Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

We often hear that my party was in power for 14 years. If one examines the record of the current Government parties while in opposition during that period, one finds they were large on criticism but light on detail and alternatives. We are providing the Government with an opportunity to accept this Bill as a platform for proceeding and amend it accordingly. This can be done by taking a collective and shared approach because, as I stated, no party, group or individual has complete ownership or control of the people affected. The Government should show people there is a reason to have faith in the Oireachtas and that it will do something it failed to do in opposition, namely, work with my party.

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