Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Care for the elderly is a priority for Members on all sides of the House in these times of plenty. Ministers on the Government side have been exemplary in this regard over the past ten years, as can be seen when one compares what was done in the previous ten or 20 years for our senior citizens. There is nothing good enough for those who have made a contribution to our country and put us in the privileged position we are in today. As far as I am concerned, that is a commitment. I will consider the strong views put forward by concerned Senators on all sides of the House and I will keep in touch with the leaders of the groups to ensure that we allow as much time as is required by Members for this important but urgent Bill.

Senators Fitzgerald, Alex White, Callely, Bradford, Cummins and Coghlan all expressed strong views on various matters. I will not delay the House except to say that I will be in touch with the relevant Departments and come back to the Senators about these matters. Senator Callely made some observations about Operation Freeflow and bus corridors. I will make contact with the Garda Commissioner this afternoon about this issue and I will contact the Senator's office this evening. The motion drafted by Senator Callely, as the Cathaoirleach pointed out, can be put on the Order Paper for tomorrow morning with the permission of the Cathaoirleach and the Clerk of the Seanad. Senator Leyden expressed his congratulations to Senator Harris on his stance on RTE yesterday about the various inaccuracies we all know have appeared in some of the Sunday dispatches and newspapers. The person in the House with the most experience of the legal profession is Senator O'Donovan, who excellently chaired the All-Party Committee on the Constitution when he was a Dáil Deputy. I would listen to the words of wisdom that he has given to the House from both a parliamentary and a legal point of view. He and the Cathaoirleach are correct to call for one or two days of debate on all of the evidence before the tribunals, if such is necessary, before expressing opinions on the evidence of the Taoiseach and former taoisigh. All fair-minded people must say that, until all of the facts can be considered, we should not allow ourselves to be carried down that path, particularly new Members.