Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The man sitting next to me, Deputy Willie Penrose, is an awkward so-and-so. He is determined and is like an elephant who digs himself in and refuses to move. In that, he has taught me a great deal about what one has to do to achieve anything in this House. Deputy Penrose is driven by the Labour Party ideal that people should be treated fairly and equally and with the support of our parliamentary party, he was determined that he would progress matters for people who are in the unfortunate position of being bankrupt. As I observed the situation in the past few months, I began to wonder if he would succeed because for a long time Deputy Penrose and the parliamentary party seemed to be knocking their heads against a brick wall. That brick wall is in the Department of Finance and in the permanent government's unwillingness to accept change.

A critical element in moving this Bill forward was the fact that Fine Gael backbenchers, through their involvement with their constituents also realised that a serious issue had to be addressed. It took a great deal of pressure from the Labour Party's parliamentary party and the Fine Gael backbenchers to move the issue forward. It is so important that this Bill is before us now, for the reasons outlined by Deputy Penrose earlier. It will put people in a situation where they can begin to live their lives again. It also demonstrates the importance of backbenchers in this Parliament. We have our ears to the ground in a way that the permanent government does not. We know and understand the situation that many people are facing. In that context, it is important that more space be given to backbenchers to promote bills of their own. While I welcome the Bill before us, it should have Deputy Penrose's name on it.

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