David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that, "The Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann ) Bill 2013 is given three hours for debate today, rather than the short time allowed". If the Order of Business is agreed to and ten minutes speaking time is allowed for each Senator, a handful of Senators will have an opportunity to address the Taoiseach, but it is very unlikely that a Sinn Féin Senator will have an opportunity to do so. I doubt if the Taoiseach will return to the House for the next Stages and discussions of the Bill. Of all Bills that come before the House, especially when the Taoiseach comes in to the address the House, and he has done so on only two occasions, he should hear the opinions of all parties and groups in the House and not the selective views of some parties and some groups. It is appalling that the Bill was guillotined in the Dáil. The irony of that will not be lost on the people. The Taoiseach wants us to believe we can have extra scrutiny and an extra layer of scrutiny of legislation if the Seanad is abolished and that the next Dáil, with a reduction in numbers, will be able to increase its scrutiny of legislation by an extra committee and an extra layer of scrutiny, when the current Dáil which has more Members has already guillotined more half of the legislation in this term. How in God's name can we ensure extra scrutiny with fewer Members and the Seanad abolished? That makes no sense whatsoever and makes a mockery of democracy and political reform and shows, once again, that the Government is not interested in reform. It is interested only in the abolition of the Seanad, reducing numbers and reducing the ability of some parties to speak and have a say in the role of the Oireachtas.