Denis Landy (Labour)

I congratulate all those who have been elected to various positions, including the Leader, Senator Cummins, who has been a friend of mine for many years, although he has caused me to lose a great deal of money on various race tracks.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the proposed household management and water charges. I concur with Senator Mullen's view on announcements being made before they have been fully endorsed by the Cabinet. Decisions and announcements should be made following agreement by the Cabinet. Members of the public are concerned and confused about the proposed charges. While I accept that the country is tied in to certain commitments arising from the EU-IMF deal, there is a right and wrong approach to these issues. The right approach would be to request the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to discuss the proposed charges and give Senators a clear understanding of what is proposed.

On the Leader's comments on reform of the House, as someone who has been involved in local government for almost 25 years, I fully support the concept of inviting European Commissioners to appear before us. However, it is equally important to invite the first and second tier of local government - town and county councillors - before the House to allow them to have an input.