Seanad debates

Friday, 12 July 2013

10:40 am

Photo of Sean BarrettSean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It contrasts unfavourably with what happens in Westminster, when the Prime Minister stands at the despatch box and has to answer without any obvious prompters about the place. The same thing applies in the Northern Ireland Assembly. I ask the Leader to prepare a new protocol for advisers when they enter this House. Perhaps he could start by confining Ministers and Ministers of State to one adviser at a time.

I have to diverge from Senator Norris with regard to the promotion of Deputy Donohoe to the rank of Minister of State. I do so not least because the new Minister of State is a former student of mine. We always follow the rule set by an old tutor in TCD - we hope our students learn as much from us as we do from them, and about half as much from us as from their fellow students. I suggest that Deputy Donohoe would have spotted the design faults in the euro, for example, if he had been around at the time. When we win the referendum and he comes to address this House in its next term, I hope we will be magnanimous in victory. I will try to persuade Senator Norris to be magnanimous too. I wish the outgoing Minister of State every success. She is a woman of principle and that is always to be admired.

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