Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I dtosach, is mian liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit agus buíochas a ghabháil leis toisc gur thug sé cluas do na moltaí a bhí ins an Teach seo. Níl aon amhras faoi ná go raibh díospóireacht an-leathan go deo anseo agus go minic bhí an dá thaobh den Teach ar an tuairim chéanna maidir le cuid de na rudaí a bhí á rá. Glacaim freisin go mbeidh reachtaíocht breise amach anseo agus le cuid de na rudaí nach bhfuil clúdaithe, go mbeidh seans againn arís iad a phlé.

I thank the Minister of State for having listened so attentively, and responded to the points which were put forward in this House. In the debate here it was quite evident that there was a degree of unanimity and consensus on both sides of the House because we realised the importance of this legislation and that there was a vacuum that had to be filled quickly.

Many people involved in charity work felt somewhat vulnerable and exposed in the absence of this focused legislation. Certainly, we must be conscious and protective of the charity area because it is vital to society. One might say in a national context that the need for people to commit themselves to charity work is probably more vital now than it was when we started the debate, especially when we are told that people are selfish and greedy. It is quite evident that many good people are involved in charities.

When the Minister of State comes forward with an amendment, we know full well he is doing it with the best of intentions and we have to bear in mind the legal advice he will have at any given time. We are looking at it, perhaps, in an idealistic and very pointed manner, which is precisely what we should do, but we expect the Minister of State to look ahead and see whether there are any pitfalls in the legislation which might be challenged later and in some way undermine it.

I have found in these debates that none of the usual points scoring was involved. We were all in this together from day one and I compliment the Minister of State because that stemmed from the tone of his address. I said from the beginning that it was one of the best addresses I had heard in the House and I had hoped it might have received broader publicity. There are times in the Chamber when one hears something specific that may become the ethos for what we are aiming at. The contribution of the Minister of State was so well crafted that it built up, included and accepted many of the issues about which we felt strongly, even before the debate started. I compliment him and the officials while agreeing 100% with Senator Jerry Buttimer that we realised there was attentive listening and not just a matter of quid pro quo. We had to listen carefully before making our points, which were listened to. That is one of the reasons Members on all sides of the House can subscribe, contribute to and endorse what this legislation contains.

To deviate slightly from the Bill for a moment and address the issue of human rights, I believe Members did not differ substantially on whether there should be specific reference to human rights or whether it was inherent in the Bill and therefore to be found by extension in other legislation as well. I believe it is at this stage, having listened very carefully. If there are any inadequacies to be found later on, there will be opportunities again in legislation to look at those.

However, I am conscious now more than ever of the need to acknowledge the whole area of human rights. People on all sides of the House will agree that a number of Senators, including myself, use the Order of Business regularly to promote the concept of human rights, and I hope this will continue. To some extent, when Ireland was very affluent and we possibly focused more on what return could be had from society, very often we forgot those who had no voice — the vulnerable, oppressed, misrepresented and under-represented — for whom it was important to get a voice. I have seen debates in this House which grew legs afterwards and were taken up in the wider society and by the broader body politic. I hope this will continue.

We should all like to believe that were we to find ourselves, as we have done historically, in that same situation, there would be a need for such a voice. Whatever the part of the world, humanity does not acknowledge borders. We have said this in relation to Iraq, Afghanistan and places where diplomacy could have replaced aggression and did not. Senator Norris and I, very much in the early stages as regards the Iraq situation, felt we were putting our heads above the parapet, but——