Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Regan, McCarthy, MacSharry and Donohoe expressed their views on the legislation which we debated late last night and in to the early hours of this morning. I again thank all those involved in processing the legislation. I omitted to thank the ushers, the Superintendent, the Captain of the Guard and all the staff involved in the Houses, including our own staff and especially Deirdre Lane and Jody Blake for all they have done for us. I also thank the Chief Whip and the other Whips who excelled themselves. They all did the House proud.

I have met a number of members of the public since we passed the legislation. They appreciate the work we have done as a Parliament, including the efforts made by the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and all Deputies and Senators, including their determination to give leadership at this critical economic time for the country.

There is an onus on the media to play their part. They are also affected by the current employment situation. TV3 has let go 15 of its staff while RTE has mooted a downturn in advertising revenue. What do they expect if they spend all day telling a bad story? I was involved in a magazine venture which did nothing but talk down things. It eventually went out of business. The television licence payers, who pay €160 for their annual licence, are entitled to balance. RTE Radio One, the whinger's channel, starts at 7 a.m. and, with the exception of Ronan Collins, continues until late in the afternoon. The middle aged population deserve a balanced output but RTE Radio One is not providing it.