Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In terms of access to committees, it is clear that any Member can turn up and speak. However, the vote must determine the composition of the Parliament so it would be fundamentally undemocratic if it did not. In terms of access to speaking time, there is a much larger complaint from the large parliamentary parties - the Labour Party and Fine Gael - where backbenchers do not get speaking time. It is much easier in the Opposition because it is disproportionately given to those groups. A simple check of the record of the House in terms of the volume of speaking time would copperfasten that point.

In respect of the final impassioned point made by Deputy Creighton about the democratic revolution, I know Deputies sometimes do not want to acknowledge things. That is fair enough. However, I need to put on the record the suite of measures this Government is introducing relating to the reform of freedom of information include undoing the damage done by Fianna Fáil the last time, the whistleblowers' legislation which passed Second Stage without opposition yesterday in the Dáil and passed the Seanad, the inquires legislation to strengthen the hand of inquiries and the register of lobbyists that will come is fundamental in terms of changing the democratic structure and openness. To drive that along with the open Government agenda we have, the open data project I am pushing is a real improvement. Objectively, people acknowledge that. Perhaps on a partisan basis it cannot be done but it should be said.

Deputy Donnelly talked about how he had spoken to somebody before he came into the House who told him that however cynical he was, he would be more cynical once he got in here and that however dysfunctional he thought it was, it was worse. That can be a point of view. I have been here 30 years and have respected all sorts of views. I have faced trenchant opposition within and outside my party. One can present that cynical perspective if one likes or one can present a positivity about it because one does not agree with everybody. The Deputy mentioned the issue of funding. He talked about a sum of money that will be available to political parties on foot of a variety of funding mechanisms including the Electoral Act. The Electoral Act is not related to individual Members who are elected. It is related to first preference votes received in the last election. There are parties funded from the Electoral Acts who have no members in Parliament because that is the determination of the people. That is not the Deputy's personal money to hawk around and push back when he likes. That is determined by the vote of the people on election day to parties represented in the Dáil and those who do not get people elected to the Dáil on the decision of the people on election day. I pointed that out last time but the Deputy resurrected it again.

Deputy Mathews spoke about the fairness of the snapshot. We have a point of view in respect of that. The Deputy says that we are not hidebound by that day in February 2011. We are actually because this Parliament and Government have a mandate under the law and Constitution that lasts until the next election when the people are asked to vote again. So that is set in aspic.