The first item on the agenda is the election of a Chairman. Nominations are required but there is no need for a seconder. Pursuant to Standing Order 90(1), I now invite nominations.
Election of Chairman.
Clerk to the Committee
I propose Deputy Michael Finneran, a former Vice Chairman, who did great work in the previous Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service. I look forward to working with him and wish him well.
Clerk to the Committee
Are there any other nominations? As there are no other nominations, I deem Deputy Michael Finneran to be elected as Chairman and call on him to take the Chair.
Deputy Michael Finneran took the Chair.
I thank the clerk. I thank the members of the joint committee for electing me. It is a great honour to be selected as Chairman. I know many Members have served on this joint committee during the past ten years. I look forward to working with members in a genuine spirit of partnership and co-operation. I am confident we will bring our combined skills and enthusiasm to bear and make this highly productive committee discharge its functions in an efficient and enlightened way. I welcome the members of the committee, particularly those who are newly elected to the Dáil or Seanad. I thank the Chairman and members of the previous committee for their commitment and dedication. I also thank them for the work they completed.
I hope the committee can be as productive in the lifetime of this Dáil as it was during that of the previous Dáil. I anticipate that the committee will refer to and build on the valuable work programme of its predecessor. I will endeavour to be as fair and as impartial as possible to all members of the committee. A united approach, under which all members can contribute and feel that their efforts are worthwhile, will yield the best results.
On behalf of Fine Gael, I take this opportunity to congratulate the Chairman on his appointment. He has done a great deal of work during his time as a member of the committee and he appreciates the importance of its task.
I am sure I speak for most Members of the Houses when I say there is a need, during the lifetime of this Dáil, to see a great strengthening of the role of committees. The views of the latter should be taken more seriously by the Government. The Chairman has good access to members of the Government and I am confident we will see the work of committees such as this being taken more seriously. I have served on committees for many years and one of the disappointing aspects is the extremely low status their recommendations are granted in Government circles. I am sure the latter is true of Governments of all shades. With the end of the dual mandate, Members of Parliament need to assert themselves. Under the Chairman's leadership, we will see a greater assertion of the independent role of a committee such as this. I accept that there will be an obligation on members to follow their party Whips in respect of important voting issues. However, the assertion of the committee's independence is an important element.
I look forward to working with the Chairman and seeing the assertion of the independence to which I refer come to pass. The Chairman has, as a member of the committee, been particularly strong in engaging with issues. As he stated, the strength of the committee lies in its members working together. However, this must encompass breaking new ground in many areas. Everyone realises that, in economic terms, we will be obliged to cross waters that will be more choppy and troubled than those we negotiated in recent years.
A committee such as ours has an important role to play in trying to divine the best route forward. It must be intolerant of waste and inefficiency within the public service, even if that involves engaging in criticism which may reflect on incumbents in office. We must take on the role to which I refer, particularly when money is tight and when those depending on frontline services are being squeezed.
I again congratulate the Chairman on his appointment and I look forward to a productive number of years.
I thank Deputy Bruton. He and I have worked together for years and I look forward to our doing so for a few more.