Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Are we not continually told by the Supreme Court when it comes to controversial issues, examples of which I will not go into today, that legislators have failed to legislate for things that need to be legislated for? When many such controversial matters have gone to the Supreme Court we have received a collective rap on the knuckles, and rightly so.

If as the Minister has confirmed this is in the Constitution it should not be left to the Supreme Court to interpret what it means. It should be our job. The Supreme Court has stated on many occasions, on issues like abortion, that there was a collective failure on the part of the Oireachtas to legislate. Is it not more sensible that we interpret legislation, even if we do not reinterpret it? As the Minister said it is referred to in the Constitution but not in statute.