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

As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will recall, one knew that one might not get a big vote from the Opposition and vice versa. It was a joy to behold when one sat in councillors' kitchens and really got to understand how one's own party operated. The one benefit is it gives one an education and information, which is the stock-in-trade of where one's party is going at the time.

It was the one time I realised, sitting in the kitchens, that there was a strong republican element within Fine Gael. I sat in kitchens having tea with councillors with a strong republican background. It was something on which we, in Fine Gael, have always been very open. In my opinion, the Anglo-Irish Agreement was the forerunner to the Good Friday Agreement. In every party there are different strands of opinion, but it was one time when I found that the councillors had a very republican mind and background and were prepared to work within the Fine Gael Party to articulate it in a much more cohesive and embracing manner. That is merely one of my observations.

However, we must look at what has happened in the Seanad. When I went in there in 2002, the first issue was reform. On every radio programme, television station and newspaper, we heard the reform would definitely happen. It was one of ten issues for reform. I remember asking a certain gentleman who was involved in the Seanad what this reform would do and he checked it out and came back to me to say that the reform was going nowhere. In effect, over the years there was this kind of nonsense of putting considerable time and expense into producing papers on reform. We knew they were never going anywhere because those who were going to reform themselves had neither the capability nor the will to do so. Where reform has been ignored since the foundation of the Seanad, it has come to its abolition and that is going before the people.

I remember an interesting debate on the dual mandate. We were very much against it. Many councillors were against the fact that if they left the council, they could not be a member of a VEC and various boards. To me, it was the right legislation. It was madness to think anyone could have been a Deputy or Senator here in Dublin trying to run the affairs of the country and of their constituency and at the same time sit on the board of the Western Regional Authority, a VEC, a council and various boards.

The policy that was introduced was opposed by many Senators but it was effectively the correct course of action. Today, this Government is leading by example. What other government would do it?

We are reducing the number of seats in the Dáil and I will lose 40% of the vote in my constituency by going from south Leitrim to east Galway. Every time my team of Galway is playing Kilkenny, I am very enthusiastic in supporting my newly adopted county in hurling.

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