David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator O'Brien's motion. I compliment Senator Hayden on her sterling performance on RTE radio's politics programme last night. She made, however, one mistake. The Bill concerning the abolition of the Seanad contained no reference whatsoever to a referendum, nor was it mentioned in the explanatory memorandum. The whole thing was a fix up. I called on Members on the other side of the House to vote against the Bill because it was about the extinction of the Seanad and nothing else.

That leads me to the squalid matter of the by-election. Nothing could focus the minds and attention of the Irish people on the necessity to reform the Seanad more than this exposure. There are 225 votes and the Government side will be whipped for a candidate who is not eligible. I wonder why those in charge of the inquiry, in particular the judge, did not question the matter of Mr. McNulty's membership of the board or his attendance-----