Alex White (Labour)

I second the amendment.

This is an extremely important debate. I commend the Green Party on bringing forward the debate forward relatively early in this session of the Seanad. Its members are doing us a service in doing so. I am happy to support the amendment to the Green Party motion for reasons to which I will return. We are here to promote debate and, hopefully, we can do that.

One point on which it is worth reflecting initially is that, whereas the Seanad has an important role in the debate about the Seanad, this Seanad does not own this institution. The 60 Members who are honoured to be in this Seanad do not own it; it belongs to the people of Ireland. Whereas we have an important role to play as experienced people — some of us have long experience as Members while many of us have only recently become Members of this House — we should not lose the run of ourselves and think this is an opportunity for us to carve up this operation, as it were, for the benefit of those who are already elected here. We should have a wider perspective on it. That is reflected in the report prepared in the last session and in the motion the Green Party has put before us. I do not criticise anybody when I make that remark but it is something we should bear in mind.

While I commended the Green Party on bringing forward this motion and on sponsoring this debate, the wording of the motion is contradictory. Like Senator Fitzgerald, I have an aversion to being asked to welcome a commitment in the programme for Government. Words to that effect are included in the first line of the motion.