Victor Boyhan
Agricultural Panel · Independent · Ireland
“It also mentions the agrifood sector and the importance of diversification in agriculture, the maritime sector, coastal communities and fishing communities in terms of rural policy.”
“I know from my engagement with both the Department and the Minister that over 900 submissions to the consultation process were received. No Member or parliamentarian will have had the opportunity to consider the anonymised version of these consultations, which contain many good suggestions in favour of the regulations and many concerns in…”
“I welcome the Minister and the official to the Seanad. This is particularly important Private Members' business. I thank Senators Collins and Tully for setting out the background and the rationale behind their Private Members' motion. I acknowledge the Minister's exceptional commitment to rural Ireland and his Ministry.”
“I am conscious of the Minister's public consultation, and I acknowledge it and thank them for it, in relation to the Our Rural Future work programme in 2025. In fairness to him, he did not stop at that. I received a further update when I requested it from his office very recently.”
“This will come about through that process. It is for the Minister to decide. Maybe he will do so tomorrow when the regulations are dealt with. However, when Senators are in this Chamber discussing these regulations tomorrow, they will have no sight of any constituent who made a submission. That is my first item.”
“I am pleased to see Senator Byrne in the Leader’s chair. I wish him well in that job. I also wish him well in his new position as Government Whip. There are three items I wish to discuss today. First is the exempt development regulations, which are being covered extensively in the media.”
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“I ask for a just redress scheme for those excluded, not within the parameters of this scheme because it is too late. The Minister can call it what she will, but let us see that we assist people with housing - give them special status on their applications with housing points, because that is important - health, pensions and medical support. The boarded-out men and women of this State, many of whom have been my guests in these Houses, were boarded out illegally and were slave labourers. They lived in cattle sheds, drank water out of cattle troughs and lived off the clippings that were left from the main kitchens of the farm houses. They are still alive. Many are in the west, but also in other places. Let us reach out to them. Let us help them. We do not need legislation. We just need humanity and practicality.”
“The Minister and all of us understand that, too, so what will I ask for? I ask that special support be given to the special advocate, Ms Patricia Carey. She has done amazing work. I have read her reports. She does not report directly to the Minister, but she reports to another Minister. Her work is exceptional. She has been in touch with us. There is a meaningful role for her. She has engaged with many people I know and I know the powerful impact she has had on their lives, so I ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to engage and consider that. I am delighted to hear of the Minister's support for Sage Advocacy. In particular, I mention the former councillor, Mr. Damian O'Farrell. It is great to see that important work because it is about the future and helping people to navigate the rest of their lives.”
“I appeal to the Church - and that includes the Church of Ireland in which I am an active member by choice - and all the denominations that they must come to the table and give money forward. An indemnity scheme was entered into and - in my view - it might not have been enough but a deal is a deal. The leaders of all the Churches in this country, including my own, must cough up and pay up. They have a moral responsibility. They cannot talk about transparency, justice and equality with all credibility if they will not come to the table with Government to support it. I will make some simple requests. I do not want to come in and clog up the Oireachtas next week with a whole load of amendments that will all be voted against with the Whip applied, etc. I understand the political process and that it is not personal.”
“I thank RTÉ, especially "Prime Time", "Questions and Answers" and "Prime Time Investigates". That is public broadcasting at its very best. Last week, we saw it again when it highlighted the issues in nursing homes. What a great credit it is to our national broadcaster, our public broadcasting, that beams the truth into the homes of us all. It is important to acknowledge that. I am conscious of my time. I have read the Dáil transcripts and noted the arguments for and against. I noted what the Minister said and the voting record of the Members. No doubt we will have some debate here next week. Many have said - including the Minister - we cannot undo the past. I say it is within our power to assist and make a difference, to help and give a helping hand and to collaborate with the Church and State.”
“I will never give up advocating for justice and helping people along the way. Mary Raftery went on to produce "Cardinal Secrets", the investigation into the clerical child sex abuse in our Dublin diocese. In 2008, she reported on the medical malpractice and interference of bodily integrity of people at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and RTÉ "Prime Time" covered that programme. Back again in 2011, "Behind the Walls" was Raftery's last production which highlighted the appalling conditions of abuse in our Irish psychiatric hospitals. A tireless, brave and selfless woman, Mary Raftery died exhausted in St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin on 10 January 2012 at the age of 54. It is said she filled the elusive ambition of most journalists; she made a difference.”
“We could have if we chose to but we abandoned that and decided we could do other things with our lives. My past has motivated and politicised me. The greatest day of my life was coming into this parliament to be an advocate. Did I think, as a young child in 1961 right up to the seventies, that I would be elected to my council? As a matter of fact, my happiest day was being elected to my council in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Going in that door, a door I had gone through for years to receive hospitality and was now back as a member and then I came to this parliament. Where you have conviction, you move on. My experience politicised me and I hope I keep it under a certain amount of fine tuning because it is so closely connected to the person that it is an emotional tie.”
“A public apology was issued, as the Minister said, by Bertie Ahern on behalf of the State. We had the Ryan Commission report and a subsequent public apology from the then Uachtarán na hÉireann, Mary McAleese. We then had another apology from the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. The apologies were made and there was an acceptance that the State had an absolute responsibility. Going back to Mary Raftery and the conversation we had 27 years ago in my home, she went on to make the programme to open up, empower and allow people to share their stories. It is not easy to talk about your personal experience. People come up to you and they say "did your family not want you? What were the circumstances?" There were many circumstances for all of us while we were in care. We had to live with that and go around with the shame and the guilt.”
“She works with us on these corridors of power as a constant reminder and advocate for what happened to women, children and families at the hands of the Church and State. All overcame many obstacles to reveal the serious levels of historic abuse in Ireland's institutions. They battled courageously against successive governments who wished to suppress the secrets they were committed to revealing. How remarkable that was. Their stories shook the country to its core, shedding light on the harrowing physical and sexual abuse suffered by children under the care - or the supposed care - of the religious orders, the non-religious and industrial schools and places of detention. Thankfully the floodgates were irrevocably opened and they can never be shut. We are making progress but there is more to be done.”
“I also think of Conrad Bryan from the Association of Mixed Race Irish, AMRI, who has spoken in these Houses many times about the prejudice and challenges of children who were mixed race in the fifties, sixties and seventies, where they found no place. I think of Senator Colm O'Gorman and his experience of abuse at the hands of Father Seán Fortune in the Wexford diocese - again, all documented and in the public realm - and how he set up One in Four to champion and advocate for people and how courageous that was of him and the price. There are many others but I cannot let today go without thinking of our own Samantha Long, Senator McDowell's PA - who was only on the Joe Duffy show and the Late Late Show in the past two weeks - and how she has championed the rights of survivors.”
“I think of Philomena Lee and Philomena's Law which is currently going through Westminster as we speak. It is being discussed how she championed the rights of mothers and children who were born or found themselves in mother and baby homes. I give thanks to Catherine Corless for her great work and advocacy in Tuam. In a matter of days, we will see the first exhumations coming from there which is a story in itself. I think of our former councillor Damien O'Farrell whose experience in the Christian Brothers is well documented and went through the processes. He is a key advocate in Sage Advocacy, which the Minister has talked about.”
“I give thanks to the many unsung heroes and decent men and women of religious vocation in every denomination who gave their best, were always good and who put children and people in their care to the fore. They have been forgotten in the narrative of abuse of children within our State. I thank Mary Raftery, from the "States of Fear" for her remarkable programme. I thank Christine Buckley from Goldenbridge and "Dear daughter"; the former councillor and mayor of Clonmel, Michael O'Brien, who gave a compelling and personal testimony of his life; and John Bowman from RTÉ "Question and Answers" who said Mr. O'Brien's words had "a greater impact than any other contribution from the audience in the history of the programme." What an endorsement from John Bowman.”
“It was only when I was coming up the stairs that I remembered it was 27 years ago that Mary Raftery, the author of "States of Fear" and now deceased, came to my home to discuss a whole range of issues around institutional care and the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children within the State, both in the care of the State and the church. We need to be very careful. It is too easy to demonise the church and the religious. I wish to pay particular tribute to them. I am a member of a faith community - the Church of Ireland - by birth, heritage and choice and a supporter of the faith communities. I am not prepared to contribute to a negative conversation about all of them, because this was clearly not the case.”
“First, I welcome our guests, particularly our two colleagues in the front who have been here many times in many other debates. I thank the Minister and her predecessor for their engagement on this. In preparing for today, I was conscious I wanted to open with a positive line of thanks to several people. To fill in for those new people who may not have met me or know about me, I speak with some knowledge and lived experience of this issue. I lived in three State institutions in my life as a child. Therefore, there were different experiences with which I bring some lived experience and there is no substitute for that.”
“I thank Senator Harmon very much. Before I proceed, I welcome the guests of Senator Curley, namely, Councillor Martin Monaghan and his wife Deirdre. Three more Senators are listed to speak, namely, Senators Blaney, Kyne and Noonan.”
“Next is the Cross-Party Group. Senators Cosgrove and Harmon are down on my list. Senator Noonan wants to speak as well. I think we will have time. I propose that Senators Cosgrove and Harmon take five minutes. We will have another slot. We will fit Senator Noonan in there.”
“Before we move on, I welcome guests of Senator Costello to the Chamber, namely, Erica Tierney, Muireann McColgan, Niamh Noonan and Ziva Cussen. They are all very welcome, as are the other guests in the Gallery.”
“I welcome the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. As I was looking at the long list of speakers, I did not see her come in. I apologise. It is always great to see the senior Minister in the Seanad. Senators greatly appreciate that. The Minister will have eight minutes to address the House. Group spokespersons will have ten minutes and all other Senators will have three minutes. I will call the Minister to reply not later than 5.38 p.m. The statements are to conclude at 5.45 p.m. I ask that people respect the time. We are under a certain amount of pressure. Minister, the floor is yours.”
“My appeal is not to the Legislature, but to us as legislators, that we use our contacts in our own political parties, particularly on the Government side, to ask whether we can put in place a support mechanism for these people in their last years, in their vulnerable years, who are deserving of our support.”
“What will not be covered in that debate is the fact that many men and women were illegally farmed out as labourers, in housekeeping and in farm work, with no proper paperwork or anything else. Many of them are still alive. They are elderly and vulnerable and are craving to know where they came from and where they belonged. We need to support them. We do not need legislation for everything, but we do need enhanced medical cards and supports. We need topped up pensions and housing and to meet whatever their particular sets of needs are. Let us not get hung up all the time in these Houses on needing primary legislation. Let us just do the basic human thing to be kind and supportive in any way we can.”
“I raise again the issue of the boarded-out children who are now elderly men and women. I have discussed it many times in the House. Sadly, I must report that a man who visited the House many times seeking some sort of redress and acknowledgment unfortunately never got that, as he passed away recently in Galway. His daughter contacted me two or three weeks ago. I had last met them in Gullane's Hotel in Ballinasloe and talked them through it. We thought we had made a breakthrough. Tomorrow, we will be discussing redress. That is a different thing. For many of us, it will be our last time speaking to it in these Houses, because Caranua is now being wound down. I will have a lot to say on that tomorrow.”
“It is an extensive report, which is available in the Oireachtas Library, and everyone should read it. I ask for a debate with that report as its backbone. We should have statements on connectedness, rural isolation and loneliness. People can live in a city and be lonely. Clearly, there are mental health issues associated with loneliness. It is all very well coming out with platitudes and talk but we can do something about this. We should seek to develop a national strategy on tackling loneliness, in collaboration with other stakeholders. I ask that a relevant Minister under whose brief this issue falls would come to the House for statements and debate on this matter.”
“I, in turn, will raise it by writing directly to the offices of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste - in fact, I have already done so - seeking support for such a strategy. It is incumbent on all of us to use our political contacts to ask for this and it is important that we do so. Particularly in rural communities, as we know, rural isolation is one of the big issues that feeds into this problem. The representatives of Samaritans Ireland told us about the number of people who call very late at night and who, after many months of ringing and maybe not even speaking, will eventually start to talk about their sense of isolation and rural loneliness. That leads in to my second request. Former Senator Keith Swanick, who is an amazing man and an amazing doctor, produced an important report, A Connected Island - An Ireland Free From Loneliness.”
“I have two requests. First, I thank the people from Samaritans Ireland who gave Oireachtas Members a very powerful briefing, with personal testimony of people's experiences. One of the main takeaways was that almost every minute, a person from Samaritans Ireland answers a call for help to its 24-hour telephone service. The organisation made only three asks of politicians. I made a commitment to pursue and advocate for the first of them, which is to prioritise the development of a national loneliness strategy within the Taoiseach's office. Clearly, I have no powers over the functions of the Taoiseach but most Members of this House are members of various parties and will have an opportunity to raise this issue on Wednesday evenings or whenever their parliamentary party meetings are held.”
“It is important that we demonstrate our absolute commitment to the role and function of the Agri-Food Regulator as envisaged in the legislation. I thank the Minister for taking time out of his busy schedule to be with us.”
“I also welcome the students from Shellybanks. I know some of the students in the school. It is an amazing school. Well done to all involved in it. I thank the Minister. He has given a robust response. He has clearly demonstrated that he is listening to the IFA and others. He referenced the engagement with all stakeholders and that is important. Due process must prevail in all these things. He flagged a possible statutory instrument, which is in his remit and function, or additional legislation or amending legislation. In principle, I am going away with the understanding that we need enhanced powers to ensure transparency in the food supply chain. That is necessary. I have no doubt that the Minister is on top of the situation.”
“It is about confidence in the sector, but it is about fairness too. It is about accuracy and due process. We must take on board IBEC's concerns but we must also respond to what is a call now by the IFA and others to give additional regulatory powers to the regulator. Ultimately that is a matter for the Minister. He may decide to bring in amendments to legislation or to introduce primary legislation. I would be interested to hear his view on that.”
“I know IBEC has concerns, and we must look at the concerns of everyone in the sector, but the regulator is also required to publish the regulatory analysis and the reports, as I said. That is important. Transparency is important throughout the food chain. The Minister will often come across the suggestion of over-regulatory burden. It is a phrase that is used a lot. I am not in the business of over-regulation but if the food regulator is to carry out its functions it must have the right to compel all information that is accurate and verifiable. That is the request. The Minister will have had time to consider it - he may need more time to consider it - but the IFA has made a call and expressed concerns. We need to examine them because everybody must benefit from the legislation in terms of the regulator.”
“The Minister and his Department are aware of the IFA's assertions. They are serious and critical. We must instil transparency and confidence in the regulator, as was envisaged in the legislation. It is important that they be investigated. The regulator should be in a position to produce - the Minister will agree with this, as it was the backbone of the legislation - the price and market reports of the sector with respect to the food supply chain. I ask the Minister to comment on the additional powers. The food regulator must carry out its functions. There must be reliable and verifiable sources of information it can stand over, so data is critical with regard to analysing the supply chain and the engagement and collaboration of all sides. The point about all sides is important.”
“The regulator also has an important role to play with regard to analysing the market, the data and the price transparency regime. The IFA is calling on the Minister to grant the regulator additional powers, and it makes a very strong case. The Minister will be aware of a recent press release it issued where it said this is essential to beef up the powers and functions of the regulator and to deal with issues around compliance with the regulator. The IFA says it is aware of a number of large retailers that did not provide information to the Agri-Food Regulator when asked. I am aware of some of those suggested people who did not involve themselves but it is not appropriate for me to put that on the floor of the House because due process must prevail. The Minister will appreciate that himself.”
“The Minister is welcome. Before I kick off, I wish him and his colleagues in Bord Bia every success this week for Bloom. I was out there the other day having a look, and tomorrow they kick off with that. I thank the Minister for his collaboration with Bord Bia and hope it will be a fantastic and successful event. Today, I am speaking on and pursuing a call by the IFA president, Mr. Francie Gorman, who has called for the Minister to grant additional powers to the Agri-Food Regulator. The IFA says these powers are needed so that the Agri-Food Regulator can compel businesses in the agri-food supply chain to provide price and marketing information when requested. The office of the Agri-Food Regulator, as the Minister knows, has overall responsibility for the enforcement of the unfair trading practices, UTP, directive.”
“I ask the Minister of State to commit to writing that we are mindful that we want to support outdoor business, communities and all the benefits – I enjoy them too – but we also have a responsibility to more vulnerable citizens that these spaces are kept open and accessible. It is a combination of synergy and working between An Garda Síochána and the local authorities to ensure that happens over the next six months.”
“We do not have many cases, whether it be joint policing, community services or whatever, because that is just a mess at the moment. I have been asking them. I am sorry if I sound a bit animated or agitated, but I am deeply concerned because of experiences of people who have come to me in my office regarding people with disabilities, young children in prams, elderly people who need support wheels to navigate our streets, people with disabilities in wheelchairs and visually impaired people. We must keep our streets open. It is a question of managing our public realms and our public space with the local authorities. There are 30 chief executives and one secretary general in Limerick. That is not too much to ask anyone.”
“We cannot be in a vacuum and only think of one person. We cannot come in to this House and talk about disability matters and supporting vulnerable people navigating their towns and villages if we are bringing in legislation that does not have some regard. I do not want a nanny state or a police state but I want someone to enforce it. I ask the Minister of State to write to the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, about it. I ask him simply to send a letter - no legislation. Let us cut the nonsense. I want to communicate with the 31 chief executives of our local authorities and tell them the Minister of State is mindful of the challenges faced by people with a disability, whom he, I and others represent, in navigating towns, villages and streets, and to tell them to enforce the matter. It is collaboration.”
“The public realm, in many cases, is these spaces that are shared between private and public. They come at a cost, and we need to treat everyone equally. My concern is that I have spoken about this year in, year out and nothing has been done. When people with a disability and in a wheelchair cannot get through and confront a restaurant owner, they say they are there to make business. They are shut Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to do business and make money. I understand all of that. We have to have regard, however, to vulnerable people who are navigating our public streets. I am happy to support this motion. I have been in touch with my own local authority. Only last Friday I had a meeting with the disability access officer, who also shares concerns.”
“That is the reality, that is my experience and that is why I am here to share it. We have elderly people who are on perambulators and supported wheels trying to navigate some of our heritage streets. I think of Dalkey, Dún Laoghaire and Monkstown, where I live. I think of Malahide, where I was last Sunday, and again was told by people and business they had the same experience. I think of people in Kerry, Limerick and elsewhere. We have to be mindful of people who are vulnerable and who do not have this ability. I am former director of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. People who are blind and visually impaired cannot navigate some of our streets. They are bad enough as they are. We have little public realms. We have to talk about the democracy around the public realm.”
“I am pro-enterprise. I am very supportive of businesses and it is great to see them out on our roads and public spaces. However, I have spoken to my local authorities and the Disability Federation of Ireland, and I spoke to the Irish Wheelchair Association today. There are huge concerns about the policing. The key words here are that An Garda Síochána will regulate and enforce the provisions in the course of their ordinary responsibilities. That is what the Minister of State told us here. An Garda Síochána does not even have a car in some places. In some places, it has no resources. Let us not be codding ourselves here. The reality is that vulnerable people with a disability are being told to eff off when they have confronted people in the restaurant and pub business.”
“I ask one other thing, which is the Minister of State might look at the local authority administration Bill introduced by the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and which fell. It was a good Bill and there were many aspects to it. The Minister of State might have a look at that.”
“We also need to look at security allowances for councillors. I understand from a Commencement matter last week in the name of one of the Minister of State's colleagues that he is looking at that and that is good. If we can make a case for security allowances for TDs, we can make a case for the same for others. I hope some of us in this House with experience will be considered eligible and knowledgeable enough to make a contribution to the task force on many issues. It is an important one. I want the Minister of State to look again at the municipal districts and the area committees. Many of these do not have funding. For example, in Dublin city and county we have area committees. We do not have municipal districts. I will finish on that. I welcome the fact the Minister of State is here.”
“I ask it to look at the auditing powers of local authorities and the need for proper accountancy for and accountability of auditors. I have heard of council meetings where they have dealt with auditor's reports in five minutes. The manager said there is nothing to worry about lads, move on, and it was rubber-stamped. That cannot happen. I am calling for a separate audit committee every year to review the auditors recommendations publicly. I ask for the reform of the joint policing committees, JPCs. As a matter of fact, I saw an article this morning in The Connacht Tribune that was published on 26 May with the headline "Government slammed for ‘mess’ of replacing JPCs.". Little progress has been made and a number of councillors are cited in it. I will send the Minister of State a copy. We need to look at the Part 8 derogation.”
“I would like the task force to have a look at the following issues, namely, the full implementation of the Moorhead report; improved remuneration for all councillors; ending the 20-year cut-off date for gratuity; the possibility of a pension for councillors; increased vouched expenses - it is vouched expenses for which I am advocating; and expand the capacity of local government to deliver efficient services. The Minister of State will be aware of the constitutional provisions under Article 28A of the Constitution. That is an important factor that should be borne in mind by the task force; ultimately, councillors have an electoral mandate. I ask that the task force look at a number of issues because they are important. I ask it to look at the AILG and LAMA reports.”
“I do not know but I have heard suggestions and rumours about some of the people who may be on it. I hope it will be an open and transparent process. I strongly recommend people of experience like Noel Dempsey, one of the most reforming Ministers for local government we had in my lifetime. I would also like for Senators in this House who have vast experience in local government or Senators who made a huge input into the committee to be considered. I will flag some issues that are important because time is running out.”
“We need to re-examine that situation. If we do not address financing for local government, we are going nowhere. I hope the task force will examine and seek to implement the 25 recommendations in the report. There is no point in revolving the wheel here. I thank the AILG, the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and other organisations for the various reports the Minister of State mentioned, which are important. I am an advocate for all councillors but I am particularly an advocate for Independent councillors. I remind the Minister of State, not that he needs a reminder, that there are 193 Independent councillors serving in local government. They do not have party headquarters or the same resources as other councillors have. I hope that will be reflected in terms of the membership of the task force.”
“We initiated a scoping report exercise and asked the service to come up with a document. I recommend that everyone get a copy of it before leaving the House today. The service reviewed local government functions from 1993 to 2024. We needed to ascertain facts as to how many powers had been taken back, including under Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to 2015, and how central government has more and more dragged back certain powers. I recommend the report because it is highly resourced, factual and full of integrity. Everyone should read it. The report touched on a key measure that I hope the task force will examine, which is sources of income. As we know, there are four key sources of income for local government, namely, Government grants and subsidies, goods and services, commercial rates and the local property tax.”
“The Minister of State is very welcome. I will not reiterate what others said about his experience as a councillor. Local government remains underutilised, under-resourced and underfinanced. I hope the task force will recommend the devolution of more powers, supports and functions to councils and their elected representatives. I thank the members of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee, including the Cathaoirleach, who worked on this. The committee gave a lot of time to come up with its report. We did not give it enough debate and examine it in enough detail, considering the amount of work that went into it, but we are doing so now. I welcome that a task force will be established. I thank the Oireachtas Library and Research Service for its impeccable work on this issue.”
“Effectively, there is a slowdown on this project and Uisce Éireann is saying that this is presenting a major difficulty for the roll-out of houses. There is a serious concern that these delays to the greater Dublin drainage, GDD, project, which will serve over 500,000 people, will lead to major roll-out issues for housing, given that it relates to an infrastructural deficit. That has to be a challenge and one on which we need a debate. We also need a debate to tease out all the recommendations. A lot of money, time, effort and expertise went into the Housing Commission and we should at least tease out those issues as part of a detailed debate within this House.”
“I do not know what the Minister of State is going to say, but the councillors are putting pressure on us, and rightly so, to advocate for them and I do not think we will have sufficient time. I hope we will put in more time at a later date. I am conscious that in the past few weeks, the lack of engagement by some Ministers in terms of their availability and time is an area of concern. There is another mechanism and another forum where I will vent my concerns on that, but I wanted to flag this to Senators, including the Leader. I ask for a debate on the status and the recommendations of the Housing Commission. In yesterday's edition of The Irish Times , there was a story about the €1.3 billion wastewater project for Dublin, although it also impacts on Meath and Kildare.”
“I thank the Leader for facilitating and arranging a briefing today with the Minister of State with responsibility for local government, Deputy John Cummins. It is only an hour and a half, which is somewhat disappointing, but I know that is all he has. Given that a very high percentage of Senators are elected by sitting county councillors, it is very disappointing. If we do not complete our work today, I ask we bear it in mind and have another session when we come back after the recess. It is an extremely important subject. I know from numerous emails I got this morning from councillors that they are engaged. They will be tuning in and they are expecting a lot from us.”
“I am amazed that we should have so many time amendments in a very short period of time. It is not something I am familiar with or used to. I would not like to see it becoming a habit. Those of us in opposition in these Houses have a role to tease out legislation respectfully and robustly, and I know that is a two-way process.”
“She knows the expertise and the people available to her for this legislation, which is only one segment of many pieces of legislation that she is championing and pushing through the Houses. I wish her well with all that. We need to send out a clear message that we all support this legislation, the timeline relating to its implementation and its robustness. It needs to be thoroughly examined so that it erases any concerns. As this is a two-way process, if there are shortcomings with the legislation, I would like to hear what they are. In essence, I am supportive of the legislation. I am just not sure whether we can reach a compromise between what is being suggested and the Minister's amendment. We have now had two or three in the past two or three weeks, which is a bit concerning. I have been a Member of this House for ten years.”
“The timeframe may be different for different people, and there may be reasons for that. I have yet to hear what the Minister has to say. I look forward to hearing what she has to say because that will form an important part of my consideration. We need robust legislation. We need to have absolute clarity about the legislation and we need to make sure we cross off any unintended consequences of the legislation. Those are three important facets. The Minister will know other competing issues relating to some of them that we may not be fully aware of. I would like to think that we could shorten the period from 12 months to, possibly, three. That may be too much to ask; maybe there is too much lead-in time. The Minister knows her resources.”