Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There seems to be a different class of affairs going on in Fine Gael. They just want to get rid of these people out of the party because they voted a different way on a matter of conscience. I think we need to take a stand on this issue. The public would support them if the issue managed to gain traction in the media which has not happened as yet.

I point to a flaw in the legislation going back to 2001. It was mentioned on Second Stage although I was not here for the previous Committee Stage debate. Senators are not elected as members of political parties. When I was first elected, I asked how the party got the allowance in respect of me. I know it is not my money - the Minister does not need to remind me - it is the party's money and the party needs it. We fill out a form on our first day to say what party we belong to but there is no reference in the legislation to this practice. I suggest the officials should look at that because nobody is elected to the Seanad as a member of a party. Had any one of us chosen to be an Independent Member at that time, the allowance would have been paid to us as Independent Members. That is the legal position because we are not elected as members of a political party. The Minister should look at that because it is a flaw going back to 2001. There is no designation at any point in the Seanad election to describe one's membership of a political party.