I had reason to write to the Cathaoirleach and the Ceann Comhairle last week with regard to the treatment of my colleague, Senator Keogan, at a recent committee meeting.

There is a growing intolerance in this House, which did not exist when I first came in here, to what I would call the alternative voice - the person who is not speaking along the same lines as everybody else, who is not necessarily signed up to the same changes that have taken place in society as everybody else. It is extremely worrying. Yesterday, I saw the Chair of a committee say at the end of a piece by somebody who was at the committee that the contribution would be struck from the record. Nobody can strike the utterances that are made in a parliamentary democracy from any record at any time. It is becoming rather serious. In some cases, I would go as far as to say that it is bullying in the workplace, and that is something that would be of concern to me. I am not about to name names or anything else.

Could I just say that, as Senator Craughwell knows, in this Chamber the Chair is in charge of order. In committees-----

I fully appreciate, a Chathaoirligh, that you always do your best to keep order.

-----the Chair of the committee is in charge of order. What happens in committees is not the responsibility of this House.

That is fair enough. The Cathaoirleach and Ceann Comhairle are the people who control these Houses, and we need to be careful where we are going.

Yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on Health was opportune for the people that were there because everything that was about to happen there was masked, if one likes, by virtue of the fact that we had a magical announcement about the maternity hospital on that morning, so the people before the health committee dropped off the news agenda. The cynic in me says there was something behind it, and I am a little concerned about that too. I will leave it at that, a Chathaoirligh, and I do take note of what you say.

In relation to any allegations of bullying or anything else-----

No, I have not made any allegations. I am just saying it is bordering on it.

Senator Craughwell did. I want to make sure that people are aware there is a dignity and respect policy within Leinster House that applies to everybody: Members, staff and visitors, and if there are any breaches of that then there are processes around it.

I appreciate that, but I do think we must be a little bit more tolerant of our colleagues as they speak.