Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Despite the EU scrutiny reform legislation that followed the defeat of the Nice treaty, the current scrutiny procedures in this regard in Leinster House are still far from sufficient. The EU Scrutiny Act 2002 has become counter-productive as a means of democratic oversight. It has been abused by the Government to allow for less debate on EU matters, not more as promised. Under the present scrutiny Act, the Dáil does not debate matters before intergovernmental conferences, for example, EU summit or Council meetings. Deputies do not vote on proposed Irish Government positions. Those positions should be placed before the House and debated. Debates on these matters only occur after the fact——

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