Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

-----and on what they have done to enhance the image of Ireland, build confidence and give us an uplifting experience at the weekend. It was wonderful to watch television at the weekend and see the success of our sportspeople in Europe.

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Alex White, Boyle, Regan, Bacik, Ormonde, Donohoe, MacSharry, Harris, Hanafin, Twomey, Mooney, Cannon and Healy Eames gave us the benefit of their serious concerns about everything that is happening with the banks and the proposals for the next four budgets. In response to points raised by Senator O'Toole and colleagues regarding the Croke Park agreement, I gave an undertaking to the House last week that I would arrange for the Minister to come to House on a bi-monthly basis. I have arranged for an all-day debate on the Croke Park agreement next Wednesday, with the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, and the Minister of State and the Government Chief Whip, Deputy Curran, in attendance to deal with various aspects of the agreement. It is my intention to roll over the debate into the following week if colleagues wish to have further clarification and an update on progress on the agreement.

With regard to the sitting days of the House, we always returned from recess one week after the Dáil. That was not possible on this occasion because the Dáil had to deal with urgent banking legislation and the Seanad also had to pass it by midnight last Wednesday. I then afforded the House the opportunity, with the permission of all colleagues and party leaders, to commence a debate on the economy, to which all spokespersons made their contribution last Thursday and that debate is continuing as and from today. The House will sit three days every week from now until Christmas with the exception of the bank holiday weekend when the Dáil and the Seanad do not sit on the Tuesday after the bank holiday weekend, as has been a long-standing precedent Those are the arrangements for sitting days and I thank all colleagues and party leaders for their co-operation. I take seriously the views of all colleagues in the House on the running of the House.

Senator Alex White raised the matter of making the House more relevant and put forward proposals in that respect. The Committee on Procedure and Privileges, under the stewardship of the Cathaoirleach, can tease out this matter. I am duty bound, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the day, under the stewardship of the Cathaoirleach, to run this House and make proposals to it in that regard.

Senators Boyle, Ó Brolcháin, Phelan and Harris raised the matter of the next four annual budgets and the need for a broad consensus of appeal in this respect about which everyone is talking. Senator Harris is an independent observer. He is very respected and his column is read every Sunday and believed, which is very important nowadays, especially in the case of the Sunday newspapers. It behoves us all to bear in mind that neither the person nor the party takes precedence over the country. Everything Members of both Houses do for the duration of their membership during these difficult times must be in the national interest. I welcome the comments of quite a number of colleagues, including Senator MacSharry's, who wish to proceed down that road during these difficult times when we are experiencing a downturn in the economy which, as Senator Mooney said, is worldwide.

I watched the coverage of the speakers at the Conservative Party conference last week, with that party having came to power in England with a brand new mandate.