Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

During the lifetime of the previous Seanad, a former Sinn Féin Member had no difficulty with the time allocated because he joined another group. It is open to the current Sinn Féin Senators to encourage people to join a larger group. If such a group is formed, its members will have the same time allocated to them as that which is allocated to everyone else. The former Sinn Féin Senator to whom I refer - Deputy Pearse Doherty - joined another group when he was a Member of the House.