I agree with Senator Ivana Bacik that we should have a debate fairly soon on the proposals on Seanad reform. I have not had an opportunity to read the report in full, but I have looked at the recommendations and have issues with some of them. I look forward to an opportunity to outline these concerns.

I agree with everything Senator Paul Coghlan said. He has been raising this issue for some time, with many other colleagues, including me, not only in this Seanad but in the previous one. As he said, we have people on the front line of our democracy whose numbers have been drastically reduced and who are finding that the workload has increased dramatically. However, their recompense and the facilities afforded to our councillors have not kept up with the demands on their time. That is not only in respect of their wages. There is a major concern that they are being charged PRSI and the pension levy, but they are not entitled to any of the associated benefits when they cease to be members of a local authority. It is a major issue. It might not be popular - I acknowledge Senator Gerard P. Craughwell's comments in the Commencement debate yesterday - but this has been an issue for decades and one that has been put on the back burner by a number of Administrations because it is not popular with the media. The reality is that the media set the agenda as to how the general public feels about politicians, in particular, and it is conditioned to feel in a certain way. The people who are on the front line of our democracy are entitled to be paid properly and given the facilities necessary to carry out their democratic function. I call on the Leader to arrange that debate and the sooner we have it the better.