Senator caught on camera using his mobile while chairing justice debate

RTÉ cameras caught the Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad using his mobile phone while he was chairing a debate on justice in the upper house.

Fine Gael Senator Paddy Burke said that he was in the chair during a speech by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern to the Seanad and he may have used his blackberry to check emails.

He added that there was nothing unusually for people to use electronic devices in the Seanad to keep up-to-date with events.

Mr Burke was chairing the Wednesday Seanad justice debate where Mr Ahern outlined an increase in prison places.

A spokesman for the Seanad said that the house guidelines permitted the use of handheld computerised devices during debates but talking calls on mobiles was not permitted.

Mr Burke was first elected to the Oireachtas in 1993 by the Agricultural Panel, being re-elected in election since then.

In September 2002, he was elected as Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, and was re-elected to this position in 2007.

Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan has on a number of occasions in the past complained about the handheld electronic devices interfering with audio equipment in the Seanad.

The Senator most associated with the use of electronic media is the Green party’s Dan Boyle who has 6,586 twitter followers.

It has been reported that Mr Boyle was recently told to stop his “irresponsible” tweeting about political issues by a senior Fianna Fáil backbencher.