Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a drastic need for us to redefine what we stand for in the Seanad and up our game a little. Having statements and half day sittings is a complete waste of time when the country is in crisis. We should use this Chamber more effectively. That is what I am calling for. Perhaps the heads of the parties might sit down and come up with an agenda. Ultimately, it is a matter for the Government to support the Leader of the Seanad to ensure it actually happens.

The letters issued yesterday by Allied Irish Banks on mortgage interest rate increases are absolutely disgraceful. The bank is almost entirely owned by the State. There are public interest directors on the board, yet the variable interest rate has been increased for those who can barely afford to make repayments. The Government is stagnating the domestic economy, including through property taxation. No one is spending money. Shops are closing in every rural village. Staff are being laid off and there is absolutely nothing happening. In the next couple of weeks every Minister should come to this Chamber to talk about what he or she will do to reignite the domestic economy. All the talk is about foreign direct investment and export-led growth. That is fine, but it will not help Mary or John in Castlebar or Letterkenny. We need the domestic economy to work. It is broken and the Government has no plan to fix it. We need Ministers to tell us what they are doing and allow us to question them on behalf of constituents who are raising issues with us. If this does not happen, we are failing citizens in this House.