Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I am speaking on the Bill as a member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which I believe is necessary to put that on the record.

I welcome the legislation and listened with interest to the previous speakers. Members of the public gain their knowledge of what happens in Leinster House generally from what is transmitted by the press. Only two issues of concern arose in terms of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission during over the past 12 months. One related to the endless debate concerning Oireachtas expenses and allowances and the other issue, which grabbed some degree of public attention, was the restoration of Leinster Lawn. If one was simply a student of the media and had no further understanding of politics, one could be led to believe that the Oireachtas commission spent its entire time discussing expenses and considering the possibility of digging up Leinster Lawn.