Eoghan Harris (Independent)

I would like Members to take a quiet moment to reflect on the principle of a bipartisan approach, which was referred to by the Minister last night. One of the most esteemed names in modern Irish politics is that of Alan Dukes because of the Tallaght strategy. Before that, in the 1920s, de Valera allowed the facts to bring him into a bipartisan policy. We also had such a policy throughout the Troubles.

It is clear to all of us that difficulties in certain areas of Irish life and public life will be solved only by a bipartisan approach. While we might argue about what these are, there would not be any argument — if, for example, a major row were to break out about immigration in the middle of a recession — that the Upper and Lower Houses could not be turned into bear pits, with people's lives and the lives of those in marginalised communities being debated in a political roughhouse. We would have to adopt a bipartisan approach in such circumstances. We had to adopt one with regard to Northern Ireland and we will not reform the public sector without one.

I do not believe the Minister, Deputy Harney, was playing politics in seeking a bipartisan approach because the same systemic problems are in the health service that were in Northern Ireland. One cannot deal with the health service unless all parties are agreed that some tough measures will have to be taken to deal with the vested interests involved.

I strongly urge Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Labour Party and the Independent Senators to take some of the heat out of this debate. We have had weeks of debate in the media but at the end of it I do not think the public knows a lot more. People are angrier but not much more light has been cast on the matter. Deep down people get angry when politicians carry on partisan warfare as the public knows the problems are systemic. The public respects the Minister and knows she has taken on a terrible job. The public also knows there is a vested interest and I have repeatedly heard the Opposition closing with that issue, which is right, but every so often the Opposition and the Government again fall back into partisan rows. As a preparation for the forthcoming difficulties in dealing with immigration, I strongly recommend that we agree on areas where we can adopt a bipartisan approach. These include the public sector, immigration, Northern Ireland and health.