Denis Landy (Labour)

I support Senator Mullen's call for a debate on the proposed referendum on the abolition of the House. Can the Leader find some mechanism for getting the views of what I call the ordinary people of Ireland? There is a view within the media that this is a done deal. I spend most weekends out and about in my community, and there is a strong view among ordinary people who have an interest in the mechanisms of democracy that the Seanad should be reformed but not abolished. The more time we give to sessions such as those held in Louth last weekend, at which a number of Senators spoke, the more this will become apparent.

Does the Leader have any proposals to broaden this debate? He might come back to us with some suggestions. The debate need not all happen within this Chamber but should take place in the community, to the people who will be making the decision. It should not be a "Yes" or "No" question. Good work has been done here over the last couple of days with regard to suggestions for reform of the House.

The second issue I want to raise is a surprising one. I support the comments of Senator Conway about the price of beds in Dublin last weekend. One of our colleagues, who brought his children up to the Take That concert, told me he had to stay in Maynooth because he could not get a room in Dublin.

However, there is another issue, dear to many of our hearts, with regard to prices. I refer to the cost of entry to GAA matches. I ask the Leader to take this matter up with the president of the GAA. We had a paltry announcement last weekend that the cost of tickets was being reduced by €5, but only for scheduled central competition matches. The Munster semi-final between Clare and Tipperary was held in Limerick last Sunday - Senators all know who won, so I do not have to give the result.