Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator may well consider it to be demeaning, but I do not. Equally, I would not consider it to be an embarrassment. That is where there is a real divergence of opinion between Senators and the Government. In any event, I remain firmly of the view that the particular demands and requirements of senior judicial positions warrant serious consideration being given to a process that can be regarded as separate and distinct, which is what I wanted. The section that was originally included in the Bill to provide for this was deleted on Committee Stage in the Dáil. Deputy Clare Daly and I tabled amendments on Report Stage in the Dáil to reinstate the section in question. As a result of the acceptance of one of those amendments by the Dáil, what was section 39 of this Bill when it was initiated is now section 37 of the Bill before us. The wording of the section has not changed, but the number of the section has. The Senator referred to the positioning of the numbers, but I am not sure if he noticed the change.