A campaign to stop TDs reading prepared speeches in the Dáil will be stepped up by the Green Party today as the deputies return after their Christmas break.
The party said yesterday it would work towards making the Dáil script-free this year.
Party leader Mr Trevor Sargent said many speeches were written for politicians and not by them. These were read out verbatim, stifling Dáil debate.
Last year, Fine Gael TD Mr John Deasy expressed his concern at the overuse of scripts and said Sinn Féin was the worst offender.
Mr Eamon Ryan, Green Party TD, also criticised the media focus on the length of time deputies spoke in the Dáil. This encouraged politicians to read lengthy speeches to clock up their speaking hours, he said.
He was speaking at the party's announcement of the appointments of Mr Stiofán Nutty, its first general secretary; its new parliamentary group secretary, Mr Colm Ó Caomhanaigh; two researchers and a press assistant.
Mr Nutty said the new appointments would help the party grow from a small business to a large organisation. It would also shift its emphasis from an urban to a countrywide party.The reinforced team would help it secure a major increase in its representation in the next local and European elections.
Mr John Gormley, chairman of the Greens, said the party had won seats in the general election with careful targeting and this success would be repeated again in the local and European elections. A number of community activists had already been identified as potential candidates.
The party is also calling on all deputies with local authority seats to voluntarily vacate them. Dual mandate Green Party TDs have already done so.
Mr Gormley also said the party was "unequivocal" in its opposition to the use of Shannon as a refuelling stop for US aircraft bound for the Persian Gulf.
