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Seanad
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Cystic fibrosis treatment motion

Summary

Senator Norris supports an agreed Seanad motion on cystic fibrosis drugs and also backs a debate on journalists’ telephone tapping.

David P.B. Norris Senator David Norris Independent

I express my support for Senator Ivana Bacik's suggestion that an agreed wording for the motion on cystic fibrosis drugs be considered by this House because it is something Seanad Éireann could do very positively. We are not normally confrontational in this House and if we can do something positive for people suffering from this very difficult disease, it would be excellent.

I also support Senator Ivana Bacik's call for a debate on telephone tapping, although I am rather amused by the way this issue crops up from time to time and always when it is to do with journalists. It is never brought up when the private citizen is involved. I remember when my telephone was tapped and I tried to get Mrs. Mary Robinson to raise it, but she could not, as it was a matter of national security. I am not blaming her at all. She was excellent, but private citizens do not rate a damn as far as this issue is concerned. I always assume my telephone is tapped. I am fairly outspoken and say on the telephone what I would say in this House or anywhere else. I frequently get criticised for it, but I just always assume that somebody is listening.

If there is time before the Seanad adjourns for the general election, I ask that we have a debate on a metro system. It must be 20 years since I tabled an amendment to Government legislation providing for a metro and at one stage it looked as though we might get it. This morning on the wireless I heard the representative of the Automobile Association, when asked about a metro system, say it was a good idea. The entire public transport system - taxis, buses, Luas, trains and so on - working at its maximum potential could shift less than 50% of commuters and he said that was a recipe for gridlock. He also said every investment in transport infrastructure was good. I know that at least one of my colleagues does not agree with me on this issue, but Dublin is about the only capital in Europe that does not have a metro. There is an infestation of half-baked Luas lines in Dublin, with their spaghetti of cables all over the place. At the beginning, the two lines did not even meet.

We had one line and then there was another and then another, all joined up. It is a complete farce. If they had spent the money they had wasted on Luas in putting in an underground system, we would all be much better off.

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