Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

With the agreement of the House, I wish to share time with Deputy O'Flynn.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the committee system at the commencement of the Dáil. This is an appropriate time to debate this subject and we should do so at the commencement of every Dáil. I compliment the Chief Whip on the series of proposals he has outlined, specifically the provision of enhanced research facilities and resources to committees. Proposals relating to European matters will be seen as very significant. I had the honour last year of chairing the committee on child protection, a special committee established to deal specifically with an issue of national importance that convulsed the House, if not the nation, in terms of the gravity of issues with which it dealt. There is enormous scope for the House to deal with these types of complex issues through the committee system. In other words, we should remain open to the possibility of establishing special purpose committees. Another committee which comes to mind in this regard is the one established last year to address the complex and difficult issue involving a judge of the Circuit Court. While I may be biased, both committees were considered particularly effective in proposing solutions and bringing about resolutions to these difficulties outside of the hothouse atmosphere that sometimes pertains in the Dáil Chamber.

I welcome the innovations introduced by the Minister of State. I welcome in particular that the All-Party Committee on the Constitution will become a Joint Oireachtas committee. I could never understand why that committee met in a different venue and under different terms from standard committees. I also welcome the proposal to establish a joint committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and a joint committee on the constitutional amendment regarding children.

The proposals in respect of EU scrutiny are important. The volume of material coming from Europe is unwieldy. No Deputy, regardless of his or her experience or expertise, could be expected to deal with the volume and complexity of material coming from Europe. The proposed committee will require enormous resources and staff to deal with those issues. I believe the Minister of State's proposals go some way towards addressing this issue.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins identified the staffing of committees in general as one of the most crucial issues. A committee not properly staffed cannot operate effectively. In this regard, I noticed last year — this may have been peculiar to the committees of which I was a member — a great deal of turnover of committee clerks. This, in my view, gave rise to a great deal of disruption of the work of the committees. I do not know whether this was widespread. However, I believe that in so far as it is possible a clerk assigned to a committee should serve with that committee for the entire tenure of the Dáil or, at least, a large part of it.

The proposals in respect of research assistants are also important. Members are often faced in committees by a plethora of advisers accompanying a Minister providing him or her with the most up-to-date specialist information whereas they, be it on the Opposition or Government side, simply do not have that level of expertise. I draw the Minister of State's attention to the overly complex issue of financing of rapporteurs which I believe should be streamlined. Many of the rapporteur-based reports were good.

Deputy Kenny at the outset made the point that committees should be seen as an instrument of the Dáil and should reflect its work. At the same time, the argument was made that there should be more committee chairmanship positions for Opposition Members. Surely, if the committee system is to mirror the Dáil, which is chaired for the most part by Government, the proposed system for Government chairmanship of committees to drive and direct those committees is an appropriate way to proceed.

I welcome this debate and the reforms proposed by the Minister of State. I look forward to the rest of the debate.

See this speech in context