Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on the motion and congratulate Fine Gael and my party leader for putting it down. It will help Members to focus on the removal of almost one third of the influence of the House when the Taoiseach is away from the House. While there was never a difficulty in regard to pairing arrangements for official Government business, last year we took a retrograde step when we released the Taoiseach from the House on Thursdays, thereby reducing the influence of the House.

The public expectation is that Members are in the House, the arena where Government and Parliament meet and where Parliament holds the Government to account. Over the past ten years, one issue which has become apparent is the obvious need to ensure that Government, whatever Government is in power, is always accountable to the House and that it comes here to account for itself.

While we have discussed the tribunals for many years, adequate accountability and transparency in terms of the answering of questions in this House would have meant there was no need for tribunals. When the onus and responsibility for such matters is removed from Parliament and transferred to the courts, for example, the courts will do the job required. However, that takes a long time.

Seven years have passed and much money has been spent while tribunals dealt with issues which could and should have been dealt with in this House. If we continue as we are, another seven years will go by and we will be lucky to have a response from one tribunal on one issue. All this is in regard to matters which could have been dealt with in this House if there had been proper openness, transparency and accountability.

I regret that since I first entered this House I have seen a gradual decline in its influence and the ability of Members to question Ministers and hold them to account. While that is sad, it is easier and more convenient for Government that it is this way. However, Government, whatever hue it may be, will pay a price further along the road. I strongly urge the Minister to take on board the Fine Gael motion because it will go some way to addressing those issues.

When one talks to people in the community, one finds an expectation on their part that the issues which affect them are aired in Parliament almost immediately. While it does not always happen that way, they feel that we should be able to deal in this House with the questions which concern them, but we do not. A simple example would be a matter on the Adjournment of the House tonight. There is no chance of having the responsible Minister answer on the matter. One Minister will answer on four questions, if the House is lucky. However, if that Minister was asked to go to Áras an Uachtaráin to collect his or her seal of office, some enthusiasm would be found.

Ministers should recognise that their responsibility is not just to Government but to Parliament. Whether they like it, sooner or later we will have to arrive at a situation where the two meet and greater transparency and accountability accrue. If that does not happen and this erosion continues, we will find ourselves in a situation where Parliament becomes a sham. We will go through the motions by coming to the House in the mornings to raise a couple of items before going home.

We heard for years about the vacuum which existed in another part of this island and we know the consequences of that — we heard politicians being blamed for allowing the vacuum to continue. It is best to remember that wherever a parliamentary vacuum occurs in a democracy, it is always replaced by something else which inexorably — there are no isolated incidents — moves away from democracy.

I acknowledge the role of the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin, in regard to today's proceedings and thank her for her help and co-operation, as I thank the other Whips. I also acknowledge that the job of Government Whip is not an easy one.

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