Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I agree with other Senators that it is important we are here to debate the Construction Contracts Bill 2010. It is important we do our job properly and examine legislation.

I join other Senators who have spoken about the need for a debate on the programme for Government. We should have debate on it in the remaining lifetime of this Seanad. It is quite a useful function we can serve. I had a look at the programme for Government and the only reference to the Seanad is a mention of abolishing it. There will be a Seanad until the referendum goes to the people so I would like to know what the new Government will do with it. As Senator Mullen pointed out, the Taoiseach will appoint 11 people to it. Who will those people be? Will they be people from his party who might be elected in the future or will they be the people with other views of the world? There is an inherent contradiction in the way the programme for Government deals with the Seanad and political reform. The reality which will face us is the likelihood that for the lifetime of the next Dáil there will be a Seanad in place. The people will not stand for a Seanad mainly populated by Fine Gael Senators which will not have any useful function or purpose. Political reform starts with the people from the ground up and not from the top down as the programme for Government states. I do not believe getting rid of the oversight which the Seanad has will necessarily give us a better democratic system. If we are not to reform completely the political system we have at local authority, Seanad and Dáil levels we will not have better politics in this country.