Brendan Howlin
Question:1. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach the number of staff assigned to the parliamentary liaison unit in his Department; and the functions it has. [40019/16]
View answerWednesday, 18 January 2017
Questions (1)
Oral answers (46 contributions)
The parliamentary liaison group based in my Department facilitates the enhanced relationship between the Government and the Oireachtas. It is staffed by a principal officer, a higher executive officer and a clerical officer. The principal role of the unit is to assist in the management of the legislative programme, which is done in conjunction with the Whip's office. The unit also provides support to Ministers and their Departments on Oireachtas matters with a particular emphasis on assisting Departments with Private Members' business. The parliamentary liaison unit liaises on a regular basis with advisers, including the chief strategist for the Independent Alliance and the political co-ordinator for the Independent Ministers in government and Departments with a view to ensuring that they are aware of Oireachtas issues and to assist them with engaging with the new processes arising from Dáil reform.
I thank the Taoiseach for the reply. According to the Government's website, the parliamentary liaison unit facilitates the enhanced relationship between Government and the Oireachtas. I understand the Government's Chief Whip has also been provided with a second special adviser from October last to deal with parliamentary liaison. Even having listened to the Taoiseach, I am not clear on the exact role and function of these units and individuals. Who do they liaise with exactly? Is it everybody or is it designated people? Is it people who support the Government on the Opposition benches or who potentially support it? Are they providing supports to Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran or Deputy Michael Lowry? Can the Taoiseach tell the House specifically who they liaise with and for what purpose? If the objective is to facilitate a better relationship between the Government and the Oireachtas, is it liaising with everybody in the Oireachtas or just with designated people who might be supportive of the Government?
The principal role is to assist in the management of the legislative programme, which is done in conjunction with the Whip's office. It provides support to Ministers and their Departments on Oireachtas matters, with a particular emphasis on assisting Departments with Private Members' business, which now sometimes consists of four items per week.
With all parties?
From all parties, yes. Sometimes there are three, if not four, Private Members' Bills coming through.
Yes, but we all produce them.
That is what it does. The parliamentary liaison unit is involved with the chief strategist for the Independent Alliance group, in respect of which Deputy Howlin mentioned Deputy Moran, as well as the political co-ordinator for the Independent Ministers who serve in government. It is not that easy.
The Taoiseach indicated that one of its functions is to facilitate the passage and shaping of Private Members' Bills, of which there are up to four per week.
We have had no contact and have produced several such Bills. I do not know whether other parties in opposition have had the facility of a co-ordinator from the parliamentary liaison unit or whether only designated individuals can avail of the service. How does one get on the list to be assisted by the parliamentary liaison unit?
The unit provides support to Ministers and their Departments on Oireachtas matters.
I could not hear the Taoiseach.
I think I have an opportunity to make an interjection.
The Taoiseach was answering my question.
I know, but maybe he will wait until I have asked my question. I am seeking clarification on behalf of my party leader on what arrangement is in place. As my colleague said, who is facilitated by this office? Is it facilitating all Members of the House? When we draft Private Members' Bills, we do so with the help of our research office and not any office within the Department of the Taoiseach.
Was the office put in place to deal with Deputies such as Deputy Lowry? The Taoiseach said Deputy Lowry has no role in supporting the Government, yet when in his constituency he said there is a clear understanding that he can get preference in terms of accessing Ministers and Ministers of State. The man is entitled to so do; he was duly elected by the people of Tipperary. Who is telling the truth? Is the Taoiseach telling the truth when he says there is no deal with Deputy Lowry? Is Deputy Lowry telling the truth when he says he has a deal with the Government?
Is the Taoiseach satisfied that all deals with Independent Deputies have been published? For example, have the details of the deal on the cath lab in University Hospital Waterford with the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, been published? Our understanding on this side of the House, when we facilitated the supply and confidence arrangement, was that any deal done with an Independent Deputy to ensure his or her support for the Government would be published.
It does not deal with the Members the Deputy mentioned. As I said, its principal role is to assist in the management of the legislative programme which was published yesterday and which is quite complex. That is done in conjunction with the Whip's office. There are two different sections. The unit provides support to Ministers and their Departments on Oireachtas matters, in particular in regard to some of the matters that arise in Private Members' business. There is a Bills office for drafting Private Members' Bills for backbench Deputies and others.
The parliamentary liaison unit also liaises on a regular basis with advisers, including the chief strategist for the Independent Alliance and the political co-ordinator for Independent Ministers who serve in government. It does not deal with Deputies outside of that.
It sounds like a wonderful facility. I ask the Taoiseach, on behalf of Opposition parties, to circulate a list of the names of those in the unit, their titles, their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. We can all think of occasions when we could use the kind of services that have been described. I presume those in the unit have names, offices, e-mail addresses and contact details. Very few Deputies have such facilities available to them, from what I know. Would the Taoiseach give an undertaking to publish the names and contact details of those in the unit so that if the services are available Deputies can avail of them?
It would be terrible to think that people in the Department of the Taoiseach are sitting on their hands with nothing to do other than have an odd chat with an adviser. That is hardly the efficient and productive work of the kind we know Taoiseach is dedicated to.
Is this an internal Government facility?
Deputies can ask a question, and then get the answer.
I want to cut to the chase. Is this a facility afforded to Government Deputies for the smooth passage and organisation of Government business?
It is very important for the writing of-----
On a point of clarification, I received an e-mail offering me the facility. I think it was offered to all Deputies.
I do not recall receiving any such invitation. The parliamentary liaison unit is available to all of us. That information is very helpful. Maybe the Taoiseach can confirm that the parliamentary liaison unit, whose function is, according to the Government's website, to enhance the relationship between the Government and the Oireachtas, is available on an equal basis to each Members of the Oireachtas regardless of whether he or she is in government, opposition or some halfway house.
No, that is not what applies.
The Taoiseach has three minutes to respond.
I said the parliamentary liaison unit works closely with Government Departments on their input into Private Members' business in the Dáil and Seanad. The unit also liaises on a regular basis with advisers and Departments on Oireachtas matters to ensure they are aware of, and to assist them in engaging with, the new and improved ways in which we are doing business in the Dáil.
The Deputy asked whether the unit was available to everybody in the Oireachtas. As I said in my reply, the unit was established with the view that it would assist in facilitating a more effective central co-ordination in dealing with Oireachtas business. Officials are happy to engage with anyone in that regard. I will furnish Deputies with the detail.
I asked a question and I am somewhat at a disadvantage as I have never served in government. What were advisers doing in previous Governments? Were they not engaging with one another? We have had coalition Governments for a long time and there are different policy perspectives when different parties join together. What were advisers doing in the previous Government that meant they needed a new dedicated office to deal with partnership Government? Is the relationship so fractured that another layer of people is needed to facilitate interaction and engagement and ensure information is disseminated from one Department to another?
I note certain Deputies had no problem getting information out very speedily before any such unit was established. I wonder about the need for the unit. Ministers and Ministers of State have always had auxiliary staff to deal with various Departments and the Oireachtas.
I am still not crystal clear on exactly what function the unit has, but perhaps the Taoiseach could circulate a note including the names and contact details of those involved with unit, something Deputy Burton has requested.
The Taoiseach will recall that in a past Administration, the late Jackie Healy-Rae, who supported the Government, had parliamentary support. I passed him on the corridor every Thursday while he waited for a portion of the list to be delivered and to have dialogue. Does that facility still exist? Is a support person from the Government, be it a civil servant or non-civil servant, dealing with those Independent Deputies who support the Government on the same basis as the individual to whom I referred was supported and helped in a previous Administration?
We have now established that it is not purely a facility for Government. Rather, it is a liaison facility for the Oireachtas as a whole. I ask the Taoiseach to assist me with this assertion. Can the Taoiseach tell us the extent of the liaison with the Oireachtas? It is, notwithstanding the recollection of Deputy Breathnach of receiving an e-mail, news to lots of us that such a facility exists. I assume that although it is not intended to be purely a Government support that is, in effect, what it is. Am I wrong? Has there been liaison beyond the Government benches?
The way the Taoiseach is describing it, it sounds awfully like these are like relationship counsellors who are there to soothe fevered brows in the heat of parliamentary discussions.
Given that we have all these people wandering around talking to advisers and chatting to lots of people, but not to any of us, although we would seem to be the object of their mission, I suppose I could ask the Ceann Comhairle, as the embodiment of the representation of the Oireachtas-----
And relationship counsellor.
-----whether they have shared some of this relationship stuff with him, and perhaps he could make arrangements to pass it on to the rest of us.
Perhaps Deputy Burton should have had them in the last Government.
We lasted five years.
I have no relations that I need to tell Deputy Burton about.
Deputy Burton had a few herself when she was Tánaiste and an important Minister in the previous Government.
A few relationships - I had many.
In response to Deputy Howlin, I recall the late Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae used to say that only a portion of the paper would stick out from the folder but that it was worth millions. The difference now is that the agreements we have are all public knowledge and published, both in terms of the programme for Government in respect of the issues with the Independent Alliance and the supply and confidence agreement with the Fianna Fáil Party.
How come they know nothing about them?
As I stated, the parliamentary liaison group works to improve the relationship between the Government - Deputy Howlin was an esteemed member of Government himself - and the Oireachtas. In this regard, its work is complementary to that of the office of the Chief Whip in terms of the legislative programme and the issues that arise in both the Dáil and the Seanad. I will circulate a note to Deputy Howlin.
I thank the Taoiseach. We need to move on.
Very briefly, in the 25 seconds remaining-----
The Deputy will not get an answer.
If everything is publicised, will the Taoiseach tell us on the floor of the Dáil today if he has an arrangement with Deputy Lowry? Will he answer "Yes" or "No"?
No.
So he is telling a lie.
I do not call people by that.
Has the parliamentary relations officer a relationship with him?