Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tá mé an-buíoch don Aire Stáit as ucht an tacaíocht atá sé ag tabhairt don Bhille seo. Is rud fíor mhór é domsa go pearsanta. I appreciate the genuine support of the Minister of State and my senatorial colleagues, across all benches, for this Bill. It is an important Bill as it gives out a signal as to how Ireland operates as a nation and a people and the integrity of the system and the process, in both ways. Sometimes there are accusations made about people, not only in court proceedings or in quasi-judicial proceedings, but also outside of that. As politicians, we seem to be exposed to that kind of stuff which can be unreasonable. I am delighted at the recent tribunal finding that the previous Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, was totally exonerated. That is important. She is a fine person and should not have had to go through that process. We need to look further at that. I strongly support Senator Buttimer when he speaks of a need for a wider and deeper conversation about all of this. Where are we going as society? What are our values? What kind of future do we want to build and what is the fabric of that future? Openness and honesty is a part of that.

The Cathaoirleach worked, as I did, as a solicitor. A District Court judge, who passed away a number of years ago, said to me when I was learning the trade as a young solicitor that he learned in his job that the truth can be often overrated. I found that sad, but that was his experience. That is unfortunately sometimes the experience in our society and particularly in our courts.

I thank my colleagues, Senators Marshall, Boyhan and McDowell, and my technical group, for supporting me with this Bill. In particular, I thank all the Senators here and the Minister of State for their support. I would be delighted to meet with the Minister of State, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Flanagan, and officials from the Department to strengthen and improve the Bill for the overall betterment of our society.