Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would not like the Minister to leave feeling disappointed. I say that genuinely. I want to put it on the record of the House that, as I have said all along, I believe he is absolutely committed to reform on this issue. There is no question about that. It is my intention to support the Bill. I made up my mind to do so because it represents major progress on what we had before. We can all be critical and we all can go outside the Chamber and suggest A, B and C. The Minister has a job to do and he takes advice on doing it. I am committed to supporting the Bill, given what I know now and have known for some time. There is no malice on my part and I will move on from this. We have new business and new challenges every day. There will be something else to deal with tomorrow.

There will be a post-enactment report on the legislation, whether I, the Minister or anybody else likes it or not. It is a requirement and it should cover off some of the issues we have discussed. It is important to have that. It is not the Minister's or anybody else's fault but it is quite frustrating to come in here and see that we are, to a certain extent, engaged in a numbers game. We have very small numbers in the Opposition, which is just the nature of this coalition Government. It makes it exceptionally difficult for us and it is frustrating at times. There is no surprise here. We know the outcome of all the amendments and it does not come as a surprise to anyone. One might begin to scratch one's head and wonder what one is doing wrong if what one is saying is not resonating with anybody and is not getting support. All parties will have their turns to be on the Opposition benches. I have always believed during my time in the Seanad that we need to be constructive. It is not about the Minister or me; it is about the policies.

I am supportive of the Bill and I look forward to the post-enactment report. I welcome the Minister's confirmation that he is working on something and will come back to us on it. I look forward to that and thank him for it. I acknowledge that he and the staff who are here with him have given more time than was originally scheduled for this debate. It brings us nicely to the completion of this work and enables us to move on to the next Stage. I genuinely acknowledge the Minister's absolute and enormous commitment on this matter. He has cracked something that no one else has done before. I wish him well and I will support the Bill.