Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I agree in general with Senator Fitzgerald that as a matter of principle it is important Ministers make announcements to the Oireachtas and not first to the media, although I take on board what Senator Norris added to her comment. Undoubtedly what Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole and others have said about the Seanad being under scrutiny is quite right. We operate in a weak parliamentary system and if people see that our Parliament is weak at a time of crisis, when there is a struggle for resources, they will lose faith in our ability to make a difference. This applies not only to Seanadóirí but also to most Members of the Dáil. How often does Government substantially change direction on policy? There is the occasional backbench revolt which works only because it is rare. An rud is annamh is iontach. We need to examine our system to see how when amendments to legislation are suggested they might be given serious consideration. I am not talking about occasional tweaking but a serious intellectual engagement by Government with proposed ideas.

We know what happens when changes to the Order of Business are put to a vote. The Government must give leadership in this area by agreeing to have a debate on a specific date, at a specific time and entering that in a diary, rather than giving a general promise which in many cases comes to nothing. In the case of the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, there was a debate, thanks to Fine Gael, which is to be commended for that. I am sure, however, that as the proposal moves forward there will be further calls for debate which should be heard.

I agree with Senator Hannigan and compliment the Fianna Fáil Party on bringing forward the issue of overseas development aid on Private Member's time tomorrow night but we must hear something more than a recital of the Government's achievements in the past. We will test whether the Government will give us chapter and verse on where the cuts are to be made because that is the critical issue. We must ensure the cuts are not made pro rata because that could damage the most deserving areas and some seriously good causes.

We have had very good debates in this House on stem cell research. Professor Colin McGuckin, a very well-regarded stem cell researcher, called today on the Pat Kenny programme on RTE for a public-private initiative to store umbilical chord blood. This would be a worthy topic for discussion in this House given that chord blood provides a one in four chance of a blood match for members of a family. This is becoming more important due to the increased number of inter-racial couples. Let us prove our worth and discuss such worthy proposals so these issues are properly ventilated not just in the media but in the Oireachtas.