Professor David Farrell:

It is a fundamental question, from my area of the world. There is a need for some dramatic change in how our Parliament operates. It would be a mistake to suggest there are one or two magic bullets that will fix things.

What we need is a fundamental overhaul of how the Oireachtas operates and the Government relates to the Oireachtas. It is only by way of a fundamental overhaul that a cultural shift might be realised. If only one or two things are changed, the culture of how the process operates will not change. There is a need to change how the whole system operates. In effect, I am suggesting issues such as what it is that motivates a Member of Parliament to be an active member of a committee need to be examined. There is no doubt that this committee is a model of good practice and that its members take their role very seriously, for understandable reasons, given the subject matter of its deliberations. Having appeared before and observed other committees, I argue that, in comparison with committees I have observed in other countries, there is a need for reflection on how committee work in this system is done. While it is largely about changing the structures, it is also about changing how members treat their committee role.