James Bannon (Fine Gael)

In view of the provisions of amendment No. 54, the Minister's next step will be to abolish local authorities. As it is, he is reducing the functions of local authority members on a daily basis, despite the fact that they seek a mandate from the people every five years. They are the voice of the people at local level. The Local Government Act has also further depleted their powers. It is a shabby way to treat the bedrock of local democracy.

I am gravely disappointed at the manner in which this Bill is presented to the Seanad on the penultimate sitting day of this session. I support my colleagues in seeking additional time for debate. We cannot realistically be expected to accept the Minister of State's report, especially in view of the number of amendments made to the Bill by the Dáil. Matters have been compounded by the fact that Members received copies of the amendments only this morning. Mistakes have been made in the past by rushing legislation through the Oireachtas. Several Bills have had to be amended in consequence and I have no doubt that amending legislation will be required to rectify the mistakes inherent in this Bill.