Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. I am not suggesting for one moment that Senator Higgins is not right to be concerned about the other issues. They are probably much more contentious and more newsworthy this week than they were previously. However, I am actually concerned with the whole process of participating in the political life of our country. I do not have all the answers and do not claim to be expert in all of this. I do have reservations, for example, about confining this to processing in the course of electoral activities. Political purposes are often different from simple electoral activities.

The Bill has to go to the Lower House and there will be time to consider these matters further. I am not going to be obstructive in any way. However, I ask the Minister to consider whether this is perhaps too narrow a focus. What would be the position if one could no canvass other than in the context of elections? I remember talking to the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and he said that in order to see how the wind was blowing, he used to spend a Saturday afternoon talking to people on their doorsteps.