Criminal legislation and Seanad criticism
Senator Norris asks when the Sexual Offences Bill will return, criticises guillotining and welfare-related policy, and angrily reads abusive correspondence before the Chair repeatedly calls him to order.
I wish to ask the Leader about the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill. We were left with a number of Committee Stage amendments pending and Report Stage is to come. As I do not see the legislation on the Order Paper for this week, I take it that the remaining Committee Stage amendments and Report Stage amendments will be taken in the new year, if at all. I notice there is quite a lot of guillotining to occur today, which is regrettable.
I spoke on the health Bill dealing with raising the price of alcohol. I spoke about it on the wireless also. The subject of people on social welfare was raised. I said, perfectly logically I believe, that social welfare was intended for the clothing, food and warmth of people in distress and that it should not be spent on drink. I indicated I felt there was a good reason for this given the plight of many people, including elderly taxpayers. Elderly, poor taxpayers do pay tax and I thought it offensive for their tax money to be spent on alcohol. That is a point of view. It led to a considerable schemozzle. Somebody wrote an article in one of those downstream newspapers in which it was stated the Dáil bar is apparently swimming with totally drunken Members of both Houses and that one cannot stir in it.
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How this young creature - I have never heard of her before - manages to get inside the Dáil bar, to which she has no access, is simply beyond me. In 30 years, I saw a drunk Member only once; it was a Member of the other House and he was dealt with effectively.
I am told I have received €56,000 in transport guarantees or whatever they are.
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Expenses of €56,000. Yahweh, but where is it? I would like to know; it would be just wonderful. I could be backwards and forwards like I was a yo-yo on that amount of money. Apparently, this story is granted credibility. It is said we have these huge salaries, enormous grants and allowances, but I just wonder why it is that the 3,000 civil servants who are receiving so much more than we do want to break with us. It is because we are so timid in getting money. They fear they will be held back. They are already 30% below the general population. We are 30% below as well and now we are going to be shafted by the civil servants abandoning us. I want to know, before the ship goes down, where my €56,000 in travel expenses is because I have not got it. I want to know where it is. Every kind of looney in the country rises to the service and tries to take a gobble at me. I have received all kinds of correspondence. Senators will excuse the vulgarity of the remarks made. My secretary received a telephone call yesterday and she had to put down the phone. The fellow on the line asked whether he could speak to me and she said I was not available as I was working at a committee. He said, "Well, do you know what he wants? He wants a red-hot poker stuck up his arsehole." She put the-----
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You can say that again. By God, it is not parliamentary language and certainly should not be stated to my secretary and parliamentary assistant. I will just read another statement. There is very little that is offensive-----
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Absolutely, yes. The correspondence is from a Mr. John Tierney. Hello, John. This is what he said and wants me to read, "You gay shit, read this about you - cunning little toady, creep, crawler, fawner, flatterer, flunkey, truckler, groveller, doormat, lickspittle, kowtower, obsequious person, minion, hanger-on, leech, puppet, spaniel."