Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to row with Senator Mac Lochlainn. I spoke to people afterwards in the Seanad ante-chamber on moving forward. The Leader of the House is courteous and works with everybody, including Sinn Féin and its party Whip. The Senator is not being fair to me or to the way we operate with his comments.

The consequence of new politics is that the motion was carried and there is an obligation on us to take the motion this evening. Part of our difficulty was deciding whether we needed a Minister. We do not need a Minister now. There is no discourtesy intended, meant or given and for the Senator to accuse me of doing so is unfair.

The motion is on the agenda and on the Order Paper. The motion has been agreed to and as a consequence we must debate it tonight. It is a kick-off and will act as a preamble to what we do further. As I made the point on the Order of Business today, if we all want to achieve the end result, in terms of the role and conditions for councillors, then it is important that we speak with one voice rather than speak with different voices.