David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his almost plausible explanation. He says that this has been standard practice and that some form of this section has been in legislation for about 100 years. However, that is the exact reverse of the argument he made yesterday in this House when he said that this was not 1874 but rather 2014 and we have to cope with 2014. If we even provoked the Minister into taking back to his colleagues the fact that at the very least the language of this section should be looked at and words like, "expediency", removed, then that might be fair enough.

Senator Keane had a difficulty with understanding where I was coming from and she read the section very differently. That is completely legitimate and she made some good points. However, Senator Keane will remember on so many occasions we have had regulations passed by this House without debate. This worries me. Could a provision be included to say that regulations should be debated by the House? I accept the Minister's bona fides but I do not like the idea of expediency nor do I like the idea of removing difficulties. I want to confront difficulties. I would like the term, "expediency" to be removed. The ordinary citizens complain that politicians do what is most expedient for themselves.