Sean Barrett (Independent)

Will the Leader impress again on Ministers the unintended consequences of guillotining legislation? This is not about the ego of Senators; it is about the damage being done to the country. Yesterday's debate should not have been curtailed because there were serious issues to raise. The Minister proposes to lower the retirement age from 70 to 65 while retaining 70 as the retirement age for judges. All the evidence, including the TILDA report, which the Government commissioned, suggests we are entering an era of later rather than earlier retirement. The Minister did not know that later retirement is part of the IMF-EU-ECB agreement and he did not address the issue of excessive legal costs. He proposes to undermine the officer whose job is to deal with these excessive costs, which are a burden on the economy.

That was a serious mistake to make on the eve of the Troika's visit to check progress on the bailout agreement. Will the Leader impress on Ministers that they must attend the House to debate and there are huge unintended consequences when they scarper off before the business has been completed, as happened yesterday?