Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like Senator Mary White and others, I wish Senator Bacik well as a potential future member of the Cabinet or Minister of State. While Senator White said she would be particularly suited to the Department of Justice and Equality, I think she would be well-qualified to take on any ministry save that of defence because I doubt she could sit on the fence for very long.

On the sixth of anniversary of Dáil Éireann passing a motion calling on the British Government to hand over any original documents it has on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, I join with Senator Darragh O'Brien and others in calling on it to do so. I further suggest that we have an all-party motion in this House calling on the British Government to stop hiding behind many false walls and hand over whatever original documentation it has on these two atrocities which occurred on this part of the island.

I join previous speakers in calling for a debate on the planning process, specifically as it applies to major events such as the proposed Garth Brooks concerts, which ended in a fiasco. It is not right to vest in one individual the power to decide whether an event should proceed. If only one person in each country had the power to decide the judicial outcomes of civil cases and his or her decision was not subject to an appeal mechanism, our democracy would be a poor one. Having said that, the location of a major arena in an urban area is not a reason for ignoring the wishes of local people. Local people, including those living near Croke Park, should be given adequate consideration with regard to any plans to hold major events in future.