Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a member of four Oireachtas committees, I believe we should not have a duplication of work. It is important to ensure two committees are not doing the same work at the same time. However, I share some of the sentiments expressed. Of all the committees, this is probably the most connected to the general public. The ability of Joe or Josephine Bloggs to raise an issue and have it discussed in detail in Parliament is very important. We must be careful if we are seeking to narrow the scope and ability of the committee to deal with issues in the public and the national interest. What is in the public interest is subjective, depending on which member of the public is involved, but everyone is entitled to have his or her say.

There are a number of procedural aspects of how this Dáil operates that frustrate me. It is crazy that there are only five hours a week to deal with legislation in the Dáil Chamber. There are Private Members' Bills all the time when we talk about what we should be doing, but the time available to actually do anything is limited. Similarly, the committee schedule is a source of frustration. Such decisions need to be revisited and discussed further. As a committee member, I mandate the Chairman to go back and express our views in that regard.