Ministerial attendance at debates
Senator Kelly argues that relevant Ministers should attend Private Members’ and Adjournment debates rather than sending Ministers of State to read prepared responses.
I thank Senator Leyden for pre-empting my Adjournment debate. His comments had some merit in terms of-----
Comment on this
-----Private Member's business and Adjournment debates and the attendance of the relevant Minister at same. Fianna Fáil's Private Member's motion yesterday had been well flagged. Either the relevant Minister should have been present or he should have selected another time that suited him. He should have taken the debate.
The same applies in the case of Adjournment debates. One could raise a serious health matter, yet the Minister of State with responsibility for small business might take it, reading out a script that was prepared for him and with no idea about what it contained. I would prefer it if the relevant Minister told the Senator in question that he or she could take the debate in three or four days time.
What has happened is not good enough. Perhaps it is the House's lifelong practice, but we should consider how we do our business. I call on the Leader to do so.