The process of parliamentary reform is an ongoing one. The Programme for Government outlined an ambitious agenda for Dáil Reform to be introduced in a phased process over the lifetime of the Government. On foot of this, since 2011 the Government has brought forward several packages of measures to reform the operation of the Dáil so as to improve its working and enhance the legislative role of members.
In addition, the Government recently indicated its acceptance of a number of recommendations for Constitutional change and for changes in Standing Orders as made by the Convention on the Constitution in its Seventh Report, on Dáil Reform.
The reforms the Government have already introduced in the Dáil since 2011 include the following.
Increased Number of Sitting Days
The number of Dáil sitting days has been significantly increased by reducing the length of Dáil breaks at Christmas, Easter, public holidays and the summer and introducing regular Friday sitting days.
In the 45 months for which the previous Government was in office, the Dáil sat for 349 days – an average of 93 days a year. In the present Government's period in office, the 57 months to end 2015, the Dáil has sat for 588 days – an average of over 123 days a year.
Dáil and Oireachtas Reform Package 2011
The first phase of Dáil Reform, introduced in the summer of 2011, included:
1. An additional Leaders' Questions session on Thursdays, taken by the Tánaiste
2. Replacement of the outdated Adjournment Debates with Topical Issues Debates, to give Deputies an opportunity to raise issues directly with Ministers from the relevant Department
3. Friday sittings, to enable Deputies to play a fuller role in the legislative process by introducing their own Bills and having those Bills debated on the floor of the Dáil
4. A mechanism for appeal to the Ceann Comhairle if a Deputy is dissatisfied with the reply received to a Parliamentary Question
5. A Pre-Legislative review system, whereby Ministers could provide the Heads of a Bill to the relevant Oireachtas Committee to review before the Bill was published
6. Reducing the number of Oireachtas Committees from 25 to 16
7. Introducing a new Oireachtas Committee chaired by an Opposition Deputy to work with Ombudsmen's offices and review petitions.
Oireachtas Committee Reforms 2012
In the summer of 2012 the Oireachtas Committee system was streamlined to provide an additional focus on areas of priority such as Jobs and Agriculture.
Dáil and Oireachtas Reform Package 2013
In September 2013 the Government announced a further phase of Dáil Reform:
1. Opening up the law-making process through a Pre-Legislative Stage. A Pre-Legislative Stage at an Oireachtas Committee is now a general requirement for non-emergency legislation. A Minister who does not bring a Bill to Committee for Pre-Legislative Stage is required to explain that decision to the Dáil. The Pre-Legislative Stage allows for an unprecedented and extensive engagement by the public in the process of law-making. The relevant Committee can consult with experts and civic society groups; crucially, this takes place before the legislation is drafted. Where there has been a Pre-Legislative Stage, the Chair or Vice Chair of the Committee has an opportunity to outline the Committee's work to the members of the Dáil during the Second Stage debate after the Minister and main opposition spokespeople have spoken on the Bill.
2. Each year the Taoiseach and Tánaiste will address the Dáil setting out the Government’s annual priorities.
3. The role of Oireachtas Committees in the Budget process has been expanded.
4. The number of Legislative Programmes has been reduced to two per year.
5. The time available for legislative debate in the Dáil has been increased, by increasing the total number of sitting days, extending the length of sitting days and starting at 9.30 am on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
6. The proposer of a Private Member’s Bill has five minutes at First Stage to outline the purpose of the Bill to the Dáil.
7. The number of Friday sittings has been expanded and the Dáil now sits every second Friday to debate Private Members' Bills and Committee Reports selected using a lottery system.
- The number of Bills introduced by Deputies has grown from 14 published in 2010 to 53 published in 2014.
- The new Friday sittings also allow Committees, for the first time, to seek directly to have their own reports debated in the Dáil.
- The system of Topical Issues now requires the Minister or a Minister of State from the relevant Department to reply, or the Deputy who raised the issue can have it deferred until a Minister from that Department is available.
- Ministerial Questions have been reformed:
- The time allocated to Oral Parliamentary Questions to Ministers has been standardised to 75 minutes.
- An ordinary Oral Question will be answered only if the Deputy tabling the Question is in the Chamber when it is reached.
- Each Deputy has 30 seconds to outline the question.
In addition to these reforms, and as mentioned earlier, the Government has indicated its acceptance of a number of recommendations for Constitutional change and changes in Standing Orders made by the Convention on the Constitution in its Seventh Report, on Dáil Reform.
The Government Chief Whip outlined the Government's position on these in the Dáil on Thursday 14 January, as follows.
The Government accepts that there is a case for a referendum to enhance the Office of Ceann Comhairle by giving it constitutional standing, and also for including a reference to Oireachtas Committees in the Constitution.
The Government also accepts three of the Convention's recommendations for changes to Dáil Standing Orders and will shortly ask the Dáil to amend Standing Orders accordingly. The three changes are:
- election of the Ceann Comhairle by secret ballot, intended to enhance the independence of the office of Ceann Comhairle and strengthen the link between the holder of that Office and the members of the Dáil.
- introduction of a system whereby the Taoiseach will appear before the Working Group of Committee Chairs twice a year.
- proportionate allocation of Committee chairs using the d’Hondt system.
In addition, a number of Convention recommendations will be referred to the Dáil Reform Sub-Committee for further consideration, including that the members of Committees should have access to the support of a panel of external members and former TDs; and how the introduction of family friendly hours for the Dáil, and a Committee Week, would work in practice.
As regards the measures proposed by the Deputy, both the Government Chief Whip and the Dáil Reform Sub-Committee of Dáil CPP are willing to consider any proposals made to them by any member of the House. The Deputy's proposals - the expansion of Leader's Questions to allow backbench Deputies an opportunity to raise issues of interest; an increase in the number of Topical Issues to six per day; and expansion of Minister's Questions to two hours to facilitate more Deputies' questions - have merit and could be considered for any future package of Dáil reforms.
