Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is 37 years since I was first elected to this House. In those 37 years, I have seen numerous judges appointed by various Governments. Not once in 37 years has there been a collapse in confidence in the judicial system, and I wonder where all this is coming from. I cannot think of anything better than the Minister of the day, whatever party he or she is a member of, having the responsibility of announcing to this House who will be appointed a judge. All these commissions are taking away from and eating into the respect people have for the elected Members of this House and someone should call a halt to what is going on.

As to the agreement, or so-called agreement, with Sinn Féin, I have not been informed of any agreement. Perhaps the Deputies who have spoken about this and seem very definite about it could give me some information as to the exact agreement because, as I said, I was away on parliamentary business for three days last week. It may have happened while I was away but I know nothing about it.

It seems that time is being spent in this House on Report Stage of a Bill concerning judicial appointments but we are straying into comments to the effect that agreements have supposedly been made between one party and another and that Ministers should be the last people to be given power to appoint people. I cannot think of anyone better, whatever the political party, than the person who got his or her seal of office in Áras an Uachtaráin from the President to have the responsibility to come before this House and announce appointments, whether in justice or any other area of government. I will not be here after the next election but I wish to put on the record the fact that we should cop ourselves on and that the people have elected all of us here, irrespective of the parties of which we are members - or whether we are members of parties at all - and they expect us to do the job and be answerable to them. There is no point in any of us, when confronted, whether on a canvass or walking down the street, answering people who ask us about appointments by saying we do not appoint anyone and that it is a commission of some description that does so. The Government is elected to govern, and it is time we called a halt to this.

I am sorry. I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle's indulgence because I suppose if I were in his position, which I used to be, I could accuse myself of making a Second Stage speech.

See this speech in context