Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

When I give talks in schools, I am often asked what the Seanad is about. I respond by saying that it is a safety net if things go wrong. I point out that some countries have just one parliamentary chamber, which can be good or bad, and I argue that we have two Houses of Parliament, so that if a faulty Bill is passed by the Dáil we can amend it. Similarly, if a faulty Bill is passed by the Seanad, Deputies can amend it. This is a classic case of a small issue — it is simply a question of deleting "(4)" and replacing it with "(3)".