Jim Higgins (Fine Gael)

We are off to a good start. While I have not been present in the Chamber for all the debate, I have listened to most of it. It is obvious there is a collective determination that at long last we will do our business collectively and in a consensual way, as Senator Hayes said, and that we will see Seanad reform take place during the lifetime of this Seanad, hopefully at an early stage. The fact that many people have been avidly awaiting an opportunity to contribute is an indication of the determination of all and sundry that now is the hour and this is the moment for such reform.

This Chamber has a long and distinguished history. Its role is legislative and deliberative. We should not imitate the other Chamber because we have been distinctive in many ways. We have been distinctive in terms of our composition, our modus operandi and our results. The Seanad has acquitted itself with considerable distinction over the years.

I note the point made about the tyranny of the script, but any Member of this House or the other House will testify that unless one produces a script one will often not get a mention or a syllable in any of the national newspapers. That leads to another question. Why are the media not here today? I pay tribute to The Irish Times, the only newspaper which covers, albeit in a very truncated fashion, the deliberations of this House. We should seek more publicity and try to meet with editors to secure more meaningful, comprehensive and fair coverage of the deliberations of this House.