SEANAD REPORT:JOE O'TOOLE (Ind) said he had heard a cautionary tale about the new Fianna Fáil leader "which would make me very afraid if I was facing him on the other side of the House. When he was a minor playing hurling for Clara in a match against Lusmagh, they were behind and he went up the field and lost two teeth in achieving victory".
There was loud laughter when Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan said, knowingly: "I know who refereed the game."
People over the age of 70 may get the right to sit on juries, the House was told. Speaking on the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006, which passed second stage, Law Reform Minister of State Seán Power said that consideration was being given to a proposal to amend the age limit provisions in respect of persons who are ineligible for jury service.
Currently the law excluded people over 70, with a right of excusal from the age of 65 to 70. "The increasing role and contribution of older people in society combined with the fact that the mandatory retirement age has been raised, make it seem unnecessarily restrictive to have blanket exclusion on persons over the age of 70 from serving on a jury."
The Bill might be amended at Committee Stage to provide for such a change.
Alex White (Lab) said the raising of the age of eligibility would reflect the experience of an apparent preponderance of people in the older age bracket who were available to serve on juries.
Jim Walsh (FF) said he did not think it was necessary for aspiring judges to have to produce a tax affairs statutory declaration.
"A chairman of one of the tribunals had tax difficulties. It is none of my business whether he had or whether his tax affairs are in order.
"The Revenue Commissioners are there and I do not think anybody would argue the Revenue Commissioners do not have adequate powers and penalties to pursue people in default of taxes. We should not have additional provisions in this Bill.
"It puts the status of tax compliance almost as a virtue above all others. People can be guilty of other far more serious offences about which they do not need to make statutory declarations. The same applies to ourselves. It is much more important in the appointment or election of people to specific offices that they have a degree of integrity and have the competence and commitment to do the job . . ."
Mr Walsh was referring to a provision in the Bill to amend the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 by extending the period in which an applicant for judicial office can produce a tax affairs statutory declaration from one to three months.
No matter how serious the state of affairs was in Darfur or in Tibet, the way to try to remedy it was not by boycotting the Olympic Games, Feargal Quinn (Ind) said. The correct approach was to change the attitude of the Chinese government.
"I believe that if we are going to achieve success in bringing China into the world to the extent that they would regard the steps they take with more caution, the way to do it is not by boycotting but by convincing them to change their hearts and minds."
Mr Quinn referred to the political boycott call made by fellow independent Joe O'Toole, who said the Olympic Games were putting a positive gloss on the most repressive, oppressive and unacceptable regime in the world.
"The Olympic Games are in China for political reasons, and that is the reality.
"We are looking at an oppressive country which tramples on human rights, suffocates free speech, denies freedom of religion and grabs countries such as Tibet and pulls them apart, as it has been doing since the Dalai Lama was kicked down the mountain in 1959.
"If leaders on the world stage stood beside the architects and leaders of China, they would be giving tacit international support to what that regime was doing. The so-called Olympic torch was effectively a symbol of torture, oppression and suppression.
"The Minister for Foreign Affairs should indicate that no one representing the Irish Government would stand with the Chinese leaders or participate in the opening ceremony, said Mr O'Toole.
Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) said he agreed with Mr Quinn. "Those of us who have a knowledge of China know that a great effort has been made in recent years to open it up to the rest of the world."
Mr Ó Murchú said he would share some of the concerns regarding the treatment of Tibet, but he genuinely felt that boycotting was not the road to go down.