Dr. Seán Healy:

I wish to make one final point about the process. I am strongly of the view that nothing should replace the role of Parliament, that is, the role of elected Deputies and Senators, Oireachtas committees and so on, which is the reason, for example, I would like to see that in this context. This also was the reason that for all the years during which we were in social partnership, I made a proposal, which was written about and published endlessly by our organisation, that we would welcome an opportunity in which an Oireachtas committee, either pre-existing or set up for the purpose, would engage on a quarterly basis with all those involved in social partnership to go through any updates and so on. We strongly expressed the view all the time that there was not a single item in a national agreement that did not have Government support. Any proposal that did not have Government support, no matter who was making it, did not wind up in an agreement. As part of the community and voluntary pillar, we never had the major role in social partnership but we did play an active and strong role there in trying to represent vulnerable and poor people, as well as many other groups who needed support in the process. However, I always have accepted completely the primacy of the elected Parliament and parliamentarians. Throughout the 15 or so years in which we were there, we argued repeatedly for a greater engagement by the Oireachtas. In that context, we constantly suggested an Oireachtas committee in order that both Opposition and Government people would be involved.