Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their attention to the details in and queries raised on this Bill. Some of my words may have appeared anti-official but that was not my intention, apart from being pro-democracy. Senator Mooney touched on my concerns which stretch to the overall EU ideal and the danger that we will lose the trust and confidence of the citizens. There must be a better way to scrutinise legislation, perhaps through reform of the Seanad.

Part of my reason for being anti-statutory instrument was that in 1970, I won a case in the Supreme Court on the basis of a statutory instrument written in 1938. That was the only case that ever went to the Supreme Court on Article 44, which covers discrimination on the grounds of religion, and it was found that the statutory instrument fell short of the Constitution. I will tell the Minister of State about it some other time. That is one reason I have a personal interest in ensuring that legislation goes through in the full light of consideration by Parliament.