John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for bringing this important legislation before the House. He has been criticised in some quarters for expediting the Bill through the Seanad without pre-legislative scrutiny by the committee. As a member of that committee and as someone who was at the meeting referred to by Senator Warfield, it is disingenuous to try to twist the reality of how this Bill came before us. I accept fully the Minister's bona fides and the comprehensive letter he supplied to the committee explaining the urgency of bringing this Bill to the Seanad and why pre-legislative scrutiny could not happen. It is important that that is clarified, given what Senator Warfield said.