Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minster for attending to deal with this important issue. I note the external arrangements and engagements we have in terms of EU member states, and I thank the Minister for coming into the Seanad to take the EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill. I note he made some comments on the legislation, one of which was on our EU scrutiny. Our scrutiny of EU legislation has been appalling, although it was generally a failing of previous Governments also. In his response the Minister referred to the innovation of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, in giving the members of the transport committee draft statutory instruments prior to that Minister signing them. That should be an automatic process. It is a fact that 596 statutory instruments were signed by Ministers without anybody ever seeing them, including the Minister for Health. Not one Member of the Oireachtas saw our first law on organ donation in the history of the State prior to it being signed into law. The EU scrutiny committee admitted that in the first six months of this Government's term there was no scrutiny of any EU legislation because the committees were not established. Our structures in terms of EU scrutiny are sadly lacking.

The Minister also raised the issue of the yellow card system where EU member states can comment on EU legislation proposed by the Parliament and stated that of the 428 submissions made by EU member states on 139 legislative measures from the EU Parliament, Ireland managed to make one submission in the first two years.

This is how poor is Ireland's scrutiny in this area. The Tánaiste might comment on that because it is necessary for all committees and Ministers to do what the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, are doing. Statutory instruments must be seen by the Parliament before they are signed with the most extreme example being the first law on organ donation in the history of the State. No Member of the Oireachtas had sight of it before the relevant European Union directive was signed into Irish law. The Minister made all the changes he desired, put in place all the infrastructure and no one saw it in advance. My concern pertains to the process.

Second, I agree with the Tánaiste's statement that consideration should be given to having a Minister responsible for the Irish overseas and the diaspora. On foot of his meeting with the French equivalent, who is Irish born and who encouraged Ireland to follow suit, perhaps the Tánaiste will comment on how he would envisage this in the next Government? He might be in the next Government himself, perhaps with Fianna Fáil and our new-found member from the Labour Party.