Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was coming to that.

The Government accepted our Bill on the IBRC mortgage book being sold on because it felt it would be too unpopular to oppose it, but it will not do anything about it, particularly in advance of the sale of the mortgage book. We will not see the Committee Stage of that Bill for some time. That is the strategy. Friday sittings should be full-day sittings, involving Leaders' Questions and ministerial questions - normal business should be done. People would respect the Government more if that were the case, but of course it is not the case.

Of course Government Deputies dominate the Chairs of the committees. The Government has reduced the number of committees which has meant less accountability in many areas. It has put too many Departments together under the auspices of one committee and many issues are not getting addressed. The Government has undermined the plenary session of the House. Deputies need an opportunity to contribute in plenary session on many issues.

The Minister of State mentioned local government reform. The Government has not reformed local government. It has not delegated any increased or enhanced powers to local government. It has abolished town councils, which is a regrettable step. I value democracy. I was in a school yesterday, encouraging young people to become interested in democracy and politics. What kind of message are we sending to people when we abolish the very councils that are basically a manifestation of people who want to help to advance the cause of their local towns? It was just done for optics so that the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, can go around the country saying we have got rid of hundreds of councillors. It is an appallingly cynical act that cannot in any shape or form be regarded as radical reform of local government. There has been no radical reform of local government.

The Government introduced a property tax and decided not to give the proceeds of that property tax to the local authorities. The Government informed citizens that €500 million would go to local authorities, but then it pulled it back to the centre and left them without it.

The Minister of State mentioned the Seanad and again the Government has not grasped the nettle of Seanad reform. The fundamental reforming issue within the Government's gift is to provide for direct franchise to allow the citizens to elect their Senators. It can do that; every Opposition party is in favour of it. We have put it up to the Government to do that and it continues to refuse to do so. It talks about a CPP of the Seanad - that will not bring about radical reform to the Seanad. Legislation within the parameters of the Constitution to allow for direct franchise would bring about radical reform of the Seanad, but the Government will not go near it - or will it? Can the Minister of State confirm that the Government has no intention of doing that?

In his long reply the Minister of State mentioned the Freedom of Information Act. There is no radical change to freedom of information. The Government's intentions were exposed on Irish Water. I recently saw the revelations under freedom of information which showed that the Government had decided not to include Irish Water. It basically had been pressurised by Bord Gáis Éireann and Irish Water that whatever it might do it must not put Irish Water within the ambit of the Act. Shame faced it was forced to do a U-turn when revelations about the €180 million spent on Irish Water emerged. All of a sudden it decided it would be a very good idea to put Irish Water under the ambit of the Freedom of Information Act.

There is a complete lack of sincerity in what the Minister of State has said about the Freedom of Information Act and whistleblowing in general. Why has the Government issued a contract to general practitioners gagging them and preventing them from advocating on health matters? The contract for free GP care for children under six prevents GPs from making any statement critical of the HSE. That is anti-democratic and runs counter to any idea of a democratic revolution. Its purpose is to silence people who might speak out on health issues thereby embarrassing the Government of the day and in particular the present Government on health issues. That is what is happening in the real world.

When people hear the Government talking about radical political reform, they wonder in amazement given the reality of what they are experiencing on the ground. Does the Minister of State accept that the Government's programme of reform has been a huge disappointment to the citizens who feel they were promised one thing and got something entirely different?

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