Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of course there are. If we divided the figure by the population of the country, it would be even cheaper, not even the cost of a newspaper per day.

I have put the question on the cost. I admire the expertise here from all walks of life, including those from humble beginnings like mine, and of professional people including lawyers, teachers, economists and doctors. We have expertise here. I defy the new committee to have the equivalent of the people here who contribute to the running of this country. This is not and should not be a question of economics. I want to see the Taoiseach state publicly in the media what he hopes to save. I do not mind if he provides a gross figure, but I would like him to quantify the saving.

Like Senator Bradford, this reminds me of applying for a job in my early days. The question one never wanted to be asked was the one stating there were 54 other people looking for the job and asking you to explain why it should be given to you. I am not going to campaign on this issue. I am going to vote "No" and I am going to advocate to anybody I meet that they vote "No" because of the concern I have that any committee under the Cabinet will do whatever the Cabinet wants it to do. That is what we will find in the future. We are unanimous in our opinion on this proposal. The Minister of State agrees with us. He himself performed very effectively in the Seanad and I admire him for that. We agree that we need to reform the Seanad so we can continue to ensure citizens are protected from legislation that might have a negative effect on their daily lives.

My own experience began as a councillor.

This was my third time to go for the Seanad as I had previously tried in 1997. Fourteen years later I decided to play a part in the history of this country. What galls me is that I have entertained people from different panels and different walks of life who have come to my home in Carlingford and to my office. They have cried at my kitchen table, saying why they needed my vote and what it would mean to them, to their families and to the country. I do not include the Minister of State but some of them cried at my kitchen table and these are now some of the greatest advocates for the abolition of the House to which they wanted to go. It is very difficult to listen to them, those who said, "Brennan, you have got to give it to me."