Brendan Ryan (Labour)

We are debating this Bill on the stroke of midnight. Nobody asked to be here. The Bill could have been taken any time because there is no rush. It could have been taken next year. A simple amending clause extending from five to six years the confidentiality of Cabinet papers would have been sufficient, if the Government was so worked up about that issue. The legislation could have been passed by this House and the Lower House in a day. We would probably have objected to it because we have a certain commitment to it. Instead, the Government decided to fillet the single biggest institutional change this country has seen in 20 years.

We are here at midnight working our way through unnecessary legislation which is unwanted by most except a few members of the Government. I have listened to the lack of enthusiasm and I cite the particularly innocuous script delivered by the Minister for Finance, a man who has a wonderful reputation for coming before the House, throwing away scripts and engaging in debate. On this occasion, he came before the House, read his script and left. In my opinion, the Minister did so because – like Senators O'Rourke and Moylan – he does not believe in the legislation. One person in Government, the Taoiseach, believes in it because he has shown an incredible determination to avoid political accountability at all costs. He runs away from the Dáil at every opportunity. The reason we are here at midnight is because Deputy Bertie Ahern wants to end something which has, on occasions, made him feel uncomfortable but which has done his Government no harm. He was re-elected after all.

We are here to debate a Bill which was conceived in secret. We did not know last June that a high level committee – I agree with Senator O'Rourke that this is a dreadful phrase – had been established. Almost as soon as the Government was beginning to break its promises, it set up a high level committee to review the legislation. We did not know about it until approximately three weeks ago when the information slipped out in the Dáil and the Taoiseach promptly said he would not tell us anything about it other than that he was somewhat concerned about the secrecy period of five years. We were led to believe that a few minor amendments were necessary to increase that period. The Taoiseach did not want the idea to get abroad that Cabinet papers relating to his time in Government would be made public while he was still in power. I do not know whether that means he expects to be gone from office in ten years. I expect him to be gone much sooner than that.