Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I add my voice to the congratulations that have been extended on the birth of baby Finn Cullinane. I am not sure if the name was chosen because it rhymes with "Sinn". I congratulate Senator Cullinane, his wife and his parents.

I join others in expressing concern about rushed legislation. It is something we have to avoid. We should never do this. Legislation has been rushed in the past. As Senator Darragh O'Brien said, rushed legislation is often bad legislation. I would like to tell new Members about a Bill that was passed by the Dáil very rapidly and came to this House after the Dáil had adjourned for the summer. I cannot remember the name of it, but I know it involved banning public opinion polls prior to elections. During the debate in this House - it was late at night - Deputy Ross, who was a Senator at the time, realised that a blunder had been made. He pointed out that the prohibition on public opinion polls during the three weeks prior to an election would expire at midnight on the morning of the election, just before people went to the polls. It would have been disastrous. It would have finished it. When this oversight was pointed out on Committee Stage in this House, the Bill was dropped and never saw the light of day again. I have mentioned that as an example of what we can do in the second House. We can scrutinise legislation and make sure it does not go through in a rushed form. I am concerned that we are squeezing all three Stages in today. As Senator O'Brien said, we will be able to give very little attention to Report Stage after we have completed Second and Committee Stages. I urge the Leader to avoid similar arrangements in the future. I urge him to support Senator O'Brien's amendment to the Order of Business, which proposes that the arrangements for today be reconsidered.

I also draw the attention of the House to the launch of Springboard, which is a worthy effort to get people back to work if they have a skill, an ability or an education that is no longer suitable to whatever has developed. Many people who worked in construction, for example, have got degrees or other qualifications under this worthwhile programme. They need different qualifications now. I would love to think the Minister for Education and Skills could come in here to debate this and many other areas of the education system.