THE GOVERNMENT has circulated a document on Dáil reform to party whips that proposes Taoiseach’s Questions be reduced from two to one session per week and that Dáil sittings would be increased to occupy 35 weeks of the year.
The document is based on work done by the previous Fianna Fail-led government but yesterday Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe said it was merely a discussion paper and did not represent the Coalition’s views.
The document, by a sub-committee on Dáil reform comprised of party whips, has been seen by The Irish Times.
The main proposals that have been approved for further discussion are:
35 sitting weeks per year and shorter Dáil recess;
Earlier sitting times of 9.30am each sitting day;
One Taoiseach’s Questions per week;
A Leaders’ Questions-style session on Thursday;
A new slot on Thursday where the chief whip would answer questions on promised legislation.
The committee failed to reach agreement on a number of other proposals, including a move to confine the Order of Business to 15 minutes each day and to bar any questions on promised legislation.
The other significant reform put forward by Fianna Fáil was that the Taoiseach be given two hours’ notice of the issues to be raised at Leaders’ Questions.
Mr Kehoe said that that reform had been rejected and Leaders’ Questions would remain as is.
Another suggestion was that the current adjournment debates be reformed. At present, four adjournment debates are taken at the end of business each day, usually late in the evening. They allow TDs to raise important national issues, or those pertaining to their constituencies.
The reform suggests the debates are retitled “topical issues” and are taken earlier in the day. “One supplementary question and answer would also be permitted. This is likely to mean that, in practice, Ministers will have to be available on a rota basis.”
Backbench deputies have consistently criticised the fact that the relevant minister was not available to respond to matters brought up on the adjournment. It meant that a different minister read out a script prepared by a civil servant and could not respond to any supplementary questions.
A number of proposals have been made by party whips and the technical group in the past few weeks.
They included a 10-minute session each day that would allow “30-second questions”, and the possibility of reducing the number required for a party to be formally recognised as a group in the Dáil.
Tonight the Technical Group, comprised of 15 TDs from smaller parties or who are Independent, will open a two-day private members debate on Dáil reform. The technical group will argue for some far-reaching changes, including the abolition of the party political whip system, to allow individual members to vote according to conscience and not instruction; the group says it will oppose any reduction in Dáil time for Taoiseach’s and Ministers’ questions.
The Government will also announce the membership of the reduced number of Oireachtas committees by the end of the week. There will be 15 committees, including the British-Irish Parliamentary Association.
It is now likely that the Opposition will be offered the chairs of only three of the committees, one for each of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Technical Group.
Fianna Fáil, in particular, is expected to object strenuously to this arrangement.
