Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The €10 million figure is there in black and white.

The Seanad has been effective. We have put forward ideas for reform. As other colleagues have said, on every single amendment to try to include the possibility for reform to be put before the people, the answer is "No", "ruled out of order", "in conflict with the Bill" or "no way to get it in the Bill". The abolition Bill was not brought to a committee ahead of time, even though the Government claims this would be done with everything else once the Seanad is gone. The Government has provided no rationale for this.

I just do not understand this move from the perspective of the use of the taxpayers' money. What was the rush in putting before the people a referendum to abolish the Seanad? Why did the Government have to do it now? Why could it not have waited a couple more years, when it would have time to introduce some Dáil reforms, which we do not have now? Moreover, as Senator O'Brien has indicated, suppose the people vote to abolish the Seanad because they do not have the possibility of reform in front of them, yet we still have two more years.