Debate on committee reports
Senators insist that the prostitution, penal reform and Traveller ethnicity reports should be debated rather than simply approved without discussion.
Why have them tabled to be taken without debate? When we try to put them back on the agenda, we will be told the Seanad has approved them.
The first report emanates from work on which the Independent group, of which I am a member, tabled a motion. In the Seanad we held an excellent debate. We came back to the motion six months later and extended the debate, which led to the consultations the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality held. Why are we merely giving this report a nod?
On the report on penal reform, a new Minister for Justice and Equality has just been announced. Are we assured of her commitment to penal reform in this report? This warrants a debate in the House.
I do not agree that we table motions on reports and state we will hold a debate because I know how hard it is to get debates in this House. We are not tripping over work. It is not that our agenda is so packed that we cannot fit in these reports. That is the reason for this House, to discuss issues such as Traveller ethnicity and penal reform and review the hearings and submissions on the review of legislation on prostitution. I have a huge difficulty with this proposal and will not be accepting the Order of Business today.