Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. As I listened to the contributions from the other side of the House, I wondered if this debate had taken place, for example, ten or 12 years ago, whether the same criticism would come from those benches. Are the Senators now disowning the endeavours of former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, in his work for the arts? Do they view that as just a fleeting episode of history, or are they serious in saying that it is simply the prerogative of those who attend cocktail parties and all that goes with such affairs?