Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Tairgim leasú a 1:

In Part 1, page 6, to delete lines 12 to 16, and substitute the following:

"4° Déanfar stiúradh na bhfiosruithe sin a rialáil le dlí. Déanfar leis an dlí sin cóimheá a bhaint amach go comhréireach idir cearta na pearsan aonair agus an leas poiblí le linn imscrúdú éifeachtach a dhéanamh faoi nithe a bhfuil tábhacht phoiblí ghinearálta iontu.",

I move amendment No. 1:

In Part 2, page 6, to delete lines 27 to 31, and substitute the following:

"4° The conduct of such inquiries shall be regulated by law. Such law shall balance, proportionately, the rights of the individual with the public interest in the effective investigation of matters of general public importance.".

Before addressing the amendment, it should be noted that we are dealing with very important matters.

We are dealing with a constitutional referendum, the fundamental law of our country and what precisely that law should say. It bears repeating that the manner in which the two constitutional referendum Bills in two consecutive days has been guillotined is nothing short of shambolic and, particularly, the issue of hearing it all in one day. The Government has prided itself on instigating a new politics of real change, yet these past two days have seen the worst of the old politics rule in the Seanad.

I take issue with the Minister, for whom I have great respect. I greatly enjoyed his contributions and listened carefully to what he had to say, and to his use of phrases, such as "straw man". That is not ad hominem but it sidesteps the possibility that people could have sincere concerns. I am giving the Minister a level of opposition on this legislation which he perhaps did not get in the other House or from others but it does not mean that I am not sincere and that I have not done a good deal of homework on it.