David Norris (Independent)

For several weeks I have attempted to highlight the manner in which the Government is using the budget to dismantle all those organisations which speak for the vulnerable and the oppressed, such as Combat Poverty, human rights agencies and the Equality Authority. That is the real danger. The Government has failed to listen to the people. Now the people will not listen to the Government. It has already managed to reverse some aspects of the budget and has, therefore, created a precedent. There are masses of other groups queueing up. It was not just the over 70s who protested outside the gates yesterday; the students also did so.

Yesterday, Senator Joe O'Toole outlined the position in regard to education. I received a waft of e-mails from people today about the impact of these budget cuts on their schools. Senator Terry Leyden said these people are the salt of the earth. Yes, they are but too much salt is bad for the cardiovascular system. If this country breaks down because of a lack of authoritative government giving in to sectoral interests, however valuable they are, and if no one is prepared to take the pain which we must all take, the system will grind to a halt.

Yesterday's scheduled meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs was cancelled. The Office of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal informed the clerk to the committee that the tribunal's chairman — I will not put his name on the record — would be unavailable for the next meeting scheduled for next Wednesday. The clerk was also informed that the chairman was not agreeable to nominating a senior official from his office to attend in his place.

When will the immigration Bill be introduced to the House? I went to a briefing on this Bill which is extraordinarily defective and violates the Constitution. Once more, it will penalise the most vulnerable in society. The gentleman who refused to turn up at the foreign affairs committee meeting was involved in proceedings, partly initiated by a former Member of this House, Michael O'Kennedy, in which it was clear he had given false evidence to a very high court in this land. If this had been allowed to proceed to judgment, he would have been found in contempt. That person has been proposed to continue as chairman of the new tribunal. There is a stink about this which will escape from the corridors of Leinster House. No one will be able to contain the scandal involved in this, yet this man refuses to attend an Oireachtas committee.

When will the immigration Bill be introduced? Is the Government going to stick to the Bill's proposals or will it subject it to scrutiny in order to amend it? Will the Government give us an assurance that the bad policies, represented by this person who refuses to obey the wish of the Oireachtas, are not continued?