Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I heard discussions on the commentariat and pinko extremist commentators and various other issues which I felt had very little to do with the business at hand. There is, therefore, some element of truth in the point made. Apart from the great entertainment provided by Senator Norris and the Tánaiste, who seemed to be enjoying themselves with very little else to do, the discussion seemed to have very little to do with the Bill.

Speaking of issues which should have our attention, I would have thought the idea of having on a regular basis an Adjournment debate, in which general matters would be discussed in Parliament, would be considered. I have raised this issue before. Such a debate allows Members to make a statement or express a point of view on matters. This might be considered towards the end of the session.

Related to this, we might look at the question of regional debates. I recently considered how the regions develop. On a number of occasions we have discussed the position on the western edge of Ireland but we should look at such matters in more detail. Let us take County Kerry as an example. The Leader of House is smiling.