Senator Gerard P. Craughwell, joined by Senator Gerald Nash, raised the issue of judicial appointments. He also referred to a report in the Irish Independent. All I can tell him is that the Minister responsible for housing and local government and all parts in between, Deputy Simon Coveney, had a meeting with Fine Gael Senators yesterday, as other Ministers do. I cannot tell the Senator what decision he has made on anything to do with councillors' pay and remuneration. However, I will ask him to meet the group set up by Members. I, therefore, ask the Senator to take back the remarks he made and the phraseology he used because, as I yesterday, the language used by Members matters.

I totally agree.

Certainly as Leader, I never have acted other than in a co-operative, cross-party way on the issue raised by the Senator. The Minister will attend the conference of the Local Authorities Members Association, LAMA, in Bantry on Friday, as I am sure the Senator will. I am also sure he is canvassing and lobbying for his members, as are we all. The important point, as I have stated from day one, is that we should all try to achieve a result to improve the lot - their terms and conditions and, equally, their lives - of councillors, many of whom have been obliged to forfeit lucrative careers to serve in the public interest. The other objective towards which we should work is giving more power back to local government members because too much power has been given to the executive at local authority level. I hope the Senator will join me in working in a bipartisan way in that regard.

I would be delighted to do so.

It was Phil Hogan who did that.

Sinn Féin's local government proposal is a little like Aesop's tales. I am very fond of the Senator, but I sometimes wonder what world he is living in. Hilary Clinton used the phrase "living in one's own reality" about Donald Trump. I think the Senator should read Sinn Féin's proposals every week because they change from week to week.