Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Ivana Bacik's amendment to the Order of Business. We mentioned the word "GRECO" and that goes over the public's heads. What is GRECO? I think it is worthwhile to state that GRECO is the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption. We know that everybody in this House today knows that GRECO has issued a yellow card to Ireland. The State is not formally replying to it because it does not want it published. I can honestly say that the majority of this House at this stage has seen some sign or some part of that report. I appeal to my colleagues in the Fine Gael Party, with whom I sat in government and we said that we would not let that happen again. Our courts are the foundation of democracy. We said that future decisions will be facts based. What are we pushing through the House today? A vanity of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross. There is no common sense and no proper procedures. We received the amendments late. It is not good enough to keep the Minister, Deputy Ross, on. He is not coming in to defend his Bill because the Minister for Justice and Equality does not believe in it, yet it will be rammed through the Seanad in the next couple of days. Then we will get the yellow card from Europe to say that we had proceeded incorrectly. There are flaws in the Bill.

I am not saying the whole Bill is wrong. There are some good elements but what will be rammed through the Seanad in the next couple of days is wrong. It is undemocratic. It is being done to keep one Minister on board. The Government is undermining democracy, making deals with the devil. Be very careful.