Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I support completely the points made by Senator Fitzgerald. I was outside those gates at 7.25 a.m. yesterday waiting for them to open and I got home last night at 10 p.m. That is no different from many other people in this House. I worked a full day and took no notice of it, no more than do all the other people here. To read in this morning's newspaper complimentary remarks on my game of golf yesterday is absolutely outrageous.

I confirm what Senator Fitzgerald said. As far as I am aware, there was no discussion with anybody on this side of the House about this decision. The Cathaoirleach may well be correct about what was said at the end of business last week. Leaders' meetings, which take place once a week, have become irrelevant. Private Members' time was changed last week without consultation with us, even though it was our slot. We had arranged for people to come in at that time and that created an embarrassment. One of our people who was on the radio this morning was embarrassed by not knowing why we were not sitting yesterday.

If we have reached a stage where the business of the House takes less precedence than a game of golf, we have lost it. At a time when this House is under closer scrutiny than ever before, this brings it into disrepute. If people want to take a couple of hours off to play golf, I have no problem with that as they work long hours, but my problem is with closing down the business of the House. The statement that we do not sit on Tuesdays in May was apparently attributed to the Leader, but, from my diary, last year I spoke in this House on Tuesday, 13 May, Tuesday, 20 May and Tuesday, 27 May. I am not sure about 6 May, but the idea that we do not sit on Tuesdays in May is another red herring and I do not accept it. It indicates a certain arrogance, disrespect and disregard for the way we do our business. I am embarrassed by it and the Leader should acknowledge that the House has been brought into disrepute in this regard.

If there was some urgent reason from the Government not to sit yesterday, then we would have been prepared, as we always are, to co-operate. There is a list of issues that needs to be discussed. The Leader gave us a commitment that we would discuss the economic situation on a regular basis. We could talk about other issues that have not been dealt with. I am utterly disappointed at the way this House is being treated. I will not seek to justify it to an audience outside. We owe an apology to the people who elected us whom we represent and I would like a commitment that it will not happen again.

There may be times when it is not reasonable or necessary to meet on a Tuesday, but that is not the issue. The issue is about how this was done and the reasons for which it was done. It is an embarrassment and it brings us into disrepute. I am disappointed, Leader. It makes a comedy of the idea of meetings of representatives of the groups each week because they mean nothing and they get us nowhere. The Leader asked us for co-operation in the past few weeks and it takes a brass neck to ask one week for our co-operation, while the next week to change business and the following week to close the House for one day without discussion or agreement.