Seanad debates

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

10:30 am

Photo of John Gerard HanafinJohn Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

Will the Leader, as a matter of urgency, inquire about the possibility of having the proceedings of the Seanad streamed to the national media? I am conscious the House is well served by Jimmy Walsh in The Irish Times, and "Oireachtas Report" on RTE, but both of these organs are media of record and, unfortunately, the gatekeepers and opinion givers do not have a high opinion of what happens in this Chamber. I have never been afraid of going before the public. I accept the Seanad will evolve when its proceedings are eventually streamed to the public. The proceedings of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont and those of the Scottish, Welsh and English parliaments are all streamed to the media. This House would benefit to a significant degree if its proceedings were streamed in this way, perhaps via TG4 but preferably on RTE One or RTE Two.

I support the call for a debate on energy. There is no doubt there are exciting changes in the offing in the field of energy, particularly in the area of clean technologies. One such technology is shale gas, a natural gas that is produced from shale. What happens is that the rock is fractured by means of the traditional drilling method and the gas from it is then taken from the well head and used. This is a new method of gas production. I have considered the geological make-up of Ireland and it appears we have significant deposits of shale. In that context, it would be of benefit if the House could engage in a debate on energy production, particularly from the point of view of new emerging technologies and clean technologies.

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