Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

On the last occasion the boundary commission visited my constituency, it left it in such a way that I had great difficulty in getting elected afterwards. Hopefully, it will not be as difficult on the next occasion. However, that is what happens with commission boundaries in every country. It is part of the democratic system and sometimes one falls on the right side of the line and sometimes not. Fortunately we have an independent commission which I hope will continue to be independent. I respect its decisions. However, I was not as welcoming on the previous occasion for the simple reason that it had obvious implications for me.

In general, I welcome the Bill although I have a number of reservations. Other speakers have referred to the public perception of politics and politicians. For a variety of reasons it has become fashionable to criticise politicians and to presume every public representative is in some way corrupt, semi-corrupt, about to be or has been corrupted. I do not agree with that nor do I accept that kind of criticism. The majority of public representatives are honest, hard-working and dedicated individuals and contribute a great deal of time to democracy and serving the needs of their constituents. It may be that sometimes the needs of constituents are difficult to satisfy. In the nature of things, some are impossible. As a result, it is possible for the public to get the notion that we are deficient in the way we do our work. The majority of public representatives and Members have in the past given of their time, energy and service in a selfless way.

In many other professions in Ireland, Europe and throughout the world, there are those who have erred and fallen by the wayside in at least as grievous a way as any of the Members who fell by the wayside from this House. It covers all professions. One does not condemn all professions because of the wrongs of one or two individuals. It is no harm to remind everybody once in a while that some of us try to work as hard as we can for the reasons we were elected, which is to serve our constituencies and to legislate.

There is a notion in the thinking quarters that a legislator should be ensconced in a glass case where he or she has no dealings with the public and that they should legislate from that vantage point. I disagree unequivocally with that view. Other speakers made the point that meeting their constituents on a regular basis is the best inspiration there will ever be for legislation.

There is no other way to evaluate the impact of legislation passed by this House other than by going and meeting the people regularly and finding out how legislation as passed by this House affects them. It all comes down to the way the legislation affects the individual. One of the problems arising in recent years is the degree to which that old tradition of meeting the people on a regular basis is beginning to dim. Some people believe that it influences public representatives in a negative way but I do not agree. The public will always respond to their representatives and tell them what they think. It may not always be what we want to hear but they will always tell us.

I wonder why young people do not hold politicians in high esteem. There is no need to ask that question and I regret the Minister of State at the Department for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has left the Chamber. The housing situation is a classic case. The young generation relied on the political system to deliver the goods to them. They are quite willing to co-operate and make an effort to assist themselves. Down the years politicians were able to encourage the younger generation, the first-time house buyer, to buy their own homes but this is no longer the case. They have been virtually excluded from the system. The waiting lists are massive, with at least 100,000 waiting. The lists are growing in every county. This is an absolute disgrace and a shame on the system which has allowed it to happen.

A previous speaker referred to young people seeking planning permission in rural areas. It is deemed to be almost a nasty thing to suggest looking for planning permission in a rural area because, according to some pundits, nobody should be living in a rural area as these are gardens which should be preserved for certain people to take a walk on a Sunday and observe the local inhabitants in their natural habitat. I do not agree with that notion. There has always been a tradition of a rural population and any interference with that tradition is interfering with the normal and natural evolution of the rural population. There are those who believe a hillside at night should have no lights visible. It has been stated unequivocally by Professor Caulfield that lights on a rural hillside are a sign of life and a sign that emigration is not as rife as it was.

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