Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will follow up on what the Senator said. I see it from his side. I believe it is good legislation and it is, in effect, a slap in the face from members of his party in the Government. That is the reality of it. I do not want to rub salt into the wound. Senator Ward has put a lot of work into this Bill. We have three Fine Gael Senators who brought this legislation to the House and who did a lot of work on it. I also thought there would be some amendments. I am somewhat surprised there are not. Words indicating this legislation is not robust enough were used; this is pretty cutting stuff to say to a member of a Government party. This might all have been ironed out yesterday or the day before. The tone of the response is harsh. It is a rejection by the Minster of State of a Bill brought forward by members of a Government party on his side of the House. Clearly, all communications have broken down. It all seems to be a bit of a surprise to these Senators and I share their disappointment. Last time we discussed this, I went away thinking there would be some amendments. That is what it is. Let us call it what it is; a slap in the face by the Government to members of a party that is in the Government. I would be grossly insulted if I had brought such legislation to this House.