Gay parents and visitor security
Senator Norris supported Ardagh's comments on gay parents' rights and said the relevant Bill was not fully implemented. He then objected to new Leinster House visitor security procedures; the Chair said that matter was for the commission, not the Acting Leader.
I strongly support Senator Ardagh in what she said about gay parents and their rights. The Bill is not yet fully implemented. I have received a large number of inquiries about this from distressed parents and I wrote to the Minister about it earlier. I strongly support the Senator and I thank her for raising the matter.
A regime was recently adopted for visitors entering Leinster House. It is a nonsense. Computer terminals and machines have been erected and people must enter all of their information, etc. It is not secure. In the old days, we used to sign people in personally, but this is a lack of security. It takes forever, it creates bad-tempered crowds, the staff agrees it is a complete and utter nonsense, and it is all part of the growing bureaucracy under which Leinster House is being strangled.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the forthcoming debate on the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
I have been given a brief by IALPA and I am sure my colleagues, whom I see nodding, have been given the same. I hope they will take up the issues raised by the airline pilots, in particular the crucial element of bogus self-employment used by employers to do employees out of their rights.
Comment on this
The security matter the Senator has raised is more a matter for the commission than for the Acting Leader. Perhaps he should send a note to the commission asking it to consider the method being adopted at the moment.