End the whip — from now on, my vote must be earned

The legislation establishing Irish Water was passed by Dáil Éireann after a mere three hours of debate. The decision to hold just three hours of debate was itself the subject of a Dáil Order of Business vote, which was passed with the support of my vote, under the party whip.

I regret and apologise for this. As a vocal and enthusiastic advocate of Dáil reform, particularly the relaxation of the party whip system, I recognise that there should have been greater debate on the establishment of such an enormous utility as Irish Water.

Perhaps if there had been greater debate on the Water Services Bill, we might have circumvented at least some of the issues that have arisen since then. The lack of discussion showed huge disrespect to Dáil Éireann and the Irish people.