Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not think the setting up of the committee should come as a surprise to anybody. I have spoken to many Members in this House informally in the build-up to this to try to get a consensus on what parties could live with. I know that there are deep divisions in the House on how we should fund domestic water services and so on. I accept that this is a very political and difficult issue with which to deal. However, the setting up of the committee was aimed at ensuring every group represented in the House would have representation on it. I personally insisted on this to ensure nobody would feel left out of the debate on the detail of the expert committee's report, recommendations and so on, and in the putting together of the recommendations to come from the special committee when set up. We had discussions with various Members. Obviously, I could not speak to everybody in every group. This is an attempt to try to ensure every grouping in the Oireachtas will be represented.

A point was made about Seanad representation. It is proposed that one of the four Senators on the committee come from the Civil Engagement group because that is the only group in either House that does not have an automatic right to nominate somebody to the committee.

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