Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I can oppose them after the Order of Business when the Leader puts it to the House that they be taken without debate. I am just putting the House on notice that I intend to oppose them.

I welcome the debate we had yesterday about EirGrid and I welcome the fact that the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, was here for the full debate, which was useful. In the main, the debate was carried out in the manner in which it should have been, despite obvious disagreement. I commend Senator Mullen on his introduction of the motion. It was a good debate and the vote ran close. It was a terrible shame that the amendment was passed by only one vote and that our Sinn Féin colleagues did not have a full complement of Senators to ensure the vote was lost. However, that is an issue for another day. I hope that when Senator Cullinane is up the Comeragh Mountains next week protesting against EirGrid, he will remind the people of Waterford and people as far as the Border and into Tyrone that he could not even manage to get his troops - all three of them - in here to vote on such an important issue.