Brendan Ryan (Labour)

On the issue of the two Members of the Oireachtas, I support fully what Senator O'Toole said. I do not want to go into too much detail because the matter is still ongoing. I share his indignation that a Garda magazine should suggest some similarities. Whatever our frailties or faults, these two Houses represent the elected representatives of the people, whose job it is, for better or worse, to be responsible for the well-being of the people. Whether we realise it, we are in a most extraordinary position. The reason for the extraordinary privilege of Members of the Oireachtas is our position is extraordinary. We are the elected representatives of the people under a Constitution the people voted freely to accept. It is extraordinary that we must end up in the courts to assert this simple fact.