Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Burke on raising the matter and thank him for his assistance in this regard, particularly on behalf of the people waiting for a transplant. I compliment Senator Burke for what he has done.

In regard to No. 2, the statements on the report of the working group on Seanad reform, I welcome the fact we will have two former colleagues in the House on this matter. I have been reading about this report with interest and have my own views on some of the proposals, which I will mention later. I am not sure how workable the proposals are, but my main concern is the role of the Government, particularly of the Taoiseach, in this. The Taoiseach has not met any of the leaders of the Opposition in regard to these proposals. We do not have an existing, sitting Senator on the working group and I see that as deficient. The Leader should have been part of the group. If there was to be only one sitting Senator on it, that should have been the Leader. Since the referendum on the Seanad was defeated, we have had only one meeting with the Taoiseach. We were told there would be a series of meetings on Seanad reform and how it would be done.

I do not disparage in any way the work that has been done by the working group but it appears that what is proposed now is to rush through some proposal document. This is not doable between now and the next election and is probably not doable at all. The proposals contained in the report would probably ensure a Seanad election would be more expensive than a Dáil election and, as set out, would cost taxpayers a lot more.This does not make any sense and I am worried that it is a box ticking exercise by the Taoiseach and the Government in order that when he goes to the public, he will be able to say he has a detailed Seanad reform plan which he knows will never be implemented. I am concerned that we are just going through the motions and that what will happen later today is a false debate. We will be having a chat with two well respected people, former Senators Maurice Manning and Joe O'Toole, but they have no power. They have produced a report, but let us be straight - the only person who can make any change is the Taoiseach but only if he wants it to happen. I am wary of this process. Has the Taoiseach indicated to the Leader that there will be a meeting of group leaders with him on Seanad reform? Will he follow through on his commitment which he gave more than two years ago to work with the Seanad to improve the workings of the House? The Leader has introduced many valuable changes and I know that he would have made more if he had been sanctioned to do so. He has changed the workings of the Seanad in the past four years, for which I commend him. However, I am concerned that this is a case where, having produced a report on Seanad reform, it will be a matter of saying "off with you now" and that during the general election the Taoiseach will say he brought forward reform proposals. Most of us know that none of it is going to happen. We are to spend three hours listening to statements on the report of the working group, yet I cannot get certain Ministers to come to the House to discuss various matters. We could spend three hours discussing things which really will happen and really affect the public.