Seanad debates

Thursday, 9 November 2017

10:30 am

Photo of Rónán MullenRónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was listening to "Today with Sean O'Rourke" this morning, which led, not surprisingly, with the fiasco caused by the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy John Halligan, asking a discriminatory question as to whether a woman was married, a question which has cost the State €7,000. Later in the programme the discussion turned to Jane Austen's novel, Emma. The phrase that came to my mind for the Minister of State was "badly done, indeed!" That somebody could fail to know that such a question was discriminatory, and has been since 1998, beggars belief. Of course, the Minister of State did know it and he even said during the interview that he understood he ought not ask the question, but he went on and asked it anyway.

There has been, as usual, a confused reaction from some politicians who are calling for his resignation. I am not referring to Senator McDowell, who raised the relevant question of whether the Minister had breached collective Cabinet responsibility with his proposed démarcheon North Korea. We should be talking about accountability in the context of this gaffe. This means "accounting for what one has done" and, in this situation, accounting for what he has done would mean paying back the State the money he has cost it.

I am more interested in that than in calls for his resignation, which is just political game-playing. The culture of seeking heads leaves no space for people to acknowledge error and to show that they have learned from their mistakes and have moved on. This would be a much healthier culture, though there will be times when people have to resign because they have done something so egregious as to leave no other option. Deputy Halligan has acted very foolishly and irresponsibly. I do not believe his question was offensive but it was discriminatory and he should account to the State for the mistake he has made and the expense he has caused to the public. That would satisfy me and many others.

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