Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Another difficulty arises as we go further into the life of this Government. I canvassed for the recent children's referendum and was one of very few Deputies who did so. I went out and knocked on doors because I strongly believed in it. Towards the end of the campaign, however, I was seriously worried that the referendum would not be passed because so many people told me they would be voting No, not on the merits or demerits of the case but because they wanted to have a crack at the Government. It seems to me that the longer it goes on, the more difficult it will be for the Government to get any referendum passed, even one which proposes to abolish the Seanad.

Various commitments were also made on Oireachtas committees. The Taoiseach, when in opposition, never ceased to talk about "powerful committees", which he asserted was the mechanism through which the Executive could be held to account. I ask the Minister, quite sincerely, where are the powerful committees? What has changed? The centrepiece of committee reform was to be something called the Investigations, Oversight and Petitions Committee but that, unfortunately, was stillborn because the people rejected the referendum proposal on Oireachtas powers. That proposal was badly botched and one of the main reasons it was rejected - I know the Minister will not agree with me but he knows in his heart I am right - was because of the overbearing arrogance of some Ministers in response to the slightest criticism, particularly-----

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