Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have made my point about Article 15.10. This is a very serious matter. The Minister of State would do well to go back to Government and to the Attorney General to discuss this because it causes a problem. This inquiry must be free from all outside interference and already the fact that the Chief Whip is announcing this debate breaches that constitutional requirement and the Seanad is allowing that to happen. It also creates difficulties further on. It is ludicrous in the extreme that after the referendum, when there is an independent Seanad, subject to the Constitution, the Minister of State comes in to talk about the CPP and it does not even relate to this House. He is talking about the CPP of Dáil Éireann. What reform is that? That is extraordinary. It calls into question the basis for these Standing Orders. These are not a creature of Seanad Éireann. They are not a creature of Dáil Éireann. They are a creature of Government Buildings. This is a clear breach of the separation of powers and in the case of Seanad Éireann, a clear breach of Article 15.10 of the Constitution. We are required by law under the Constitution to regulate our own affairs without interference from anybody. It is written down.