Seanad report: Citizens, community groups and organisations are likely to be given the right to petition the Seanad to initiate or amend legislation on matters of public interest or concern.
A Labour motion proposing the establishment of a petition committee of the House received the backing of Seanad leader Mary O'Rourke, who told Joanna Tuffy (Lab) that she hoped the "excellent" motion would be put forward for private members' debate. Mrs O'Rourke said she would seek, if she could, to ensure that it would be accepted by the House. "I think it's a very worthy motion. Other parliaments have such a petitions committee."
Ms Tuffy said that a key aspect of reform of the Seanad was the need for engagement of the public with the House. The right of petition was an ideal way to achieve that. The availability of such a right in Scotland had led to changes of the law there.
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If this country went along with embryonic stem-cell research, we could never again criticise the Nazis for experimenting on babies, Don Lydon (FF) said. Calling for a debate on the issue of stem-cell research, Mr Lydon said he was doing so in the light of the fact that members of the European Parliament were being asked to sanction the experimentation upon and the destruction of human embryos. "Human embryos, I would remind the House, are not potential human beings: they are, after all, human beings with potential. If we, in any way, go along with this type of endeavour, or approve of it, we could never again criticise the Nazis for the experimentation upon babies. The only difference is one of age."
Supporting the call for a debate, Feargal Quinn (Ind) said there was a danger that decision-making in this area might be taken away from us in Ireland. The whole concept of Europe was meant to involve subsidiarity, where decisions that were better made closer to the citizens could be made closer to the citizens, rather than at the centre.
Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) said it was vital that we did not go down the road in the unethical manner that was being suggested, where there were obvious alternatives available through adult stem-cell research.
House leader Mary O'Rourke noted that the Maynooth hierarchy had fired a shot across the bows of the MEPs in that matter.
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The road traffic Bill, which provides for random breath-testing and a general ban on the use of hand-held mobile phones by motorists, was passed, and Transport Minister of State Pat The Cope Gallagher (FF) said it was hoped to have the measure in the Dáil next week and enacted into law in a fortnight. The Minister said he hoped the new law would contribute to a substantial reduction in the level of road fatalities.