Review of the Powers of Inquiry of the Houses of the Oireachtas – Constitution Committee to take evidence from Dr Gary Murphy and Dr Eoin O’Malley

The Joint Committee on the Constitution will continue its hearings tomorrow on the parliamentary power of inquiry under Article 15 of the Constitution.

The Committee will take evidence from constitutional law practitioner, Dr. Gary Murphy and Dr. Eoin O’Malley, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University.

The meeting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, 15 December at 9.30 a.m. in Committee Room 3, Leinster House.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Deputy Seán Ardagh, chairman of the Committee, said: “Public accountability is essential to democratic governance. Parliamentary inquiries are a feature of almost all modern democratic Parliaments in the world. Yet the Abbeylara Supreme Court decision suggests that there are significant limitations on the power of the Oireachtas to hold such inquiries. At the meeting tomorrow, the Committee will consider the scope of inquiry powers that would be appropriately exercised by the Oireachtas. The Committee will hear from Dr. Gary Murphy and Dr. Eoin O’Malley, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, on the issues to be considered if a broader power of parliamentary investigation is to be created.”

For further information, contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Oireachtas Communications Unit, 01-6183903/086-0496518

Committee Membership
Deputies        
Seán Ardagh FF (Chairman)      
Jimmy Devins (FF)       
Olwyn Enright (FG)       
Charles Flanagan (FG)      
Brendan Howlin (LAB) (Leas-Cheann Comhairle)
Paul Kehoe (FG)
Michael Kennedy (FF)
Jim O’Keeffe FG (Vice-Chairman)
Ned O’Keeffe (FF)
Mary O'Rourke (FF)
Michael Woods (FF)
Senators
Dan Boyle (Green Party)
Denis O'Donovan (FF)
Eugene Regan (FG)
Alex White (LAB)

FuSenatorsrther information on the Committee’s ongoing work is available on the Joint Committee on the Constitution page on www.oireachtas.ie