Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Senators for the way they have contributed to the debate on this Bill and I thank all my officials and those in my Department who have worked on it. They have put a lot of work into looking at how this Bill could be put together and at the right way to regulate something which up to this point had been an area that, by and large, did not have the regulation it needed. With all the understandable focus and criticism that politics has received in recent years, something that is not given the focus it deserves is the amount of time Members in both Houses put into introducing legislation and looking to have it improved. This Bill is an excellent example of how that process can work. It followed a consultation process that took place with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, in which many Members participated. It then led to a Bill which was brought before the Dáil and Seanad. However, the Bill was changed at different points in the process in response to points Senators or Deputies made. This is a different Bill in some ways to the one that began its passage through the Oireachtas due to suggestions made in this House and in the Dáil. In terms of not being able to accept amendments put forward, in all cases, we were able to come up with other ways to change the Bill as a result of points Deputies and Senators made. I wish that kind of interaction got the focus and attention it deserved as opposed to the other kind of interaction in the Dáil and Seanad which, for other reasons, tends to dominate the airwaves. The dialogue and discussion in both Houses is, dare I say it, an example of how our legislative process can work well. I am happy that we were able to play a part in it. This Bill will have a practical effect quickly. Clamping is something most of us appreciate has a role to play but that role could have been better regulated. The passage of this Bill will have a tangible effect on an area of concern for many people.

Again, I thank my officials for all their work and the Seanad and its Members for the deliberation they have afforded the Bill and for the opportunity to conclude it here today.