Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I agree with Senators Fitzgerald and Alex White that the instability of the current Government is demonstrated by the fact that we still do not know whether the Finance Bill will pass. The Government clearly has no popular mandate and it is essential we have an election date as soon as possible.

The lack of clarity about the date does affect the everyday lives of those outside the political world. Today, I received an e-mail from a constituent who pointed out the week beginning 21 February is schools half term. Many parents with children in primary school have made arrangements to be away that week. If the election does fall on that week, many people, especially parents of young children——