Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I second Senator Fitzgerald's proposal as I share her concern about the manner in which the business of the Seanad is being ordered. We saw the Seanad at its best last week during the debate on the Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009 on which Senators, particularly on the Fine Gael side, raised relevant points and proposed amendments. We are today seeing the Seanad at its worst, with a whole range of business put before us at very short notice, all Stages of which are to be taken together. This undermines the argument we continually make about the relevance of the Seanad, that it is the Chamber wherein legislation is properly scrutinised and where questions that might not be asked in the other House are asked. The Seanad's ability to do its important work is limited when legislation is rushed through the House at the end of term in the manner proposed today.