Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is a great pleasure to have him here. I thank Senator Wilson who started on my behalf. I was slightly delayed on the way in. As the Minister is aware, every three years this legislation has to come to the House to be passed. Without it, these Houses could not function. That is the primary reason this Bill is here today. I hear what some of our colleagues on the Opposition benches are saying, the concerns they have and the good points they make about secretarial allowances and PAs. They certainly are valid points. I am not going to repeat the good points that were made by my colleagues, Senators Wilson and Kyne. However, I ask the Minister to clarify if this is the appropriate forum at which to bring up this issue. I am sure it has its place and I have no doubt it has to be dealt with. There are concerns and issues, but I do not know if today's debate is the appropriate forum to bring up this issue. This cycle comes around every three years. It is important to keep these Houses flowing and moving and to make sure the work continues here. The Minister might reply to that when he gets a chance.