Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator van Turnhout's proposal. The civic engagement policies of the Leader are deeply appreciated outside the House if not by the leadership of his own party. He deserves credit. We need to involve civic society more. Will the Dáil shut off itself from contact with NGOs? Is that what will happen if the Seanad is abolished?

To follow up on yesterday's discussion, I understand the conference the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon said he was attending begins at lunch time today. I have the invite from the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which says that the event will end with a working lunch tomorrow. The Minister of State should have come into the House yesterday. His Department told the Leader that he had already left. He made a serious allegation without any validation at all in the reports of the Standards in Public Office Commission in the period since 2007. Deputy Cannon said that he was bribed in 2009. There have been six investigation reports since that time, none of which refers to a Senator. One refers to a Deputy and four to local government officials, two of which were in Mayo and one each in Donegal, Kerry and Dublin. Deputy Cannon made a serious allegation against this House and senior members of Fianna Fáil and then left the country somewhat early for a conference that begins at lunch time today. It is incumbent on him to contact the House because he is not due back until after the House rises and his allegation is left hanging, doing damage to the referendum on Friday and the credibility of this House, which is what he used the article for. Indeed, in the article he wrote - it was not an interview - that the Seanad is a relic of a bygone era. The main reason he gives for that view is that he met somebody in here who tried to bribe him. He must come back before tomorrow to confirm or at least explain why he never referred the matter to the appropriate authorities and why he decided that it was only important to make the allegation in last week's Connacht Tribune. It is a serious matter that merits telephone calls or some contact from Istanbul.

I note that all Irish universities are in the top 15,000 or 4% of world universities. Trinity College Dublin is No. 61 in the world and ninth in Europe. We use those standings to promote Ireland as an attractive destination. It is completely incongruous that a Government doing that wishes to expel the university Senators from Parliament, which is what it is doing in trying to get rid of the six people on these benches. The inclusion of those six Members is called elitism apparently. However, 47% of under-35s and 70% of 18 and 19 year olds have received third level education. That is a lot more than the percentage of people who go to Clongowes. The two leading Ministers who are criticising the universities for being elitist are old Clongownians. The old Clongownians against elitism - that must be the most exclusive group that one would find anywhere.

Another damage that other Clongownians are trying to undo is the relationships between the North and South. I commend the college on its links with Portora. Those are the areas that the two old Clongownians are attempting to sunder by calling for a "No" vote. Their criticisms of Irish universities are garbage and they should be rebutted by the university authorities. We are delighted to play our role here. I bring the wisdom of 64 departments. People from those departments give that wisdom to me to bring here because I am elected by them. No committee system will replace that, particularly one that is not allowed to meet in the AV room or one in which people are kicked off it because the Taoiseach does not like their views. The two old Clongownians against elitism should recognise the presence and value of the university Senators. Their approach is an affront to the entire community and I hope that it takes the appropriate action at Friday's referendum.