Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to much of the debate. I am sorry I could not be present for all of it but I had to attend a committee meeting. The Minister has given factual information on all of the amendments today. I wish to discuss amendment No. 4 and will stick to it. It relates to the State being a party to a case taken in connection with a child or family. Under Article 27 of the Constitution, the President, if requested by a majority of Members of the Seanad and one third of the Members of the Dáil by joint petition, can decline to sign any Bill. The Minister has responded eloquently. I welcome the debate we have had today on the various amendments because it has clarified many of the issues. In her response, the Minister outlined various procedures that will be introduced by legislation. It is important that what she has said today will be publicised before the referendum because it is informative. When people are asked to vote in a referendum it is important that they have all the information. Not only is the Minister on top of her brief, but she has answered every question that has been put to her eloquently and factually. That is what the people want to see.

I commend Senator Jillian van Turnhout for her input. I listened to her on the monitor as she referred to research she had done. The Minister?s responses should be well publicised. Sometimes in the Seanad we do not recognise the power we have on Bills. We have the option of signing a joint petition with one third of Dáil Members to prevent a Bill from being signed into law. The Minister is conscious of that. We should all be conscious of it. We are getting answers to the questions we pose. They are well put and I welcome them. The Seanad does the State a service by ensuring that the legislative process is fleshed out in detail. One might say Senator Mullen was dancing on the head of a pin when he suggested that we should have provisions excluded-----