Ms Scallon, MEP:

On a macro level, it is not democratic if one is invited to discuss decisions that have been made when one has no hope of changing them. All I can do is raise such matters with the media. If we had an appropriate channel in the Oireachtas I could raise it with its Members at a very early stage and state what is happening and what we are being told. It would not have been democratic if, at the end of 1999, the Oireachtas was told a very strong force was to have a legal charter – I do not care what is in the charter – it had not debated and which our elected Head of State had never seen. All I can do is make press releases. As one knows, it is very hard to engage the media and they generally do not want to know about an issue until it becomes a topic on the national stage, by which time it is too late. I have been making such press releases but today presents a wonderfully freeing experience and an opportunity to talk honestly to the Seanad. I hope this process will continue because it will help address the democratic deficit.