Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after ??Seanad Éireann?? and substitute the following:"has confidence in the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter T.D., and commends him for the effective manner in which he is discharging his Ministerial functions.".

I am disappointed the motion has been put in this fashion before the House. Seanad Éireann has always been at its best when it is a forum for genuine debate or discussion. I readily concede that it is valid to have a discussion on law and order matters, policing and the Army. It is valid for the Opposition to present its views and alternatives. Nevertheless, this cannonball motion is a reminder of the simplistic politics of old, with the Opposition putting down a motion of no-confidence in the Minister. That does not lend any great credit to either the Opposition or this House.

No Minister has served the current Seanad better than the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, who has attended the House for detailed debate on legislation and accepted amendments across a wide range of Bills. More than any Minister in the Government, he has shown how useful and successful a Seanad can be. For that alone, he deserves the full credit of the House.

If in 100 years somebody was to search with Google for instances of scandal in the Departments dealing with justice or defence, what names or political parties would emerge straight away? One would see the names "Moran", "Gibbons" and "Burke" and others. I could go further. One would not see the names "Shatter", "Noonan" or "Dukes".