I move:
That the recommendation contained in paragraph 14 of the Report of the Informal Committee on the Reform of Dáil Procedure relating to the rotation of the order of Ministers answering questions be implemented with effect from to-day.
Parliamentary Questions: Motion.
Again, perhaps the Minister of State would avail of this opportunity to explain to the House what is involved, particularly for the benefit of new Deputies.
The Leader of the Opposition knows well what is involved. Under the system that existed up to 1973 a Minister might be called on to answer all questions on the Order Paper put to him but under the system introduced in 1973 Ministers were taken in rotation. A certain rotation has already been agreed. A Minister answers the questions put to him and then Ministers are taken in rotation. When the system was introduced in 1973 Fianna Fáil agreed to it. It seemed to work well since.
Naturally we support this motion which arose out of a report of an informal Committee on the Reform of Dáil Procedure. It is designed to deal with the situation where a Deputy, the sort of Deputy about whom the father of the House, Deputy Oliver Flanagan, has just waxed so eloquently, might have a question which would be of importance and urgent for his constituents but, because of the volume of questions on the Order Paper, might not be reached for a considerable time. The purpose of the recommendation which is enshrined in the motion is to endeavour to ensure that different Departments come up for scrutiny at Question Time at reasonably regular intervals and that an overburden, as it were, of questions to a certain Minister or Department does not act unfairly in regard to a number of other Deputies. I agree with the Minister of State that the change introduced did act reasonably well and, therefore, we are in agreement with the proposal that we should continue along these lines, for the moment at any rate. It is important that the House, especially new Members, should fully understand what is at stake here.
I had experience of membership of the House before this procedure was adopted and while it was in operation. For that reason I support the motion. The terms of it should continue for a further period. However, the Government, in consultation with the Chair, should consider the case of a Deputy who has a parliamentary question to table which he considers of extreme importance and urgency to his constituents. That question may not come before the House for three weeks or one month but by that time the value and the sting of the content of the question will have gone. As the custodian of the rights of members would the Ceann Comhairle consider allowing questions of urgency and importance? The Chair only permits questions to be asked relating to an extremely urgent matter and in many cases that must be of national or international importance. While matters of national or international importance may not be at stake, in many parts of rural Ireland those affected by the question will consider the matter to be as important as an international item.
If a Deputy in the course of tabling a question states that in the interests of his constituents he desires to obtain information quickly, special provision should be made to permit the tabling of it on the Wednesday after it is handed in. The system whereby a parliamentary question does not come up for discussion for three weeks after it is tabled takes the teeth out of the content of that question. I am not saying that any Minister is anxious to avoid replying to a parliamentary question: all Ministers delight in being able to give the true facts so as to safeguard those who have supplied them with the information, because the Minister is responsible for the actions of all people within and connected with his Department. For example, a question to the Minister for the Environment about a local authority matter would not be of any importance to most Members but would be of great importance to those connected with that local authority.
The Minister of State in the Taoiseach's Office and those responsible for parliamentary questions in the Ceann Comhairle's office should get together with the Committee on Procedure and Privileges and give some serious thought to how an ordinary rural Deputy can put down a question which in his opinion is of vital importance but which, in the opinion of the Ceann Comhairle, is of no importance at all, and which the Minister being asked the question might give the back of his hand to. As the custodian of our rights I would ask the Government to see that our rights in relation to what we feel is an urgent question will get consideration. There is a grave possibility that a parliamentary question may be put on the long finger because any Minister can exchange with another Minister. I hope I will be forgiven for commenting thus, but during the past four years we have seen Ministers side-step parliamentary questions by sending in somebody else to answer them. There should be some procedure whereby parliamentary questions from rural Deputies are given some degree of importance and priority and can be heard within three or four days of being tabled if the Deputy wishes.
I am sure the Ceann Comhairle appreciates the problems of rural Deputies in this matter. The new Deputies in the House probably do not see the point of all this but when they come to put down a parliamentary question in relation to some important topic in their constituency they will see the importance of the discussion we are having now. I ask the Ceann Comhairle to seriously consider giving important questions from rural Deputies some form of priority.
Up to the time that this agreement was come to, questions were put down to Ministers in order of seniority with the result that questions to junior Ministers were piling up and might not be called for a few months. Fianna Fáil proposed, at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, a reform which we all believed was a good one and which we agreed to. Deputy Flanagan has made certain suggestions. I would like to assure him that we will bear them all in mind. I would also like to inform the Deputy that we intend to initiate as soon as possible certain reforms of the Dáil and Dáil procedure and the Taoiseach will be in touch with the Leader of the Opposition. The idea is to improve procedure. Deputy Flanagan can take it that we will safeguard the rights of all Deputies whether rural or urban.
The most important consideration in regard to the present Dáil is accommodation.
We agree entirely with the Deputy. I think we have agreed to meet shortly on that.
Would the Minister do it relatively soon because we have no rooms to make any preparations at this stage?
Arrangements will be made to call a meeting to discuss the matter.
Question put and agreed to.