David Norris (Independent)

If my distinguished colleague, Senator Bacik, requires a seconder, I will be very happy to second the amendment and, in particular, to rely on her expertise as she is, after all, a professor of law. I particularly applaud her for tabling this amendment because it raises the question of consistency. If such phrases are used throughout this and other legislation, obviously there should be consistency, although I would have thought an opinion might be taken to include suspicion, although it might be one element in forming an opinion.

People are very imprecise in their use of language. Even on the airwaves this morning I was astonished to hear someone on RTE describe a phrase contained in some Oxbridge review of the influence of Irish literature on the English language and refer to something that was obviously from Finnegans Wake as a notable quotation from Ulysses.

It would be very surprising indeed to find it in it and I challenge them to do so. Precision of language is important, even on the airwaves.

I join in the comments made by the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senator Bacik about the Minister's future plans. I regret he will be leaving politics at the next election because he has been very clear, forthright and fearless. I have not always agreed with him and I noted that he listed some of the achievements. I would have added to that the partial success of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 and I thank him for that. I wish him and his family well in the future.

In regard to the general context of this which was opened up by Senator Bacik, it is very welcome that there is protection for whistleblowers because we certainly need it. I would like to give two examples in this regard. I was given information by someone about the actions of one of the largest banks in the International Financial Services Centre which was flagrantly and regularly breaching liquidity ratios in the most extraordinary fashion. I laid the information before this House and got an equivocal answer from the Minister. The matter was eventually, more or less, cleared up but it was swept under the carpet, there were no sanctions and nothing really happened. Nothing was reported, even though I issued a script to the media which I very rarely do, until it was taken up by the Allegemeine Zeitung. Then a one page article appeared in The Irish Times which managed to use the script I produced without once mentioning Seanad Éireann. I thought that was quite astonishing. The worst aspect of it was that man had to leave his job. He is now unemployed and under serious pressure.

There is the other case of the gentleman who had a responsible position in the Irish Red Cross who pointed out in the blog that substantial moneys, which had been donated, were lying unused in a bank account somewhere down the country, and for this, he was got rid of. I find that absolutely appalling. I very much hope this legislation will act to protect a person in that regard.

Again, I agree with what Senator Bacik said that rather than operate on a kind of section by section basis, a full whistleblowers Bill, something of the kind suggested by the Labour Party, would be worth contemplating by the next Government. It is obviously far too late to consider anything like this now but as a stop-gap measure, I welcome the existence of this clause in this legislation.