Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to continue on the commentary of the previous Senator. Mr. Cussen is a regular attender of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, on which all parties in this House are represented. I do not suggest he comes into the Seanad. We have a very strong, active, robust and proactive committee that has members. He is subject to regular questioning, it is cast on the web, and the councillors are aware of every single meeting of the committee because I personally send them a link to it, and he does an excellent job. The councillors do not need a lesson from the Office of the Planning Regulator. There are ten publications that he has worked on, he runs regular training sessions with the Local Authorities Members Association, LAMA, and the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG. Senator Burke's party and all other parties engage effectively with them and that is the proper process. It is not for the Seanad to be asking sectoral individuals to come in for questioning. I say that respectfully to the Senator. There is a committee, of which I am a member and the Senator's colleagues are hardworking members of it, and we do our work well. Mr. Cussen engages very well with it, as does the regulator. As the Senator has given me the opportunity, I salute the AILG and LAMA for their publications and seminars and for inviting Mr. Cussen to engage with them. I wanted to make that point. It was not one I intended to make, but as the Senator brought it up, I thought it relevant to do so.

I support the Leader's proposed Order of Business. I mention my Private Members' Registration of Wills Bill. I brought a Private Members' Bill to the House in 2021, which was debated extensively by all Members of the House, and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, suggested it be parked for nine months. That was somewhat disputed but we had a vote on it and took that decision. Eighteen months have elapsed since and there has been no traction or ongoing support on what has been happening, so I brought a Commencement matter on it to this House yesterday and we had a detailed response from the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien. The bottom line is that the Minister of State is not supportive of a register of wills. I want to flag my intention to the House that the Bill is restored to the Order Paper, as item No. 50, and my intention is to proceed with a re-reading of that Bill and to pursue the importance of it. I just want to let the House know that.