Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I usually object when we seek a division on the Order of Business to delay matters to have an urgent debate but I second Senator O'Toole's call today. This topic has caught the imagination of the House and it was interesting to hear both Senators Ellis and Donohoe speak on it. If we are to attract the best people to politics, we must ensure it is regarded highly. The matter is not just relevant to politics but to the public service. The debate should not just be about politics and the Legislature but the entire public service. We want to attract the best people to the public service and we should act as if we were the owners of that public service who have been entrusted with a responsibility to attract the best people, as Senator Ellis noted. I think of Senator Donohoe as an example. He is a young man in business with management experience who gave it up to make a life in politics. We must attract many more people who would be willing to give up their jobs for politics.

This debate should take in the separation of those who make legislation and those who put it into force. I was disgusted at the speech from that GRA representative. Such action is unacceptable and I cannot believe it would be supported by the majority of the members of the Garda Representative Association. There must a separation of these issues. To use words accusing the Government of national sabotage, corruption and other actions is unacceptable and we cannot have somebody who is supposed to enforce the law using such terms.

Before we have such a debate, I ask everybody to consider reading two articles written by Mr. Eddie Molloy for The Irish Times on 8 April and 9 April. These essays were very critical of the way we run the country and how the Legislature has organised the Civil Service. The second article outlines seven steps we can take. A Secretary General was quoted in the article as saying not one day of training in management had been given to him. He may have been a specialist in a subject but he never received training in management before he became Secretary General of a Department on which we rely. We should ensure we study those articles before we have a debate but I urge us to have the discussion today.