Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I thank all Members who contributed to this debate and thank them for their positive remarks, even if I have the feeling that in some cases I was damned with faint praise.

The Bill is about enhancing the functioning, stature and relevance of Parliament. When we look at business transacted in this House today we must worry about the state we have reached. We spent the first third of the day with the Government unable or unwilling to intervene to match the available work to the high skills of 500 available redundant workers at Dublin Airport. We spent the second third of the day voting confidence in a Minister who swore a false affidavit in court. Now we will finish the last third of the day voting down a Bill that was designed only to enhance the authority and stature of Parliament.

I was struck by the remarks of Deputy Michael D. Higgins, that we are expected to welcome the other two arms of Government, the Judiciary and Executive, developing while Parliament diminishes. If we look across the water to the example the Deputy gave of the Iraq inquiry, and if one watches the inquiry proceedings when they are screened, there is no doubt that debacle occurred in no small way because of the diminished status of Parliament and a Prime Minister who rode roughshod over the Cabinet. Otherwise it is doubtful that Britain would have participated in that disaster.

I take the comments of colleagues on the Government side of the House at face value but I do not believe they are so naive as to believe what they said. Deputies Timmy Dooley and Thomas Byrne are good examples. Deputy Dooley stated that we cannot have a star chamber, where leaders would query the Taoiseach every day on the ongoing performance of the inquiry. Deputy Dooley knows full well that I spent considerable time last night pointing out why it could not be a star chamber. We know from the DIRT inquiry that it is not permissible in this House to ask questions while an inquiry is ongoing.

I did not refer to DIRT at all last night, but the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, devoted a third of his speech to it, while several other Deputies also mentioned it. I know how popular that inquiry was. I have heard the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan refer three times on radio, twice on "Today with Pat Kenny" and once on "The Last Word" with Matt Cooper, to how he enjoyed his role in the DIRT inquiry. He was no more close to the DIRT inquiry than someone who was not elected to this House at all, so it must have been popular.

Deputy Thomas Byrne said he was opposed to the Bill because he observed what happened today and instanced what happened to the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, as a reason a committee of this House could not be given the power to inquire. He must be, however, well aware that no committee of the House could inquire into the matter in which the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, got himself involved. In the minds of ordinary people, the Minister became involved in something which involved a criminal action, namely, perjury.

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