The Sinn Féin group will oppose the motion on the joint committee on the future funding of water services. I want to make it clear that we have no objection to the suggestion that the Chairman would be Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh. We have no objection to him whatsoever but we have an issue with the process. The Government and the Dáil have instructed the Seanad as to who its delegates should be, which is not acceptable to the Seanad.

Is the Senator proposing an amendment to the Order of Business?

Yes, we propose an amendment that it be deleted from the order. They should go back and get this right, consult with all the different groupings in the Seanad and get a delegation from the Seanad that is representative of the House. That is the proposal.

I wish to raise the issue of the health services. I am conscious that the Leader was the Chairman of the previous health committee and is very knowledgeable on the issues. I wish to speak about the hospital closest to where I live, Letterkenny hospital, where the full-capacity protocol has been deployed repeatedly this year. That means that elective surgeries are being delayed. As they are delayed, patients' conditions are deteriorating and they are waiting even longer. There are huge numbers of people on trolleys and more on waiting lists. In Donegal, there is a whole-of-system crisis when it comes to home care packages, community hospitals and right up to the main hospitals. This is because the system has been chronically underfunded for too many years.

I appeal to the Leader to invite the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, to come to the House at the earliest opportunity to outline how he believes what has been allocated in budget 2017 is anywhere near enough to start to address the scale of this crisis. On behalf of my party, I ask the Minister to review urgently the budget allocation for 2017. He needs to understand that unfortunately what has been allocated will not go anywhere near addressing the scale of this crisis. It is not acceptable to anybody in these Houses to see elderly people on trolleys with their dignity taken away. It is not acceptable to see the limited time home care packages we give elderly people. It is not acceptable that we have run down so many of our community hospitals. The system is failing too many people. We need to review the 2017 health budget urgently. The Minister should come to the House for a debate so that people from throughout the State can relay the stories from their communities directly to the Minister until we have the issue resolved.

The Labour group in the Seanad will also oppose the motion on the formation of the special joint committee on the future funding of domestic water services. When the Government was formed, we were promised new politics. We now see Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael dropping the whole idea of new politics when it suits them. I have nothing against the particular Senators who are proposed to be appointed.

Is the Senator proposing an amendment?

I will be seeking the deletion-----

Is the Senator seconding Senator Mac Lochlainn's amendment?

I second it. It is totally unacceptable. There is a need for discussion. We are supposed to have new politics. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coming together to block the election of a Chairman by a committee is totally unacceptable

Hear, hear. Well said.