Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage

11:10 am

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will make three very brief points. First, I asked a question about Governments changing mid-stream. It does not always take an election to change a Government. This Government does not have a mandate for five years, but for as long as Parliament gives it that mandate. As we saw between 1992 and 1997, Parliament gave a mandate to a new Government. The figures shifted, so it is not set in stone on polling day. This counteracts the Minister's argument.

Second, I have no difficulty with parties receiving funding. I agree with the Minister on that. That is why we have provision in the electoral Acts specifically for parties to receive funding based on their performance in the election. My difficulty is that all of the subsequent funding for the operation of parliamentary duties is based on that result on polling day and this excludes 10% of the Parliament from having basic information so they can actively participate in a lot of debates.

My third point is on access to committees, because I would not like this to go unchecked. The Minister is correct that there is nothing to stop me from coming before any committee. I would come in at the tail end of the committee. That is the process and I understand that. However, the major difficulty with not being a member of the committee is that one does not have access to the committee documentation. For example, this week I was at the health committee. Three presentations were given. Every member of the committee had that documentation and I was trying to participate in that debate blind.

This is the fundamental argument I have with this amendment. Members of Parliament who are denied access to information cannot participate to the same level as Members who have access to information. When one is outside the party structure one does not have that research capability and access to that information. The library and research service helps to fill some of that void regarding basic information, but much of the information as legislation goes through the House and issues are debated in committee is denied to non-members. That is the fundamental problem. The Minister is ensuring that 10% of the Parliament are trying to participate in the passage of legislation or Government policy decisions with one arm tied behind their backs.

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