Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will leave that to Senator Norris to discuss. During the course of the campaign there was a focus on our political structures, not just the Seanad, which is a good thing. What is not good, and is a matter we must get into straightaway, is the budget. Let us have no doubt about the timing of this referendum. With a week to go to the budget, when we will be discussing old age pensions, social welfare, jobs, medical cards and all the other areas of government expenditure, the past three weeks have been taken up with the Seanad referendum. I asked, as did many Members across the House, that we change the way we do our budgetary process and try to have proper informed debates well in advance of a budget being produced by a Minister for Finance. What will happen next week is that the budget will be produced and announced as a fait accompli. That is not what the public want. Part of the vote rejecting abolition of the Seanad was very clearly the people saying they want us to act differently, that they want this and any future Government to do that job differently, not to treat them like fools. One never underestimates the electorate. It read into this issue.

We have to get on with our job of work and I will support the Leader in that. In a very considered way, as the Leader mentioned, there have been a number of reports and Bills, including two in this House proposed by Senators Crown, Zappone and Quinn. Other parties and other Members have also produced documents, not only on reforming this House, which is required, but on political reform in general - of our committee system, the overuse of the parliamentary whip and reform of the Dáil. It is ironic that this Thursday the Lower House will hear the reform package the Cabinet cobbled together two weeks ago in the middle of the Seanad campaign, adding in a couple of extra hours on a Friday and a sitting at 9 a.m. on a Thursday. Does the House know that the time being allowed for debate and discussion on Dáil reform on Thursday is 20 minutes? That is not acceptable.

I congratulate, at long last, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, on the passage of the referendum on the court of appeal, which is a very important piece of legislation. I want to see the court of appeal set up and running by October 2014, the date stated by the Minister. That is a good thing. Let us get on with our job and improve how we do it. Let us look at our structures and work together to improve this House of Parliament.