Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I could say much more, but I will just use the four minutes available to me. I thank our party Seanad Leader, Senator Ardagh, for generously sharing her time with us. There is an old Irish proverb, "is binn béal ina thost"; sometimes one can say too much. This topic has been debated ad infinitumover decades and in more recent time in the Oireachtas committee, of which I was glad to be a member, and it clearly had a long drawn-out debate in the Lower House in the past two weeks. My priority is to expedite business in the Seanad today and in the week ahead.

I commend the Minister on his sterling work on the topic over a long period and hopefully we are coming to a satisfactory outcome. Naturally and quite properly it will be teased out here in the Seanad because it is very important legislation. I respect everyone's right to scrutinise it and contribute on it. I do not like to see people who deliberately set out to thwart the undisputed and decided will of the people. Some of the debate in the lower House yesterday seemed to take place almost in a bubble as if we never had a referendum. There was a referendum in which the people spoke and gave a resounding decision on the issue. As parliamentarians, our function here is to give effect to the voice of the people. If there are amendments, we will discuss them hopefully in a positive and compassionate manner. It is not a matter for politicking.It is not a subject on which any individual's set of moral beliefs should gain ascendency over any other's. No matter what side of the spectrum one is on, we are all trying to do our best here as honest, decent individuals responding to what is a considerable issue in our society. I urge all Members present and those who are not to get involved in the debate, not drag it out, make their point and try to get the legislation over the line so it can be concluded as we go into 2019, hopefully to a bright new future for this country.