Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

It is very difficult to get senior Ministers to attend. I could list on one hand those who come willingly, but for those who will not or cannot come, or make excuses, I would require two. I know that Senator Bannon often seeks a debate on the report into the Abbeylara incident, and Senator Hayes requested a debate on the Barr report this morning. There is also a third report. The Minister has pledged that when we reconvene he will come and debate those three. I agree with Senator Henry's observation that we issue reports and then consider matters done and dusted, when they have not been considered properly. We will endeavour to do that, since Senator Bannon has frequently sought a debate. The Minister has attended this House much more often than any of his colleagues. There are two Houses, and he must divide his time while also holding the position of Tánaiste.

Senator Leyden gave us a very vivid account of the past of Democratic Left, on which I shall not comment. Senator Henry raised the report of the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention, which we will also try to debate.

Senator White brought up the low level of female participation in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I listened to a Deputy speaking on Sunday radio and thought that she raised a very important issue. I did not hear a single women's group talking about it, and it excited no further debate, although it should have done so. The Deputy in question has three young children under the age of five. She gets home on time to see them, so Dáil hours are not the problem. It is more a matter of residents' meetings and other events to which we are bidden. They start at 9 p.m. and go on until 12 a.m., and the Deputy never saw her children. She raised an important issue about which she was very honest. She had obviously given the matter a great deal of thought. She said that members of her organisation were very upset and emotional about it. They had supported her career for a long time, but she felt unable to do everything, and one cannot.

Smart women are beginning to realise that when they have young children, it is very difficult to do everything. The same is true of men who take a full role in parenting and in the home. It is very difficult, and we all know that public life is not all swanning around and entails a great deal of hard work. The meetings that go on late at night were the difficulty that she pinpointed. Senator White said that we should debate the fact that we are badly represented by women. I know that she meant that numerically, but I reaffirm that they are fine representatives. I did not want to let that go uncorrected. There are not many women in this House, but those whom we have are doing well.