John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Leader to allow us to look at the way the Committee on Procedure and Privileges allows us to do our business. Last year we took radical steps to ensure the public finances and the banks were returned to a stable position and the full focus of the Government was on jobs. It is important, as mentioned by Senator Walsh, that the Seanad should now focus exclusively on jobs this year and, if necessary, Standing Orders should be changed to allow an innovative approach to be taken to allow people such as the Irish Commissioner, as well as other EU Commissioners, to address the Seanad on where we are going and how we can get there.