1 Jul 2013, 13:23
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has today 1 July 2013, published its 2012 Annual Report. As well as providing details of parliamentary activity throughout 2012 it also accounts for the public money spent in running the Houses of the Oireachtas last year.
Continuing its theme of doing better with less, the Commission, through prudent financial management is pleased to announce overall savings on its three year budget 2010-2012 of just over 8%. Total expenditure for 2012 was €105.5m against a budget of €115.6m representing a saving of 9%. Notwithstanding theses savings, sitting days increased by 23% over the same period in 2011 (an election year) and by 18% in the same period in 2010.
Supporting the sittings of the Houses and their Committees during 2012 encompassed:
• 123 Dáil sittings (1,001 sitting hours)
• 110 Seanad sittings (698 sitting hours)
• 572 Committee meetings (1,032 sitting hours)
• 18 Committee Reports
• 119 Bills published as initiated
• 54 Acts passed
• 4,450 amendments tabled to Bills
• 53 Bill reprints as a result of amendment or passage by both Houses
• 56,027 Parliamentary Questions processed
Comparative Benchmarking of Parliaments
Benchmarking of 18 national Parliaments shows that the Irish Parliament has:
• Lower overall cost per member of parliament than the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, Italy, Austria and Belgium
• Fewer administrative staff per member, fewer political staff per member and fewer total staff per member than average
• More sitting days in 2012 than Canada, Scotland, Belgium, Austria and Russia
• The highest number of sitting hours in 2012 of 12 parliaments
• The second highest number of Parliamentary Questions tabled annually across 14 parliaments and the highest number of PQ’s per member
• The fourth highest number of visitors to parliament as a percentage of population out of 16 parliaments
Further specific findings of the benchmarking initiative are reflected throughout the annual report.
ENDS/
To read the annual report click here:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/about/publications/annualreports/
For further information please contact:
Verona Ni Bhroinn
Press and Public Relations Officer,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
01- 618 3881, 087 2624132