Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I will have to get used to referring to Senator Burke as the Cathaoirleach, having had the pleasure of referring to him previously as the Leas-Chathaoirleach. It has been mainly, not exclusively, the west of Ireland representatives who have been standing in the House to compliment him and I want to add my sincere good wishes to him and to his family. I am proud to call him a friend and political colleague and I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he will continue in the proud tradition of many of his predecessors. A great deal of discussion has taken place on his election and it is instructive that it was unanimous with no dissent on any side of the House. This is the greatest tribute to him personally and gives him a tremendously strong mandate in the job and in facing the difficult challenges he outlined.

I also compliment my friend and colleague, Senator Norris. Someone, perhaps it was the Cathaoirleach, referred to his speech as presidential, and this is probably as accurate as one can get. Those of us who know the eloquence of Senator Norris will not be at all surprised at the manner in which he carried out his duties today prior to the election of the Cathaoirleach. He provoked the subsequent comments that have been made, and Senator Norris has always been good at stimulating and provoking debate inside and outside the House. I wish him well in his continuing endeavours.

I want to pick up on something Senator MacSharry said about the number of Sligo Senators. As a very proud Leitrim man, I am joined by Senator Michael Comiskey and another proud son of Leitrim whose late father, like many of my countymen, had to emigrate, and that is Senator John Crown. I am particularly pleased that he was able to find his way to Leinster House and I look forward to meeting him and hearing his very thoughtful contributions in the House.

I join other Members in expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the late former Taoiseach and Senator, Dr. Garret FitzGerald. As the Leader stated, we will have an opportunity to pay tribute in a more substantive form. In light of all the comments made about Seanad reform, I noticed that among the myriad of activities in which the then Senator FitzGerald was involved was the Seanad reform commission established in the 1950s.

To take the point made by others which, I have no doubt, will be repeated as this debate continues, I understand 14 reports on Seanad reform have been published since the Constitution was inaugurated in 1938. Senator Cullinane is absolutely correct to state it has been a failure not of this House or of our predecessors but of the political establishment and successive Government demonstrations, and, more recently, as Senator Leyden stated, a failure to implement even one part of the O'Rourke report which, for the record, was compiled and agreed by all the party groupings and the Independent grouping in the House. This is what gave it its strong mandate. It is called the O'Rourke report because the then Senator O'Rourke was the Leader of the House. It followed very intensive cross-party negotiations inside and outside the House, and this report has been allowed to lay fallow.

I welcome the new Sinn Féin Members to the House. They continue to embrace the democratic tradition and I gently remind Senator Cullinane and his colleagues that we in this House are all republicans. We all subscribe to the Constitution and support the Army, Garda and all the institutions of the State.