The Government's announcement on the new Seanad reform group which is to report to the Government by March next year was printed in the newspapers over the weekend. Everyone here will know that the public rejected the Government's proposals to abolish the Seanad with the assistance of many Members on the Government benches, the Leader included, and that we all want to see reform of this House and the Oireachtas. I have had one meeting with the Taoiseach, the party leaders and leaders of all the various groups in the Dáil and the Seanad, which the Leader attended, since the referendum, and nothing whatsoever has happened since. The Taoiseach has not been in touch with anyone. He certainly was not in touch with me. Perhaps I am not important enough for him to be talking to. In advance of the announcement on the new group he has set up, was the Leader of the House consulted about the establishment of this Seanad reform group? Was the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad consulted? Furthermore, as another office-holder, was the Leas-Chathaoirleach consulted? We all want to work towards reform of the Seanad but also reform of the Oireachtas. The Taoiseach is missing the point. Although there are some excellent people in the working group, why is it that no existing Member of the Seanad was brought in? The father of the House, Senator David Norris, has served longer than anyone else. What is going on? Is the Taoiseach just going to use this House as he did before, as a little pawn and decide to set up a little working group?

Yes.

I will not even mention the people on it - they are good people - but what interaction-----

Some of them.

That is the Senator's opinion. I am not getting into the matter.

Senators Feargal Quinn and Katherine Zappone have brought forward a very good reform Bill in this House. Other Senators, including Senator David Norris, introduced through the Leas-Chathaoirleach a very detailed document on proposals for Seanad and Oireachtas reform. It is not just the Seanad that needs reform; it is the Oireachtas, the committee system, the whip system and the various issues we have discussed at length in this House. What is the point in having the Government Information Service, through the Taoiseach, issue a press statement over the weekend and have it in the Sunday newspapers, telling everyone that this group will report to the Taoiseach by March? He promised us at the meeting the Leader attended that we would be consulted widely in this regard and that the Taoiseach was going to move forward on reform. By reform I do not mean changing the sitting times. We certainly need to work around how we can do things better, but I am talking about fundamental reform. To return to the question, was the Leader of the House, the Cathaoirleach or the leader of any other group in the House consulted about the establishment of this committee? The Taoiseach came out in 2011 with this idea of democratic revolution, saying he was going to reform the devil and all. He has reformed nothing. Is this a chance, prior to the next general election, to say he is doing something about Seanad reform when patently he is not?