Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I rise to request that sufficient speaking time be granted to allow all Members to make their contributions to the debate on the Marriage Bill later today. I have raised the matter of speaking time for Independent Members on a number of occasions since I was democratically elected to this House last year. I am long enough around to know that every organisation must have its standing orders under which to operate but it is high time that the Standing Orders of this House were examined and reformed as the institution itself needs reform.

Having won, by way of election, the privilege to serve my country as a Member of this House, I am committed to fully debating legislation and other issues as they come before the House. I know also that Members present here today and every day are equally committed. However, there are those, a small few, who are Members of this House who appear so infrequently in the Chamber that it beggars belief that they would accept a salary of €65,000 a year for the job. Clearly, their external occupations are more important than the important work of the national Parliament. What is worse is that some of these people have speaking time available to them with a higher priority than me despite attending the Seanad and the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection-----