Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with Senator Kitt. I welcome the Minister of State who has been most assiduous in coming to this House. We always enjoy his company. I welcome the Bill, which is important from the public's point of view. It is also important from a business point of view that the Houses are run like a Department with a Secretary General and commission. This will enhance the Houses of the Oireachtas and give us added status. As Senator White said, it will enable the public to understand the long title of "the Houses of the Oireachtas". Even when I was a Deputy, I regarded it as an insult when people referred to the Dáil. The Oireachtas is made up of the Dáil and the Seanad.