Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to inform the House that the literary and debating society in NUI Galway last night voted that the House should be retained. Senator Naughten and I were the Members of the House who spoke. The university has a superb tradition of oratory, not least the fact that President Michael D Higgins was the auditor in 1965, then came to this House and went on to the Dáil and Áras an Uachtaráin. Based on what we heard last night, many people can follow in his footsteps.

One of the points in which the audience and students were most interested is the reform carried out by the Seanad, with its 42 new Members. I ask the Leader if we can put the innovations on the website of Seanad Eireann. I am sure the Leader has a longer list than I do, including the invitation to the European Commissioner, the invitation to the UN Deputy Commissioner, the Irish MEPs showing the best level of co-ordination between the European Parliament and this House, the human rights appearances of former Senators Manning and Robinson, the appearance by the Orange Order, which was a real hit with the students, the Nobel Prize winner Christopher Pissarides, and the Seanad Public Consultation Committee. I am sure the Leader has more than just these seven because he has been at the forefront of it. Putting this information on the website will be useful in the debate people have in the coming ten days.

Friday, 4 October is not just the scheduled date for the referendum but the scheduled day of the meeting of the North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association meeting. It is entirely inappropriate that we invite people from Northern Ireland to this House and extend the hand of friendship on the same day as we conduct a referendum to deprive people in Northern Ireland of votes for this House in the two university constituencies. The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr. William Hay, has written to ask that the meeting does not take place on that inappropriate day. It seems ham-fisted by the Government to combine the two events. I ask the Leader to support the speaker. It would be entirely wrong to have the referendum and the meeting of the North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association on the same day. The two events are contradictory in spirit.