Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I listened with interest to the exchanges. As one who has spent some time as Opposition Chief Whip and assistant Whip and who attended Whips meetings in Government and afterwards, there appears to be a conflict as to where the House should go now. Consideration might be given to the fact that there are quite a number of Government backbenchers who do not get the same airing in the current structure, nor is it intended that they should. The former Minister sitting opposite will recall full well the way the system ran in a previous era, but the conflict arises from the fact that with all the pre-legislative scrutiny, there appears to be a belief that the Opposition should formulate the legislation and that the Government should agree to it. That is not the way it works. It never worked that way, nor should it be presumed. The very reference to the Government having a huge majority, implying that in some way the democratic process is not being observed, is incorrect.

The Ceann Comhairle has been a Member a long time, as have some of the rest of us, and I recall sitting on the opposite side of the House on numerous occasions having parliamentary question after parliamentary question refused on spurious grounds and being ejected from the House for my protests. I reject entirely the suggestion that democracy has in some way been watered down and that people do not have an opportunity to debate issues.

It is recognised in parliaments worldwide that government proposes legislation and parliament debates it. We have lost sight of that in recent times. Parliament's job is to debate. When a proposal comes before parliament, that is the job parliamentarians have to do. There are various levels at which they can carry it out but I remember allegations being made about guillotines. In times not long past the guillotine was applied on a regular basis in this House by some of the people who are now complaining about its use-----

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