendance we have had a good term. I thank the Chief Whip, Senator Moylan, his assistant Senator Glynn and the Deputy Leader, Senator Dardis, who has stood in for me on several occasions. I also thank Deirdre Lane, Jody Blake and the other staff in the Seanad office who from time to time give us sound advice or a telling off. They tell us the right way to do things, as opposed to the way we wish to do them.

I wish Members a happy season, be they on the election trail of the Dáil or the Seanad. I hope the doors will open happily to them and that everybody they meet will be approachable, nice and decent to them so that they may go with a light step to their next call. I hope people have a busy season. When people tell me I am on holidays for three months I tell them I will be at their doors soon. Few in this Chamber will be on holidays for that length of time, whether going for the Dáil or the Seanad.

I would prefer to go for the Dáil and deal with the ordinary public from door to door. The Senators have a difficult task in approaching their myriad constituents.

The Leader is burning her bridges.

It is difficult to vote in a Seanad election. It is as well to be straightforward about saying for whom one will vote or not vote. Then the candidate knows the situation.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his wisdom and tutelage over the year. I have made many friends in this House. Four years ago I thought my world had ended, but it had not. It had entered a new and delightful phase which I have found heart-warming, productive and interesting. The Seanad will occupy a large chapter in my book.

In the words of the late departed Taoiseach we collectively have "done the State some service" by our legislative skills. We take our role seriously and that is why we are annoyed when scant attention is paid to this House. We have a friend in Jimmy Walsh who is cheerful and bright, smart and intelligent. He knows what is happening even if one only half says it. He is a delight to deal with in his role as a journalist and in freer moments. I hope all those marching the roads this summer will have happy times, and have time to spend with their families.

On behalf of the Fine Gael group I thank the Cathaoirleach and his staff for the way in which business has been transacted during this session. I thank especially the Clerk, Clerk Assistant and the staff in the Cathaoirleach's office who have helped us, giving us the necessary advice on the many transactions conducted in this House.

I thank the Leader, Senator O'Rourke, for showing great flexibility at times to allow important debates and the space required to enable people put matters on the record. I join her in thanking Mr. Eamonn McCormack for his constant contact with the group leaders and the way he has attempted to show flexibility on the Government's part in respect of the advice he takes. I also join the Leader in thanking Jimmy Walsh of The Irish Times. It is the only national newspaper that runs a daily report on this House. I especially thank The Irish Times for doing so. I also thank the editor and producers of “Oireachtas Report” which ensures that even at a late hour every evening some bit of news from this House goes out to the country. I welcome that.

We have had a productive session and this has been a long week. Some of the staff in one section had to work until 6 a.m. to ensure that all the amendments were finally put through. This was an important week because the Criminal Justice Bill went through the House. It was the first time the Government accepted 12 or 13 of our amendments. I thank the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Michael McDowell, for that approach. Whatever our differences on the implementation of Government policy, he has shown great ability to take on board amendments from both sides of the House. Other Ministers could learn from him.

I thank my group for putting up with me on the various occasions when I and the Whip have had to lay down the law.

The Senator should look behind him.

I never look behind — it is always dangerous. I thank them for putting up with us and the management of the party in this House.

This is the first time that most of the Bills on the Order Paper are in the names of Senators from all sides. We must find a way, possibly in the next session, of expediting those Bills outside the weekly two-hour session because they contain many good proposals which could be advanced if we found another time to do so. I join the Leader in wishing all my colleagues on all sides of the House an enjoyable break. We will need it going into the next eight or nine months for the fray that lies ahead.

I join the two previous speakers on behalf of the Independent group in recognising the people who work behind, and on, the scene in the House. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his courtesy at all times, and the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the various people who have taken the Chair at other times.

The work of the Leader and those in her office, particularly Eamonn, has facilitated the smooth running of the House and ensured that a substantial quantity of legislation is initiated here which has added significantly to the House. Those of us dealing with this all the time recognise the work so many do. The Leader will agree with me that the Chief Whip's work is extraordinary and receives little recognition. The House would not run without the effort of the Chief Whip in ensuring that work is done efficiently and effectively.

The Leader and Senator Brian Hayes referred to the continuing reports in The Irish Times under the stewardship of Jimmy Walsh and the staff of RTE which are very helpful. I find it ironic to read this morning of the crocodile tears shed in another major daily newspaper about us not being in this House for the next 82 days. That newspaper did not take much notice of us for the past 82 days, which might be brought to its attention.

Senators

Hear, hear.

The headline about people going on holidays should be hit hard on the head. Committees will continue to work in this House until the end of this month at least and will resume in September. The idea that people will not work when they are away from here is extraordinary.

It is time to be proactive about this issue and make it clear that it is wrong to think that elected representatives should spend all their time in the Houses of Parliament. Nothing is more assured to put people out of touch with their constituents. There should be a rule that nobody would spend more than 50% of his or her time in the Houses, and the other 50% with his or her constituents. We should discuss this in the autumn. It is, however, extraordinary that we should break for 82 days. The year should be split up in a different and better way and we should discuss that another day.

The work of the Clerk and the Clerk Assistant on committees and sub-committees, and the business of the House is unknown to most of us. The myriad committees on which the Clerk sits as part of her role is not fully understood. It would be useful for people to see the list of those committees. The same applies to the Clerk Assistant who deals with internal committees.

My final words are for the extraordinary work of the Office of the Editor of Debates. I have said it before, but I will say it again, I am convinced that the work done by that office in these Houses of Parliament is ahead of that in any European counterpart. To be able to log onto the Internet tomorrow morning, or 12 hours after a debate, and find a report of proceedings is an extraordinary development for which we should be eternally grateful. It makes our job a great deal easier.

I begin by way of a confession. Next August it will be 25 years since I was elected to this House and this is the first time I have been here on the last day before the summer recess. That may be a comment on either my indolence or my electoral resilience but I managed to get out of here early and be re-elected over that period.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. He is a difficult man with whom to have a row, which is probably a fine quality for one in the Chair.

The occasional moments of disorder on my side were part of the ups and downs of life and were not or could not be personal because it is not possible to have that sort of row with the Cathaoirleach. I thank him for his fairness. We are all aware of his determination to be fair and balanced which scarcely needs be mentioned it is so clear. This was not always the case because he had predecessors with whom it was easy to have rows. This Cathaoirleach recognises that a sense of fairness is an important part of our constitutional order which he wants to uphold.

Nobody could overestimate the amount of work the staff of the House do under extraordinary circumstances within limited timeframes. I do not think many of those who talk about delivery of service in other parts of the world would emulate the quality of service, efficiency and speed of delivery of the Clerk, the Clerk Assistant and rest of the staff of the House.

I support Senator O'Toole's comments on the quality of work of those who record our proceedings. They do their almost invisible jobs with a level of precision and efficiency that is of great assistance to all of us and of great credit to them. I would like to be associated with the praise in that regard.

It is difficult to have a real row with the Leader, partly because she is a very reasonable woman and partly because she always charms one into submission if she cannot do it any other way. Her capacity to charm us all is complemented by the extraordinary qualities of her assistant, Mr. Eamonn McCormack. Senator O'Rourke is the first Leader I can recall who has had an identified and identifiable assistant around the place. He is a significant asset to the Leader and the House.

The House has completed a considerable amount of business and considered a substantial number of issues without any serious rows. There has rarely been a serious disagreement about time allocations or anything like that. I was not present in the House earlier this week for the debate on the Criminal Justice Bill 2004, which was a classic example of the allocation of sufficient time. As Senator Brian Hayes said, the Minister, Deputy McDowell, with whom I disagree on almost everything and whose willingness to engage with the Members of this House we know about, created an atmosphere in which a considerable amount of work was done very quickly.

Like my colleagues, I pay tribute to Mr. Jimmy Walsh and The Irish Times. Senator O’Toole made this point very well. I hope those who fail to report the proceedings of this House will give us the kindness of their silence about our alleged holidays. If they are indifferent to our presence, they could extend that same indifference to our alleged absence. Much of what they say in that regard is untrue in any event. I would like to imagine the reaction of two journalists I can think of, without naming any names. One particular prominent leader of the nation in the media works, according to his definition of work, for five hours a week. If he is happy to judge us by our presence in the Chamber, I will judge him in the same way. He takes much longer holidays, as he would call them, than we do. He would be most indignant——

He earns much more than we do.

No. I disagree with the Leader in that regard. He does not earn much more that we do — he gets paid much more than we do.

Well said.

There is a fundamental difference.

I would like to conclude by thanking my colleagues in the Labour Party and the various members of the party's staff. I am the leader of a group in this House who lives furthest from Dublin. Perhaps I am not here as often as most of the other group leaders. I have found all my colleagues most accommodating about that.

Can the Senator remember their names?

The Labour Party group is quite small. My colleagues in the group, more so than me, participate in debates on virtually every Bill that comes before the House. They propose constructive amendments to every Bill, which is a considerable workload for a group of five people. I pay tribute to my colleagues in the Labour Party, in particular, for their level of positive contribution to the work of the House. I hope everybody has a good summer break. I am a little nervous following the Leader's reference to elections. Does she know something we do not know?

All I know is that it will be a long haul.

It will be. I have been here for a long time anyway. This summer, Senator Ross and I will celebrate the 25th anniversary of our election to this House.

The Senators will celebrate together. It will be lovely.

I was not here for a little bit of the last 25 years. We were temporarily separated.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for all the work he has done during the year. He had handled the business of the House in an even-handed and fair manner. I applaud his humour and courtesy. I include the Leas-Chathaoirleach in that regard. Everybody has been thanked. I briefly thank the Leader of the House for the manner in which she has conducted her business and for everything she has done during the year. I especially thank Mr. Eamonn McCormack. I have personal reasons to thank him for his assistance, not only on the days when I stood in for the Leader on the Order of Business, but also on other occasions.

In particular, I thank the people who work in the Clerk's office. I emphasise again the increasing burden that is falling on their shoulders because of matters like the report on electronic voting, which is part of the duties of that office. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission needs to examine the resources which are available to that office in comparison to the amount of work it has to do. When Bills are being considered, the staff of that office perform their duties very well in difficult circumstances. I refer, for example, to the Criminal Justice Bill 2004, to which many amendments were proposed.

I join those who paid tribute to Mr. Jimmy Walsh of The Irish Times for his unfailing and fair reporting on the proceedings of this House. It is obvious that the idea of a rural zoo does not resonate with that newspaper’s sub-editors, but that is not Mr. Walsh’s fault.

I would like to single out a group of people who do not receive the praise they deserve. I refer to the ushers who, according to a report produced by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, brought 72,000 visitors through the Houses in the past year. That they can facilitate so many visits without any disruption, while looking after the Members of the Oireachtas at the same time, is quite remarkable.

Hear, hear.

They deserve significant credit for that. Their work should be recognised because they do a difficult job extremely well. Every single one of them shows unfailing courtesy.

I would also like to mention the Editor of Debates and the people who report the debates. Some of us can remember when it took almost a month for the proceedings of this House to emerge, but they are now available to everybody on the Internet within a short period of time.

The message we can take from what I have said relates to the availability of democracy to a wider audience. It is good that our debates are available on the Internet. It is good that the ushers bring visitors through the Houses to allow as many people as possible see how we work in here.

I would like to conclude by mentioning that while the summer recess is about to begin, that does not mean we are going on holidays. The Curtin committee, for example, will meet in July and August. It is right and correct that its ongoing business will be conducted in private and will not be reported. A great deal of the work that will be done in the Oireachtas over the next few months will receive no attention, even though it is part of what we are paid for doing. We do not complain about it, but it is important to recognise that it takes place.

I have received notice from Senator Ross that, on the motion for the Adjournment of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter:

The need for the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to call a halt to the under-investment in Tallaght Hospital.

I have also received notice from Senator Bradford of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 to include guidelines for the erection of telephone masts, in the interest of health and safety.

I have also received notice from Senator John Paul Phelan of the following matter:

The need for the Minister the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to outline whether he has any plans to introduce a pension or an enhanced gratuity payment for retired local authority members.

I have also received notice from Senator Bannon of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Transport to make a statement on the underutilised potential of the Athlone to Mullingar rail link and to update the House on the status of the project under Transport 21.

I have also received notice from Senator Browne of the following matter:

The need for the Minister for Education and Science to provide substitute cover for primary school teachers who take days off as part of the three days of leave which are given to them in return for doing a summer course.

I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment. I have selected the matters raised by Senators Ross, Bradford and John Paul Phelan and they will be taken at the conclusion of business. Senators Bannon and Browne may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise.

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