Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join in the tributes to former Senator John Carty and the condolences to his relatives. I also sympathise with Deputy Michael McGrath on the passing this week of his brother in Cork.

As my group leader is in hospital, he was not present yesterday during the debate to which Senator Ivana Bacik has referred. The Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe, spoke exactly as a representative of the Dáil, where six of seven Deputies tried to abolish this House. We have much work to do on him and on the Taoiseach, who refused to debate the issue before the referendum. Within the House, it is quite remarkable that the Senators opposite, who voted to abolish the House in October, are now reformers. It is rather like people who are in favour of capital punishment masquerading as counsellors and social workers.