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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Seanad public consultation

Summary

Susan O’Keeffe praises the Seanad Public Consultation Committee and hopes its work will have greater public impact next year.

I am not sure if we are spending the last day of the world in the Seanad.

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That is tomorrow.

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It may happen. If it is today, I will be glad to have spent the day in the Seanad with all of my colleagues.

Like others, I wish Members, staff, the Cathaoirleach, the Leader and Whips a very happy Christmas and thank the Leader of the Labour Party group, Senator Bacik, for her efforts and hard work this year. Like other speakers, I draw attention to some of the good done by the Seanad this year, including establishment of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee. It is hoped that next year we will begin to make an impact through that process. There is much comment about the lack of attention paid to the Seanad. It is important we keep working and introducing new ideas and continually remind the media and others in the community that we are here and are working hard. I believe that those who attended the public consultation committees here know that we are reaching out to particular communities. We should continue to do so.

I thank the members of the media office who have assisted me in organising the Young Senators Competition which will take place soon, the winners of which - 60 young people - will be made Senators for a day and will attend in this House. I look forward to it. It is another innovation on the part of the Seanad.

Like Senator Comiskey, I welcome the fisheries deal. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Coveney, having been up all night, is having a well earned rest today. If not, he might manage to do so tomorrow. While there are still other difficulties in the fisheries area, it is important to pay tribute to the Marine Institute of Ireland, which in the context of the debate on the reduction in the prawn quota for Ireland took photographs of the prawn stock which enabled it to prove the calculations in that regard were wrong.

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