David Norris (Independent)

I thank my colleagues for taking part in the debate. It was a very high level debate, with a number of stimulating opinions expressed. Members of the House need more support. An example is access to drafting skills. We do not have such skills and it is difficult to draft legislation. All Members have excellent secretaries. My secretary is absolutely superb, but she is over-worked. She works desperately hard. We are cutting back on overtime, but she will still do the work, although she will not get paid for it.

Senator O'Reilly spoke about the difficulty of getting onto policing committees. I am a member of the north inner city committee. It is voluntary, unpaid work. People are not rejected because they are Senators; therefore, I do not accept that argument.

Senator Ó Brolcháin has said the panels are outdated. I agree. They must be reviewed.

Senator Glynn has mentioned the amendment about age that was cleverly put forward by Senator Quinn and accepted. That was in the context of an earlier one, the sexual orientation clause that I pioneered in this House. It is a double whammy for Seanad Éireann.

I was a Member of the House when the Cathaoirleach, Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Leader of the House were all rejected in the Dáil elections. How is that for democracy? We do not help with our performance in the House. First, we refuse to play to our strengths.