Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I will be as brief as possible, even if the issue I raise is an important one. Senators need to put some order on the Order of Business, which should be renamed the "Disorder of Business" as it goes all over the place. We all read the newspapers and follow daily news reports and while it is enjoyable to listen to Senators raise various newsworthy issues for two hours on the Order of Business, it would be sufficient if 30 minutes or one hour were provided each day to discuss a topical issue. This time could be used to discuss the most relevant of the many important issues raised on the Order of Business in areas such as health, education and social welfare. We could even discuss septic tanks. Many Senators commence their contribution by asking what has been done about an issue they raised two weeks previously on the Order of Business.

When we speak about getting our message across, what is our message? What is the purpose of the House? This is a second Chamber whose role is to scrutinise legislation but that is not the message received by members of the public who only hear about spats across the House.