Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I support the request of Senator Maurice Hayes in relation to the legislation on Garda reform. He echoes the point I raised yesterday on the Order of Business. I would remind the Leader of the House that when the freedom of information legislation was being published it came to the Seanad for discussion purely on the heads of the Bill and on the principles contained in the legislation because the Minister of the day wanted to hear the views of the Seanad before the final legislation was drafted. There is, therefore, a model and a precedent for involving the Upper House in the preparation of legislation. It is a suggestion well worth pursuing and to which I imagine the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform would be open.

In light of last week's Supreme Court decision when a woman took a case against Dr. Neary of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and considering the number of cases being pursued – and a number of cases which it may not be possible to pursue – and also the seriousness of the matter, I asks the Leader to ask the Government whether there are plans to establish a compensation tribunal and to report back to the House. The Stardust compensation tribunal would be a perfect model. This is a very serious issue on which I hope the Leader will be able to respond.