Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is pretty hard sometimes to get a Minister to take any notice of what we say - although not this Minister of State - but when we are being abolished it will become a complete charade. I do not see the point in lingering around on death-row. Abolition day is midnight before the next Dáil convenes, but I believe there should be a delay on that. If the opinion polls are correct, there will be a new Taoiseach and a different government, and they should be entitled to convene a new Seanad. The Seanad should not be abolished at midnight before the next Dáil sits and a new government is appointed. Abolition day should therefore be changed to allow voters to sweep out the abolitionists and bring reformers back into office. We should not be bound by the proposed abolition date.

I was very angry to read the text of this Bill but now I am just sad that anybody would waste political capital, Government time and parliamentary time on this matter. With so much unemployment and emigration, we have enough to do without wasting our time abolishing the Upper House, along with all the attendant evils that will bring.

I appreciate what the Minister of State said about the costs involved. According to the numbers circulated to us on 4 July, a Deputy earns €87,258 per annum, while a Senator earns €65,000. That is 134 indexed at 100. The Bill aims to abolish all Senators with an index of 100, and 4.8% of the people who cost 34% more. Even as a cost-saving exercise, with those numbers, it becomes less and less impressive.