Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

Perhaps it is the wrong thing to say at this point but it is 1.35 a.m. and I feel guilty that a number of staff are being delayed because I have decided to contribute to this debate. It is a debate we should have had during the day because everybody should be getting the message. This debate is about expenses. It is about what we are. It is about what we earn and what the public pay for us. It is about what we do for the money we are paid. It is a most important opportunity - that is the only reason I am delaying people here tonight - for us to sell a particular message. I do not know whether the media are listening. Perhaps I am speaking only to the people in this room, but if that is the case I know I am speaking to quality.