Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Dáil reform is not about more play time, scoring points or making headlines, but about ensuring that we can raise real issues, progress the Government agenda and introduce real legislation. The public is not fooled by the sham indignation of people here week in, week out. Parliamentary procedure in this House is being abused by the Opposition whose constant aim is to waste time every day.

Judging by the motion that is the basis of this debate, there is only one issue that interests the Opposition, namely, keeping the Taoiseach in the House on a Thursday to ask more frivolous questions in addition to the ones already being asked instead of allowing the Government to get on with the business of Government. I regret that Private Members' time was used for an issue which belongs under the heading of Dáil reform. I regret that it was not seen as part of the wider issue of changing the system to improve democracy. However, I can understand why the Opposition did it; it has nothing else to say on any other topic.

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