Shane Ross (Independent)

That is exactly what they said and they were right. In the past two sessions I was very privileged to sit in the Cathaoirleach's Chair before he did, and on both occasions I made a plea for some kind of Seanad reform which fell on deaf ears. A series of committees were set up since then, the purpose of which is not to advance Seanad reform but to delay such reform. The committees were put in place as a kind of cosmetic camouflage so that people might think something is going on. They are well calculated to be referred to another committee, and when that committee reports it is time for another general election. It is very cleverly done. It does not deceive anybody but means the game is pretty well played out over a five-year period.

The signs from the speeches today indicate there is not a huge amount of enthusiasm for Seanad reform. My fear is that the good intentions of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, for Seanad reform will be drowned by the Machiavellian machinations of Fianna Fáil by the time the proposals he spoke of reach the Cabinet. He said he would present a paper to his Cabinet colleagues shortly. Presumably this will be very low on the Cabinet agenda, will not rise very far on that agenda and will certainly take us to the next general election.

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