I, too, commend Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell for raising the proposed sale of the national lottery. I congratulate her on championing the cause of preventing the sale from proceeding, especially if it is to a hedge fund over which we would not have any control. The national lottery should remain in the ownership of ordinary people and should not be sold to foreign hedge funds. In that regard, while we should, as democratically elected politicians, be open to being approached by any citizen, approaches by lobbyists should be notified well in advance in respect of any matter that affects the country.

The Galway tent.

It is a bit late now.

Please allow the Senator to continue, without interruption.

In that regard, I call on the Leader to arrange a debate on lobbyists. I also call on the Government to proceed with the introduction of legislation providing for a list of registered lobbyists. The proposal may not satisfy some Senators on the Government side but my party would welcome such a measure.

I join Senator John Whelan in calling for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to come to the House to discuss the implementation of the property charge and the allocation of revenue from the charge.

I support Senator Catherine Noone's comments on rates, which is an issue I had intended to raise. The legislation in Northern Ireland to which she referred is worth examining and we should do so as a matter of priority. In the Twenty-six Counties, the weekly rent of premises is sometimes only one quarter of the rates charged by local authorities. We must urgently examine the issue of rates in conjunction with a general discussion of the property tax.