Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I want to refer to two aspects of the Bill: the commission and the productivity and performance of Members of this House. As the Minister of State called the commission the second pillar, I would support 100% the call that the Clerk of the Seanad should be deputy Secretary General and that the two positions should be under contract. They should not be permanent pensionable positions. The teamwork among staff in the Seanad is most impressive to the say the least.

There are to be four representatives of the Dáil and three of the Seanad. I plead with the Minister of State at the Department of Finance to insist that there should be three women representatives from this grouping. As one of my heroes in Irish politics, Donogh O'Malley, was a predecessor of his in the Office of Public Works, where I myself worked and was a protégé of one of his courses of vision, I would really like to see the Minister of State insist that women form part of the groups of four and three. It is up to him. If he says it, it will happen. If he does not, it will not. Leadership on the participation of women in the Oireachtas must come from the top on each occasion. Each Minister, irrespective of his or her position, must insist that women participate fully.

I totally agree that a staff representative should be a member of the commission. He or she should be elected for one fixed term by members of staff. A member of the press corps should also be elected for a fixed term. Like us, they should be elected. However, they should be elected for a fixed term and should not be allowed to hang on for dear life.