Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

That being said, I am here in the Seanad to examine and advance the legislation to determine what I believe is right and wrong with the legislation.

Why would I or anybody else look to find something wrong with the legislation? Why would we want to cover up a mess that existed before this Government came into office? Why would one cover up anything? One would want to put every mess that existed previously out in the open if one were politically minded to do so. I believe I heard the Minister say yesterday that there are 22 cases outstanding in legal limbo. That is 22 families that must be dealt with but the previous Minister obviously saw fit to sit on the fence and do nothing.

In terms of the legislation before us, we must be sure that it is the correct way to proceed. When I heard that under the old rule there would only be five people eligible to compete for this post., and I was not aware of that until yesterday, I thought it was madness. If I were hiring a personal assistance or whatever I would interview more than five people, and I have done that. That is a very limited pool.

Time is one thing but we could have some doodah, as it were, sitting a long time on a Bench who may not be worth his or salt.