James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I second the amendment. We examined and discussed the various sections of the Bill in great detail on Second and Committee Stages. The Minister said he would bring forward legislation to address the lack of powers vested in elected representatives, the main area of concern mentioned by Senators, at a future date. I would like to ask the reason there has to be a delay, however, as we should be placing confidence in local representatives. Voters should have the ultimate say in relation to who represents them; they should be allowed to decide whether a given man or woman is capable of representing them on local authorities or in the Oireachtas. Many are concerned that they will lose contact with the Oireachtas.

On Committee Stage I mentioned that a perfect report about waste management had been submitted by my local authority but the Minister decided that it was inadequate and the council did not receive funding as a result. I argued the matter on behalf of the local authority in the Oireachtas and received a favourable response. It is being re-examined at local level, where it matters. I agree with Tip O'Neill who once said, "All politics is local," as it is important that there is a link between local authorities and the national Parliament.

The Bill recognises that Senators and Deputies are equal but we do not enjoy the same standard of facilities as our colleagues in the other House. It is important that Senators are given the same facilities as Deputies but no steps are taken in that regard in the Bill. We are not provided with the secretarial services made available to Deputies. We are not considered to have a constituency, as such – the entire country is our constituency.