Shared island committee input
Senator Ó Donnghaile thanked the Leader after raising concern about exclusion from a committee process. The Leader said she would act quickly, argued that all-island issues should not be handled regрессивly, and promised to follow up.
As the Senator said, a decision will be made this afternoon. If we wish to have some input, we must act quickly. It will be the first thing I do when I leave this Chamber. We are an island and we have the all-Ireland shared island unit, which was established with gusto by the Taoiseach. It makes no sense for these Houses to exclude anybody's opinion, particularly when the issues for which a select or special committee has been established are not parochial but national and all-Ireland in nature. It seems very regressive to do that. I will follow up on the matter and get back to the Senator.