Noel Coonan (Fine Gael)

—fails to reflect the issue raised.

The Minister should consider the fact that councillors elect many Senators. When he abolishes the dual mandate, we will no longer be able to serve on councils or attend conferences. Where will we meet councillors? Does the Minister propose to put in place a mechanism that will maintain the link between Senators and councillors so that we can continue to serve our electorate until the next Seanad is elected? That is very important.

The promised right to access to information, officials and documents is not very explicit and I hope the Minister will enshrine it in the Bill because it would go some way towards alleviating our concerns. It is also important that he would assign a director of services, if not the manager, who would be responsible for responding to the needs of Senators. Then, when Senators contact councils, the issues they raise will be taken on board and addressed promptly and not, as another Member observed, after a week or three months.