Seanad debates
Tuesday, 4 March 2003
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
I ask the Minster to reflect on this. If we treat issues seriously we will acknowledge that there has to be real debate in parties, around the Cabinet table and between Members on both sides of the House. We should not be afraid of this. It is good that the Ministers for Finance and Health and Children are constantly at each other's throats in relation to funding because it is fundamental to the decision of whether we should raise taxes and the mechanism regarding the choice of priorities. There is a natural opposition to freedom of information from a bureaucratic level and from Government because they think there is something macho about saying we sing from the same hymn sheet when, in fact, we do not. This is also a good thing.
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