Yesterday, we had the first hearing of the very delicate Bill on the rights of adoptive parents and adoptees that involves trying to strike a balance regarding a full and frank disclosure of people's identity and who and what they are. I would like to ask where the Fianna Fáil Members were, particularly the women, because this is a serious women's issue - both women who have children and women who become mothers later on. I thought that Fianna Fáil had a great belief in women. We hear it everywhere. The Government Members were here, as were Labour Party, Sinn Féin and Independent Members, but Fianna Fáil Members, including its female Members, were not here. They might have had a thousand excuses-----

I was in the Chair.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach was in the Chair.

Excuse me, I was in the Chair as well.

The Senator was in the Chair.

I am a Fianna Fáil Member too.

I am talking about the women. Men do not have babies; well, not yet anyway. I was very disappointed because every time I listen to Fianna Fáil on radio and television, it is talking about the high moral ground and how the Government is not doing this and that and how Fianna Fáil is holding us all together with a great moral chain link. Well it was not holding any moral chain link together yesterday because its Members were not here. They were not here to stand up for women in whatever way because I know the Government has problems with this Bill and is trying very hard to strike a balance. There are many people who disagree vehemently with the Bill and I am one of them but they were still here to try to argue their way through it, which the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is trying to do. Many of us are trying to come to some kind of conclusion where people can have the right to knowledge of who or what they are and their tribe. I am just very disappointed in Fianna Fáil Members. I do not want to hear them on radio and television programmes telling us about women for election and gender equality. I do not want to hear it. They were not here yesterday. I do not care what the excuses were. If they were whipped, they should have undermined the whip for this reason. They should have argued with their party that this was a good time to be here and even make an argument because if one wants to talk about women, one must talk about equality across everything and not just on issues where they are whipped and issues where they are not whipped. They have been very disappointing. Do not let us hear any more moral arguments about Fianna Fáil's great chain belief in how it is going to move the whole country and how it is holding us all together with its moral authority because it is not.

On a point of information-----

The acting Fianna Fáil leader.

Yes. I am not a woman and am quite happy to point that out or clarify that but I was in the Chamber yesterday as Chair. Senator Clifford-Lee was here for a very significant amount of that time. There are three female Fianna Fáil Senators. Senator Clifford-Lee is spokesperson on justice and children and was here for the time I spent in the Chair. I do not know if she was not here when I was not in the Chair but she was definitely here when I was in the Chair.

On a point of order, this is true but she was whipped to within an inch of her life and the leader of Fianna Fáil in the House was not here.

That is not relevant.

Fianna Fáil either believes in women or it does not.

I do, including the Senator.