Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for drafting this Bill. I welcome the opportunity to speak on an issue which we really have not grasped over the years. There are many good provisions in the Bill but some of them are simply not practical.

I represent a rural constituency. Yesterday, I left Leinster House at 3 p.m. I attended a funeral in my old constituency of south Leitrim. I was delighted to attend it. The family of the deceased man were delighted that their Teachta Dála came to pay respect to a man who had been an upstanding member of the community. After that I attended a meeting in Roscommon and finished by attending three Fine Gael Party annual general meetings, AGMs, in the new constituency of east Galway. People might ask what I was doing at the AGMs. It is a great way for politicians to find out from party members what is happening in the area. I always convey the fears and trepidations of those members to the parliamentary party and to where it matters. Sometimes people accuse politicians of being out of touch. When one attends a Fine Gael AGM, and I am sure Deputy Calleary will say the same for a Fianna Fáil AGM, one is told in no uncertain terms about the state of the country and what must be done about it. I believe it is a great system.

Today, I left Williamstown and Ballymoe at 1.30 a.m. and reached Dublin at 3.30 a.m. That is a normal day for a politician. I have a meeting with the Taoiseach today and tonight I will attend another three AGMs in east Galway. If I did not do that, it would be disrespectful to the members of the local Fine Gael branches, who have been very loyal and supportive over the years. They get nothing out of being members of a political party, but they expect the politician whom they have supported and for whom they have put up posters to show that appreciation once a year. I do not know how I would address that if I were a mother with a young baby. The people in the constituencies, aside from the party members, are unconcerned. They want their politician to be there regardless of what happens, even if one is ill or on maternity leave.

About three months ago a public meeting was arranged in my constituency for a Wednesday night about a certain issue. I could not attend the meeting because I could not get a pair in the House. I sent my apologies. My two colleagues, who are in the Opposition, were able to attend because they are not in government. They could stand up at the meeting and say they intended to defend this, that and the other. I was castigated by the same people who voted for me to represent them in government because I did not attend this so-called public meeting. I can do a great deal more in Dublin and in Leinster House than I can do on the radio, in the local newspapers or by going around shaking hands. However, the electorate likes to see one there. You are their little show pony sometimes. I was in opposition for nine years and I was in Government Buildings four times in that nine years. I will be in Government Buildings five times today, because we have work to do as a Government. That is the real work, not going around shaking hands or attending these public meetings and telling everybody they are fine.

I understand what is involved for a man who does not have children. However, those difficulties would be compounded tenfold for a woman seeking maternity leave. There is also the problem of ill health. I have seen Members of this House who had terminal illnesses attending sittings of this House when they probably should have been attending their doctors or so forth. They came to the House because they felt they had a duty to be here. It was very difficult for them. However, that is a different issue.

Society has moved on. My mother raised three children. We had a newsagent shop and she worked 80 hours per week. She could not leave the shop. There was no way at the time that one could pay somebody to work her hours. If one works 80 hours per week for about €10 per hour, it is approximately €800 per week. No business could pay it. There is a divide between the self-employed and others. I agree with the generous terms available but the self-employed cannot take that time off.

Deputy Tuffy summed up how things have changed. I had a pub in the late 1980s. At 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday nights the great and good would arrive. They might be doctors, bank managers, gardaí or teachers. They were all men. What happened in every house in Ireland at that time was that when the news programme was over the man of the house went down to the pub, while the wife put the children to bed. The men would go home at midnight or 12.30 a.m. This happened every night. At the time they were considered very good husbands and fathers. However, that would not happen today. Fathers are now expected to work closely with mothers in rearing children. It should not be solely the mother who has the duty to raise the children. It is a partnership and that is very healthy. It shows how society has progressed.

I agree with the Electoral Acts that seek to attract more women candidates and to get more women elected to this House and to other fora. This Government has gone a long way in trying to address that issue. However, the House must be more family friendly. Again, as Deputy Tuffy said, where does one go with a child? Does one go to the Members' bar or the public bar? A great deal more must in done in that regard.

With regard to the generous terms proposed by Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, people would be very angry if a Deputy or Senator received far more generous terms than a member of the community.

The Bill contains worthy provisions but a number of provisions are not practical. Following this debate, Members and Whips should meet to work out themselves the best way forward.

Politics is a tough, unforgiving game but politicians can work together to ensure young and middle aged women who are elected to the Houses have a safety net. Perhaps they could be automatically paired. I wonder if the Government had a tight majority and a sensitive Bill needed to be addressed whether an Opposition party force a woman to hightail it to Dublin as quickly as possible because there is not huge sentiment in politics. However, political parties could work towards such a sentiment. We talk about sentiment but if push came to shove and the Government only had a majority of one or two, Deputy Calleary would not be thanked by Fianna Fáil supporters and other Opposition supporters-----

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