Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2012
82. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Taoiseach the progress that has been made in extending the parliamentary question system to any body established by statute or majority funding or ownership by the State as provided for in the Programme for Government; the progress that has been made on furnishing replies to written parliamentary questions during the Dáil recess; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40044/12]
View answerThe Programme for Government sets out an ambitious Oireachtas Reform agenda, which will be implemented over the lifetime of the Government.
The Government has already introduced the first phase of its Dáil Reform programme with a package of reforms which included an additional Leader’s Questions session, taken by the Tánaiste on Thursdays; the introduction of Topical Issues Debates; Friday sittings to give TDs the opportunity to introduce their own Bills, thereby enhancing TD's legislative role; and a procedure to allow Deputies raise issues regarding replies to Parliamentary Questions with the Ceann Comhairle, who can refer a matter back to the Minister with a request for further information.
In addition, a new Oireachtas Committee system has been established, which implemented a number of reforms proposed in the Programme for Government to enhance the Committee system, including a reduction in the number of Oireachtas Committees from 25 to 16; the establishment of a system under which Oireachtas Committees are involved at an early stage in the development of legislation before a Bill is published, enhancing the role of TDs and the Committees; and the setting up of an Investigation, Oversight and Petitions Committee, chaired by a member of the Opposition.
Earlier this year, the Oireachtas Committee system was reformed further in light of its operation during the first year. This restructuring included:
- dissolving and reorganising a number of administrative Oireachtas Committees to allow the re-allocation of resources towards Oireachtas Committees dealing with Government Departments;
- the establishment of an Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, to focus solely on this Government priority area; The establishment of an Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to deal with the increased workload in this area in light of the proposed changes to the CAP; and
- the merger of the role of Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on the Good Friday Agreement with that of the Irish Co-Chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
These reforms did not increase the number of Oireachtas Committee Chairpersons.
The Programme for Government also contains a commitment to increase the number of Dáil sitting days by 50%. The number of sitting days has been significantly increased since the change of Government through the introduction of regular Friday sitting days and by reducing the length of Dáil breaks at Christmas and Easter; after bank holidays; and during the summer. In the Government’s first year in office there were 127 Dáil sitting days, compared with 88 Dáil sitting days in the last year in office of the previous Government.
Work on a second set of Dáil reforms is at an advanced stage. The Government Chief Whip has held discussions with the Dáil Whips, the Ceann Comhairle, the Dáil Reform sub-committee of the Dáil CPP, the Chair of the Working Group of Committee Chairs and officials in Leinster House and the second phase of Government’s Dáil Reform Programme will be introduced later in the year.
