Dáil debates

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

2:45 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully respect the view of the Deputy but it is not a black and white situation. The T-shirts may be black and have white writing on them but this is about people and people have different views. Some 20,000 or 30,000 may have marched at the weekend but we have the citizens' assembly to allow people to have their say and all people are entitled to have their say. Everybody has a personal opinion about this but it was a Government decision, endorsed here by the Oireachtas, to set up the citizens' assembly. I admire the courage of the 99 who have stepped forward to participate in the discussion. It is not an easy thing for many of them to do, given the nature of the divisive response that can come from participating in something like this. The hearings will be streamed live and I hope that everybody, at home and abroad, can listen to the conversations and have their views heard. I hope that, under the direction of Ms Justice Laffoy, the recommendations will come back here to the Oireachtas and we can move on from there.

I assure the Deputy that nothing is being cooked up here. This is a straightforward democratic exercise, with the selection of 99 citizens to give their view. Their view might well be divisive. I do not know but I look forward to the engagement and the contributions that will be made.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.