Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

My apologies a Chathaoirligh.

I support Senator Fitzgerald's call for a debate on the role of the Oireachtas. Questions to Ministers about the National Roads Authority, the Road Safety Authority, the Health and Safety Authority and the Health Service Executive are often replied with claims the Minister has no official responsibility for the body in question or they are diverted down a cul-de-sac from which no answer emerges. It is time to get over this Dublin Castle mentality and bring the power of the people back to the Houses of the people. No matter how many noble sentiments Government Members express about social partnership, I have no personal desire to be ruled by Dublin Castle. Social partnership discussions should be held in both Houses, not behind closed doors in Dublin Castle. Instead, the Government has neutered this Parliament.

I am no bleeding-heart liberal but the idea of jailing people because they do not pay a fine or maintenance payments is backward and stupid. If we are not capable of coming up with another mechanism of ensuring such payments, we are a pretty foolish lot supporting the idea of debtors' prisons continuing in the 21st century. We must explore other means of getting these payments. Most of those concerned have direct payments from either an employer or the State. There are means of securing payments through these rather than this nonsensical notion of throwing people into prison.