Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I agree with everything the Chairman said. It is a sensible way forward. My problem is with the operations of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I asked to go to the meeting to observe what was going on but I was told I could not. Why are the Committee on Procedure and Privileges meetings held in such secrecy? Why can we not have access to what is going on and why does the public not have access? I gather it received a legal opinion and the members were made to hand it back. They are not sharing it with us. In this situation, it appears there was a letter issued within 20 minutes but not much consideration was given to the letter because the meeting was over within 20 minutes. We should know what is going on in the Committee on Procedure and Privileges instead of the committee issuing ultimatums. We do not know what is behind it, we do not know who said what and we do not know what manoeuvres are going on. Our meeting is thankfully open to the public and we should not allow the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to surround its itself in secrecy but to be open to the public and to us.