Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will liaise with the Minister on this issue. I have asked the Senators to name the Ministers. I will do that for Senator MacLochlainn. I support the Senator also in terms of the national hospice for children. We need to have that debate. The LauraLynn foundation does huge work. I have visited it as Chair of the Joint Committee on Health and I commend all of those who work there and care for young children in a very stressful situation.

Senator Higgins made a number of references. Mr. Conor Skehan is before the Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government today and I will let him deal with it himself. I do not believe he can be equated with some of the comments the Senator has attributed to him in terms of rent, etc. He is a very fine individual who is doing a good job.

In terms of Vótáil 100, we commended Senator Bacik yesterday, along with Senators McFadden and Devine who were also part of that campaign. The Taoiseach will be here tomorrow. Not wanting to pre-empt his address, he might mention Seanad reform and the extension of the Seanad franchise and any changes to that franchise. I am glad Senator Norris is gone. There are six Members of the Seanad elected from the National University of Ireland, NUI, and Trinity College Dublin, and perhaps we can start there in terms of extending the franchise before looking elsewhere. I am sure Senators will have different viewpoints on that, so I will not stray into that discussion. I did not mean that to be a cheap shot. The issue of extending the Seanad franchise is a bit like Lanigan's ball in that one steps in and one steps out.