Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We must remember that we have universities of the highest rank and with 65 departments. I have brought the knowledge of those departments to this parliamentary Chamber. I shall tell them that the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, in obedience to Taoiseach Kenny does not want any university representation, does not want a second Chamber and does not want anybody from Northern Ireland. That is a power grab which everybody in the House should resist. All this has been done on completely spurious grounds in terms of Parliament and utterly spurious figures.

Deputy Finian McGrath asked Deputy Michael Noonan questions about the referendum figures that stated it will cost between €17 million and €21 million, plus the €2.1 million that has already been spent. That money is needed in a country with 14.7% unemployment and where 300,000 people have left. The Government has reformed nothing in the country. The Seanad has been made a scapegoat but we were not responsible for the collapse of the Celtic tiger or the Government's failure to reform the Dáil. I have tabled stronger measures, as the Minister of State well knows, on the regulation of banks. I thought the Minister for Finance would accept them but the Minister of State turned them down. Therefore, we are not responsible for the failure to reform the banking system either. Every day that we are in here we creatively help the Leader and the Government to get this country back from its condition in 2008. Our reward has been a Taoiseach who wants to abolish a vital part of the Legislature.

Today is my worst day since I joined this House. We really did try. Some 42 new people joined but we have been judged by people who do not want to hear us or are judging us on a Seanad that no longer exists. We wanted to play our part. All of the council of people, nominated by the Government, will not be nearly as effective. I have served on many of those councils and boards for various Governments. The Seanad is the best place for policy-making I have ever come across.

That is my experience and I think it would also be the Taoiseach's if he turned up a bit more frequently. He promised us, now that we no longer hold the EU Presidency, that he would come to the House more frequently, but I see he is sending the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, instead. That probably explains why he is badly informed about the work this House does.

I am very happy to support this amendment. This is a tragedy for the Parliament and the people of this country. It is a power grab and it saves no money. It will reduce the ability of the Legislature to address the serious questions that face this country.

We need people from Northern Ireland here. We need to comply with the terms of the Good Friday Agreement 1998 and to honour what is in the Constitution and what was given by Éamon de Valera in 1937 to residents of the North. We may even need to try to emulate the Irish Rugby Football Union, which is able to have unionists and nationalists playing on the one side.

When I visit my constituency, I draw bigger attendances in Enniskillen, Belfast and Dungannon. I will have to go to those people and say that because of this Taoiseach, supported by people who did not bother to work through the consequences, they will no longer be able to vote for Members of the Oireachtas as it is being redefined to exclude people like them. They will be excluded from this House by a referendum in which they will have no vote. I think that is a scandalous situation in breach of an agreement which we registered with the United Nations. When there is rioting and we wonder why many people on the extreme unionist side do not want anything to do with this State, the hand of friendship we tried to offer is being pulled back by this Government. I am happy to propose the amendment that we do not proceed with the abolition of Seanad Éireann.