Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Seanad Select Committee on Subsidiarity (European Union Legislative Scrutiny)
Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals
2:00 am
Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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Members will be aware that this committee is established pursuant to Standing Order 125 as a contingency measure, pending the establishment of the committee system. The committee is established to enable Seanad Éireann to exercise its key role under the Lisbon treaty, and, in particular, to assess the subsidiarity aspects of proposed EU legislation. Members should be aware that in accordance with the procedures in committees, this proposal will be considered in private session. I now propose that the committee goes into private session for our deliberations. Is that agreed?
Michael McDowell (Independent)
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It is not agreed, Chair.
Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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It is not agreed.
Michael McDowell (Independent)
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Just before the committee goes into private session, I want to put on the public record my deeply held conviction that the Oireachtas, and the two Houses of the Oireachtas, are not fulfilling their function in relation to subsidiarity issues or examinations. I also want to put on the public record my view that the sectoral committees, the formation of which at the moment is now delayed, are not performing that function adequately and have never really, in all of my experience, carried out that function. I have spoken to the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and I believe that the Seanad should make efforts to carry out this function seriously by itself alongside the procedures which were established under the last Seanad to vet statutory instruments in draft form before they are implemented. I wanted to put that on the record before we go into private session.
Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that Senator. Do other members have any other comments before we go into private session? No. Is that agreed? Agreed.