Seanad report:Planning should begin to provide the facilities needed to accommodate political representation in a 32-county Ireland which might be achieved by the centenary of the 1916 Rising, according to Seanad leader Donie Cassidy.
Responding to calls for an early debate on Seanad reform, he said a worthy point had been made by colleague John Hanafin about 10 new positions in the Seanad to accommodate the various strands and views "and, maybe, in the long term, a 32-county Ireland where we will need extra seats in both Dáil and Seanad".
An unsuccessful attempt was made by Independent members David Norris and Ivana Bacik to force a debate on a motion urging the Government to implement the recommendations of a 2004 report on Seanad reform.
Coroners feared that proposed legislation could delay the outcome of inquests for up to four years, Shane Ross (Ind) said. Speaking in a debate on the Coroners Bill, he said he presumed that the extension of coroners' powers to report on deaths took into account the creation of new agencies, including the Garda Ombudsman Commission. He said if there were many State agencies with different agenda, presumably they would seek adjournments from time to time for various reasons.
If bodies like the Health and Safety Authority and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission were, like the Garda itself, able to play separate parts in coroners' inquiries, they might take a long time to conclude.
That would exacerbate the difficulties for bereaved families. "The Minister might think of a way around this problem."
Responding to the debate before the Bill passed second stage, Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said he was open to discussions with the Coroners' Society about proposals to reform the current system.