Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In general, I am supportive of the concept that we have a discussion on the health service, but saying we should approach it by expressing confidence or no confidence in the Minister is neither useful nor appropriate. I will broaden my request, therefore, and ask the Leader that we have, starting in the next two to three weeks, a debate with each Minister on his or her own particular component part of the programme for Government. The Government has a programme which it hopes to implement, Department by Department. It would be useful, first, for the Seanad and, second, Ministers, many of whom apparently feel unsure about the role of the Seanad, if they came before us to debate their work to date under the programme for Government and their proposals for the next 12 to 18 months. Senators should be quite firm and state we expect and demand this of the Government. No Minister should be afraid to come into this House to debate his or her management of his or her Department and his or her plans for that Department's role and work in the next 12 to 18 months. As the Leader knows, we previously engaged in a similar fashion with MEPs and a number of European leaders. We should now act more domestically and have each Minister, perhaps one a fortnight, in ths House for at least half a day to debate his or her programmes.

On an unrelated matter, having listened to "Morning Ireland" on RTE this morning, I wonder why we are paying to have an American correspondent, Mr. Downes. It would be just as easy for RTE to have a direct link with Democratic national party headquarters. The mood and tone of RTE and "Morning Ireland" this morning as they tried to explain why President Obama did not appear so triumphant last night in the first debate as they apparently wished he would and the list of excuses were, I thought, unbalanced. Everybody is entitled to his or her view as to who should be the next President of the United States, but that will be decided by the American people. It is interesting that we have RTE commenting on the matter, but we could expect balance. It should not be an entirely biased programme in which the presenter and the reporter are upset at the apparent defeat of the President last night; they would almost have a person in tears.