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

I thank the Minister of State for his response and Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his support. I join with the Minister of State in complimenting the staff in the Department of Social Protection and the appeals office, with whom it is always a pleasure to deal. They are very courteous and helpful people.

I will make a couple of general observations, none of which is directed personally at the Minister of State. There was a reference in his speech to what is happening in the UK. We are coming up to the 100th anniversary of 1916 and we have been an independent country for almost 100 years. I think it was the late John Kelly who described this constant tendency to look at what is happening in the UK, of emulating the UK and of measuring ourselves against the UK as malignant "Paddyism", with which I agree.

The Minister of State was correct in saying the Bill was initiated on 13 March 2013 and that the situation was worse then. I acknowledge the improvements that have been made and the extra staff who have been appointed but it highlights something else. I recall in the run-up to the general election and during the preparation of the programme for Government great play being made of the so-called democratic revolution and how this Dáil would be revolutionised. One of the central parts of that revolution was that Deputies would be able to bring in their own legislation. Normally, when a Deputy brings a Private Members' Bill before this House, it is to deal with a fairly immediate problem. This Bill was proposed 20 months ago in a particular situation and it is now being introduced. That says more about the claims that this particular parliamentary reform would be revolutionary than anything I could add.

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