Is that Senator Feargal Quinn's amendment?

Yes. That is correct. There has been much congratulation over the weekend about the referendum result. The result is due to the people, not necessarily the political system. It was the people who went out and got the votes. I was particularly struck at the count on Saturday in the RDS at the inverse relationship between the "Yes" to the referendum on marriage equality and the referendum on the age of candidates for the Presidency. A seismic shift is taking place in the country, namely, a total and utter rejection of what the Government regards as reform. How dare it bring forward a referendum seeking to reduce the age of candidates for the Presidency to 21 years? What effort was put in to push that referendum over the line?

None.

How many Members spoke about it? It was a disgusting effort at reform.

These are points that should have been discussed during the debate.

Of course, they should have been discussed, but who discussed them? The answer is nobody.

That is the point.

The Bill was before the House.

The bottom line is that the Government promised reform when it took office but has not delivered any reform.

It held the referendum on marriage equality.

My heart sank when I listened to the debate on the recent report on Seanad reform. While it will not do so in the lifetime of the Government, the political class needs to wake up, as the Catholic Church has done. As Archbishop Diarmuid Martin stated, the church will take a step back, reflect on what has occurred and try to bring itself into line with citizens who are two steps ahead of us.

The Deputy Leader provided the schedule for today's debates and statements. Speaking time has been cut to the bone again, with non-group Senators excluded from having a say. I ask her to provide additional time to ensure every Senator-----

For which debates is the Senator seeking extra time?

I seek additional time for the statements this afternoon to ensure all Senators can make a contribution.