Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I express my sympathies to the Fianna Fáil family on the death of Mary O'Rourke and to the Fine Gael family on the death of Councillor John Naughten. All of the county councillors and political families in their counties are in grief at this time.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that No. 1 be taken with debate. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, under the tenure of the proposed new appointee, backed the passing of the hate speech Bill, which would have devastating consequences for civil liberties. The ICCL's message, along with the rest of the coalition against hate crime, was confusing. The ICCL acknowledged that the Bill is deeply flawed and then said it should pass without delay. This point ties in which the two referendums held earlier this year. We know from reports in The Irish Times that the Minister, Deputy Roderick O'Gorman, required NGOs in receipt of State funding to explain why they were not supporting the "Yes" campaign. Former members of Government made statements suggesting that funding was tied to support for Government policy. There are still unanswered questions about the extent to which NGOs are pressurised to support the Government's policies, including the disinformation campaign associated with the two referendums. If we were to debate the motion, it might help to shed some light on issues in this area.

Earlier this year I informed Gript that the Government misleading the Irish public on the constitutional referendums should have been classed as a national scandal. If this had happened years ago, many journalists who were not seeking special advisory roles would be asking the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, when he intended to resign. The cost of holding the referendums was more than 30 times the cost of the Leinster House bike shelter, but the matter has not received attention because it would upset the wrong people. The Seanad, as the revising House, should be the place to discuss a new way forward. Trust in our institutions, whether it is the Government, the media or NGOs, is declining. While everything I have said might be perceived as harsh and pessimistic, there is hope. Everything I described can be remedied by upholding the values associated with scrutiny and accountability.